Baluard de Migdia i Muralla de Mar

Baluard de Migdia i Muralla de Mar preserves part of Barcelona’s old maritime defences beside the historic port area. Built from 1527, the bastion strengthened medieval walls near Pla de Palau and covered the Portal de Mar. Stone came from Sant Bertran and Sant Ferriol, while lime arrived from the Garraf coast.

By 1535, construction was nearly complete, and the sea wall extended a wider plan with eleven bastions. An earth-filled interior resisted artillery, while its height later grew from eight metres to ten. A moat, counter-scarp, drainage ditch, septic tank, and canals gradually added practical layers to the defences. During the War of the Spanish Succession, defenders held this position through fierce fighting before it fell.

Barcelona’s expansion eventually covered much of the structure with buildings, railway works, and gas lighting. Construction work rediscovered the remains in 2008, bringing the buried fortification back into public view. Today, a small interior plaza and panoramic balcony reveal the wall, counter-scarp, and canals crossing its former moat. The surviving stone makes the modern city’s military past visible at close quarters.