Citadel
Citadel
Citadel (La Ciudadela) and Vuelta del Castillo Park (Av. del Ejército, Pamplona) — The citadel and the Vuelta del Castillo Park that surround it, form the biggest and most important green area of Pamplona. The citadel was built by order of Philip II of Spain in 1571 as part of the general strengthening of the city’s fortifications. It was designed in pentagonal shape to be able to combat every angle of attack. The citadel is now considered the best example of military architecture in Spanish renaissance style.
The citadel was used by the military until 1964, and afterwards was turned into a park. Today, the citadel as well as the green area that surrounds it, is frequented by locals of all ages. Apart from people walking and practicing sports, the buildings that were left from the military are now used as art and cultural exhibition centers. Among those buildings are the Magazine (Polvorín) which is the oldest building of the complex, the Oven (horno) where bread was baked and the Weapons Building (Sala de Armas) which was originally the artillery warehouse. There are also several sculptures spread throughout the park from artists such as Jorge Oteiza and Faustino Aizkorbe.
Admission: free. Hours (main gate): 7:30 am – 9:30 pm (weekdays), 8:00 am – 9:30 pm (Saturdays), 9:00 am – 9:30 pm (Sundays & holidays); (exhibition areas): 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Tuesday – Friday), 12:00 – 2:00 pm & 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Saturdays), 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm (Sundays)(November – April). 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm (Tuesday – Friday), 12:00 – 2:00 pm & 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm (Saturdays), 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm (Sundays) (May – October).