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Recinto abaluartado de Badajoz

Badajoz, Italy

Recinto abaluartado de Badajoz

The bastioned system of the Spanish city of Badajoz consists of a military fortification formed by a set of defensive walls, city gates, bridges, forts, towers, bastions, hornworks, moats, tunnels, and ravelins, among other defensive elements. It was built during the 17th and 18th centuries, followi

ng the defensive construction theories popularized by the French military engineer Marquis de Vauban, as an extension of a previous defensive enclosure that protected the Portugal–Spain border city. From its founding by Ibn Marwan—over an earlier Visigothic settlement, as Badajoz has been inhabited since prehistoric times—the city maintained a stronghold character up to the 20th century. Its strategic location at the crossroads of two major routes: one from Castile to Andalusia, and the other to Lisbon, along with its status as a border city with Portugal, has led to both advantages for Badajoz's development and numerous conflicts involving various armies over the centuries. Consequently, the city has been protected by several defensive enclosures. The first fortifications were carried out by Ibn Marwan, who ordered the erection of mortar walls. This was followed by restoration work undertaken...

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