1Guadalupe fort 2 Outer gate 3 Entrance tunnel

Was part of the Entrenched Camp in Oiartzun, The only entrance is a path 78 m in length mak- Behind the outer gate is a vaulted tunnel protect- a military stronghold designed in the late 19th ing its way downwards and round two bends until ed by: century which, together with those of Pamplona, coming to the outer gate, situated seven metres • six loopholes (4) manned by the two sets of Jaca and Gerona, had the mission to prevent in- below the start of the path. This made it impossi- guards on either side. vasion from the Pyrenees. The project was can- ble for the enemy to fire at the fort before coming • a (2) with a depth of 3.5 m covered by a celled due to technological obsolescence, with round the last bend. moving bridge. only six forts and five batteries being completed, The outer gate (indicating the year 1900, when it among them that of the Calvary, near the fort. • two grenade launchers (3) which made it im- was inaugurated) is defended by four vertical and possible for the enemy to take shelter in the The entrenched camp occupied an extension of two horizontal . moat. 20 km by 15, with eight forts planned for its tall- Embrasures are slits in the wall through which • a metal grille (5) with two sides (the only origi- est hills: in the vanguard Guadalupe (1900), San rifles can be fired. nal of the three still in place today). Marcial and Erlaitz; in the middle row San Enri- que, Arkale and Beliz, and in the rear-guard San The rifle used by the garrison in its early years • two loopholes and one frontal (6) which crossed fire with the other arms men- Marcos (1888) and Txoritokieta (1890). was the Spanish 7 mm Mauser model 1893. tioned. The (a machine gun could also Facing the outer gate until the decade of the This is a fort of the polygon type (irregular octa- be installed) could fire 196 projectiles contain- 1940s were two decorative miniature gon), with a moat flanked by the artillery and the ing shrapnel canisters so that the tunnel was which can now be found on a staircase behind gun emplacements of three and two a space completely covered by intense cross- the Hermitage of Guadalupe half-caponiers. Outside it has a covered walkway fire, and therefore extremely difficult for the () with capacity for 500 soldiers. enemy to penetrate. 4 Moat The moat completely surrounding the fort is Each sector of the moat has a flanking battery composed of eight parts: three short (50-60 m) (known as the ) from which shots are and five long (80-129 m), with a total length of fired from the two loopholes manned by riflemen 750 m and a width of between 6 and 8 m. Some together with the shrapnel canisters fired by can- parts of the moat have a slope. The floor is cur- non from an embrasure, meaning that the three rently covered in paving stones which were lain at sectors of the moat were covered by crossfire the end of the 20th century. The original was soil and the remainder only by flanking fire. on which grass would grow. Both the scarp and walls have a The moat is limited on the inside by the scarp and cordon whose function, apart from being simply on the outer side by the counterscarp. decorative, is to prevent rainwater from running 40% of the length of the scarp (three sections) down and soaking into the stone of the walls. consists of a wall with embrasures, from where Note how the walls are stained in the places rifles could be fired at an angle in the direction of where the cordon is damaged or fails to fulfil its the moat. function. 5 Caponier 6 Railing 7 Half-caponier (ext.)

1 3 2 1 1 2

The caponiers have two flanks for defending the As well as the other flank of the caponier, we can Unlike the caponier, the half-caponiers only have moat (the half-caponiers only have one). Outside see how the moat takes on a pronounced inclina- a single flank and only defend a single sector of is a smaller in front of the caponiers which tion (this is not the only one it has). the moat. has two functions: to prevent the enemy from be- The west half-caponier has a small door (1) built ing able to shoot into the caponier and to collect Here the scarp is not formed by a wall with loop- into the system for moving the troops defending falling earth and stones etc. which, following an holes, but by a low wall topped with a railing. The the fort from the covered walkway: when the en- enemy artillery attack, could bury the embrasure, one currently in place is not the original, which emy had advanced to the extent that it was no rendering it useless and leaving one sector of the was taken to Pamplona in around 1980. The orig- longer possible to defend the covered walkway, moat without flanking. inal was a cast iron railing (1) taller and stronger than the one in place today, with spikes and sharp the troops would make their down one of the four The ditch, being in a dip, cannot be defended by points (2) which made it difficult to climb. counterscarp staircases into the moat and from the nearby loopholes. That’s why it’s defended there into the heart of the fort through one of the by the grenade launchers (1) and machicola- The intention was initially to install a self-standing three gates with a moving bridge. tions (2). The latter are horizontal loopholes with open-air loopholed wall (“Carnot style”), but the Once the troops had withdrawn from the covered a slanted lower opening to enable firing into the railing was considered more effective against the walkway, a new defence front would be estab- ditch. new exploding shells. lished in the moat. This is when the caponiers The caponier fronts are surrounded by the nar- On one side of the caponier is the door opening and the scarp galleries would come into play. rowest sectors of the moat (6 m) and have a out onto the allure walkway which existed behind In the moat counterscarp we can appreciate number of loopholes for their defence (3). The the railing (now rather difficult to see). Beside the technical use made of the stone: being soft, holes visible at the top (beneath the cordon) are this is a loophole from which to protect the railing sandstone is used to deaden the impact of shells, air vents, given that the shots fired from the in- with rifle fire, thereby stopping enemies who had which is why it is placed in front of the embra- side release harmful gases. made it over the railing from climbing the bank. sure, to prevent ricocheting projectiles from en- tering the caponier. 8 Main door 9 Escarp gallery 10 Half-caponier (int.)

The main door is par¬ticularly well fashioned: a The walls of the fort are built in large stone This is a rather small space covered by means of horseshoe-shaped arch is flanked by two cren- blocks, while the spaces limited by the walls are a groin vault. It has loopholes (2) for firing cross elated pilasters supporting an entablature. In the covered by cement vaults. The cement used is and lengthwise towards the moat and the flank- arch keystone is Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron not reinforced (it has no steel bars) and has a ing embrasure (1). saint of the city and from which the fort takes maximum thickness of 2 m, hence its early obso- its name. lescence with the introduction of exploding shells We can also see the mouths of the two gre- (which would blow up inside the concrete) and nade launchers (4), of a (3) with The stone used is very finely worked, especially the appearance of military air forces in the early its banquette (5) for defending the ditch and air the grey limestone, which contrasts with the yel- 20th century. The or tunnels connecting vents (6). lowish shade of the sandstone. the different sectors of the fort are also vaulted In front of the caponier is one of the fort’s eight- and bomb-proof. Missing from the top part is the coat of arms of een ammunition dumps. These are always placed Alfonso XIII which is currently to be found at the The scarp gallery has loopholes for shooting per- close to the artillery pieces. The fort also has two Loiola barracks, in San Sebastián. pendicular gunfire in the direction of the moat and battery dumps and three ammunition distribution The entranceway is protected by two loopholes gives access to other elements of defence, such stores. as the defending the outer gate tunnel. (4) and a moat (1) with its moving bridge, Near the caponier is one of the doors communi- equipped for its particular defence with a mach- A casemate is a covered space prepared for in- stalling artillery. cating with the moat, facing one of the counter- icolation (3) and four grenade launchers (2). scarp staircases. To surmount the ditch the door The door still has its original grille (5) and, above The gallery structure is similar to the other cov- had a , of which a few remains can ered spaces of the fort: vaults of different spans it, the plaque (6) commemorating Juan Roca Es- still be seen today, such as the rails on which it (width) and lengths leaning against half barrel tadés, the military engineer who designed the fort was raised and lowered or the pulleys for moving vaults on one of their sides to enable communi- and directed its work between 1887 and 1900. the chains. Two pulleys on the wall enabled its cation between them. He died three years after the fort was completed movement: it was opened by pulling on one of and is buried in Hondarribia cemetery. them and closed with the other one. 11 Infantry barracks 12 caponier 13 Upper level

The infantry barracks occupy a building with The gorge is the part of the fortification which is The upper part of the fort is where most of the three floors. The lower one is the smallest. It also considered the safest and would generally house artillery is housed. Its structure has three levels: serves as a scarp gallery, given that it has loop- the entrance door (but not in this case due to the the lowest is the service (1), which is holes for shooting towards the moat. fact that it faces the sea, making it more dan- protected by the other two. The next one, higher gerous). It is made up of ten vaults which communicate up, is the fighting rampart (2) where the artillery with one another by means of arches between It has two , given that it flanks two pieces were installed. The last one is the parapet the abutments and with the floor above by means moat sectors with a single cannon and two rifles (3), a mound of earth serving to protect the artil- of two staircases. per flank. It also has a sector of scarp gallery with lery pieces and gunners from head-on impacts. loopholes and grenade launchers. The maximum number of soldiers who could stay The fighting ramparts are interspersed by the at the fort was 1,000, while there were ordinarily Between the two casemates is a door communi- traverses (4), which look from the outside like some 700, although in times of peace the gar- cating with the moat, which surmounts the ditch small houses with earth-covered roofs. Their rison was barely 200. During its lifetime it was by means of a moving bridge. Across from this function is to protect the flanks (or sides), pre- simultaneously used a prison for officers, also at are two counterscarp staircases to allow move- venting enemy fire from being able to destroy specific times (1934-1936) housing preventive ment of the troops from the covered walkway. all of the pieces in the area. Inside are the am- detainees related to the 1934 revolution and the The used to flank the moat were 5.7 cm munition stores, shelters for soldiers and for the start of the Civil War. In the decades of the 1940s Maxim-Nordenfelts, installed on a special caponi- smallbore artillery pieces not in use during the and 1950s it was home to a training corps of the er mounting with small wheels to permit move- fighting. San Sebastián engineer regiment. ment of the artillery piece within the casemate. To the rear, on the other side of the service ram- By 1969 it was no longer an independent mili- The shrapnel canisters they fired were similar to part, are mounds of earth or barricades for pro- tary establishment, being occupied by a small a large hunting cartridge containing 196 pellets tection against shots coming from behind. detachment from the Irun barracks until its sale which they could fire over the walls every two to Hondarribia Town Council in 1989. seconds. 14 Circular emplacement 15 Artillery courtyard 16 Artillery barracks

Circular emplacements were designed with a The fort is divided into three works, going by the The artillery barracks consist of five conical double purpose in mind: either to install a gun name of Left-hand (west zone), Right-hand (east vaults connected at one end by an annular half with a central pivoting axis which could be swiv- zone) and Central (south zone), each situated at barrel vault. It had capacity for 88 artillerymen. a different height. The Left and Right-hand works elled to shoot 360º or thick rotating and retract- The beds (not bunk beds), also installed in the have two courtyards, while the Central work only ing steel domes (in other words, which could be corridor, consisted of two metal trestles on which has one. raised to shoot and dropped down again to avoid three boards were placed, topped by a mattress. enemy fire). The interior was designed for the in- The windows of the two blocks for four artillery The structure could be folded during the day to stallation of one or two pieces of 15 cm artillery. officers and of their kitchen-lounge open onto the leave more space in the corridor. artillery courtyard (Right-hand work). The same These domes were very costly devices and given We can still see remnants of the equipment applies to the Artillery barracks and a curved fire that the fort was obsolete in other aspects, it was shelves and the marks left by the gun racks, i.e. battery. Although the original asphalt floor can decided not to install them. No decision was tak- the wooden cabinets used to store rifles. still be seen, it is in rather poor condition. en at the moment of drawing up the projects on In the last vault a toilet area was installed, which either their exact type or characteristics. The curved-fire battery is made up of four case- communicated with the latrines. These barracks mates for firing mortars, whose projectiles would These are three emplacements, all different have unreinforced concrete vaults 2 m thick, pro- pass over the roof of the facing barracks. Pre- tected by 6.5 m of earth in their central part. shapes, purpose-built in the angles of the fort cisely the mortars – together with the shells – are and equipped with their corresponding ammuni- artillery pieces with short tubes capable of firing The courtyard communicates by means of pos- tion dumps. Two of them are accessed by a small at high angles. They were assigned four 15 cm terns with the Left-hand work and with the other tunnel, while the third adopts the formula of the “Mata” mortars. On the vaults we can see the courtyard of the Right-hand work. One of the two nearby traverses which intersect at the front large support rings and the stores for smaller posterns in turn connects with the Central Work and separate at the entrance, thereby forming the amounts of ammunition. There is also a dump for emplacement. 1200 projectiles and 2 t of gunpowder. 17 Central work courtyard 18 Parade ground 19 Infantry barracks

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This is the smallest courtyard in the fort, long and This is the main courtyard of the fort. The en- The intermediate floor of the barracks is com- narrow, which communicates at one end with the trance opens out onto it, as do the five posed of ten elliptical arches connected at one Right-hand work and at the other, by means of a windows of the block (or quarters) occupied by end by means of a half barrel vault. Nine of these staircase, with the Central work. the fort Governor (or military commander). It was house a dormitory for the infantry troops and the It only has two entrances to one of the three am- composed of the kitchen, dining room, lounge, tenth (1) is an ammunition distribution store for munition distribution stores in the fort. office and vestibule which also opened onto a pri- the Left-hand work. vate bathroom. Three of these rooms had alcoves Originally the vaults opened out to a half barrel It has four vaults. One is the filling room (where with beds for the governor and his family. There vault, but at one point they were closed with a shells and the little pouches of gunpowder placed are another three windows corresponding to the in the artillery pieces would be filled). Another wall and its door, only leaving a single vault in its quarters for six infantry officers, which have pri- vault communicates with a lift for taking ammu- original state. vate rooms with an area (with window) shared by nition closer to the cannon emplacements and two officers. The remaining window corresponds In this case the vaults are made in two layers the other two were used as dumps. to the quarters of the officer who was the Gover- of unreinforced concrete 1 m thick separated The dump floors were made of wooden boards nor’s assistant. by half a metre of sand to muffle the vibrations fixed to oak strips, as were the walls. Each dump of the shots fired by the cannons of the battery Leading off the courtyard is the postern com- also had air ducts with several connections and a installed on the upper floor. The staircase (13) municating with the Infantry Barracks. On either light recess (1), where an oil lamp could provide which communicated the two lower floors of the side are different officers’ rooms (kitchen, living light from behind thick glass. A lightening con- barracks is double. ductor protected each distribution dump from a room), a dump for artillery tackle, an ammunition potential lightening strike. dump, the prison cell and the water filter tank, The infantry courtyard is long and narrow (to given that the fort had running water coming from prevent shells from entering); 3 food stores, the a purpose-built installation with collectors locat- troop kitchen, the toilets and the latrines open ed 3 km away and two intermediate tanks. onto. 20 Casemated battery 21 Artillery 22 Vantage point

15 cm Bronze “Mata” Mortar

The casemated battery is one of the fort’s most The fort had the capacity for the installation of 69 The visit ends with the view from upper vantage interesting spaces. It constitutes the third and last pieces of artillery in total: point of the fort and the extensive geographic floor of the infantry barracks and is composed space that surrounds it. • 9 in the caponiers and entrance casemate. of ten vaults communicated with one another at In fact, this vantage point is the top part of the • 16 in the casemated battery (3 mortars). their mid point. This is a double battery, given that mound of earth protecting the infantry barracks its pieces can shoot both to the north (seawards) • 50 in mode (i.e. in the open air with the and the casemated battery against gunshot com- and to the south (towards Irun). cannon muzzle over the parapet). ing from the south. Circulating beneath it are the three tunnel-embrasures already mentioned. The first three casemates are open on their south • 4 mortars in the curved-fire battery of the side (Haxo type casemates), forming a curved- Right-hand work (image). From this vantage point, as well as the impres- fire battery for three mortars. To the north, shots sive landscape of the Bidasoa river mouth, dom- The fort was principally designed to take “Or- were fired from erasures towards the sea. inated by mount Larhun, you can also see mount dóñez” 15 cm tubed iron cannons (CHE), al- San Marcial, on which the idea was initially to Another six casemates are used as a dormitory. though finally only 4 pieces were installed in the build another fort. Three of them have embrasures open to the north casemated battery and 2 in barbette mode in the and another three to the south. In front of them, Right-hand work. The fort was also equipped You can also enjoy a full view of the Left-hand the latter are faced with a mound of earth, which with four 15 cm and four 21 cm Mata mortars, as work, with its three traverses, as well as the is why three tunnels were opened in it to let the well as two 12 cm Verdes-Montenegro cannons, Right-hand work with its artillery barracks and the curved-fire battery in front of it. From this shells through. Today they are closed because six 12 cm bronze Plasencia cannons, four 7.5 cm point, the highest in the fort, you can see that they were never fitted out with artillery. Saint Chamond cannons and four 9 cm bronze Plasencia cannons, not all of them necessarily it has two floors: one in front of the artillery This last vault was connected by a lift to the am- simultaneously. After the Civil War it seems that barracks and another above it with a traverse munition dump below. A railway for transporting only the “Ordóñez” pieces were left due to the housing two emplacements for 15 cm Ordoñez ammunition meant that the ammunition could be fact that they had no wheels. The fort was in- cannons which would fire towards the sea. transported in wagons. volved in fighting during the Civil War. Text and photographs: Juan Antonio Sáez