Horrors at Montjuïc Castle

This fortress witnessed one of Europe's darkest chapters: more than 4,000 executions within its stone walls. Perched 173 meters above the Mediterranean on Montjuïc hill, this star shaped castle served as a military prison and execution site for over three centuries. Built in 1640 during the Catalan Revolt, the fortress quickly became a weapon of control.

In 1842, government forces bombarded the city below for 12 hours, firing over 1,000 projectiles that killed at least 20 civilians. The following year, another two month bombardment claimed 335 lives and forced 40,000 residents to flee. The castle's moats became killing grounds where political prisoners faced firing squads. During the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939, nearly 1,500 people were imprisoned here and about 250 were executed in the Santa Elena Moat.

The most notorious execution came on October 15, 1940. Lluís Companys, the democratically elected president of Catalonia, was captured by the Gestapo in France and handed to Franco's regime. After brutal torture in Madrid, he faced a firing squad here. Refusing a blindfold, he shouted "Per Catalunya!" as bullets ended his life. He remains the only democratically elected European head of government executed in the 20th century.