Castle of San Gabriel

San Gabriel Castle is located on a small island that can be reached on foot via the Las Polas Bridge; It is a small drawbridge with two cannon launchers atop its columns. It was built initially as a wooden fort, which proved insufficient for any defensive purposes. Finally, it was burned by Barbary pirates and then replaced by a stone castle in the sixteenth century. It played a vital role in protecting the port and the city. The castle is a National Historic Monument, and houses a small ethnographic museum.