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The best starting point for a good introduction to Cartagena's rich history is a visit to the Conception Castle, which is located on the hill of the same name. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the beautiful panoramic view of the port city. With a little imagination, one can very quickly recognize the traces of different periods in Cartagena's more than 2,000 years of history in the current cityscape. The evidence is undeniable. This view of the past gives the visitor a fleeting glimpse of the time when Phoenicians moored their ships in the natural harbor hundreds of years before Christ. Look further around to see streets, buildings and ruins where Roman soldiers once marched. And the evidence of the era of the Moorish rulers, the industrial revolution, the flourishing mining industry and the current maritime importance of the city are still clearly visible in the warships in the harbor.
But of course we get an interesting, but also superficial insight into its history while looking out over the city. Which brings us to the second good reason for a visit. Inside the castle, visitors can delve much deeper into what made Cartagena such an important city over the centuries. There are spaces where models and audio visual presentations provide insight into how different civilizations have left their mark on Cartagena since 229 BC. There are also medieval rooms with exhibitions of objects, which tell the history of the city from the 17th century.
At this point, it would be nice to claim that a third reason to visit is the ancient castle itself. Unfortunately, that's not really the case. During the transformation from a Roman temple to a Moorish fortress and eventually a medieval castle, much of the castle's identity has been lost. A long period of disrepair and disinterest in the castle's importance has subsequently led to it now being a shadow of what it once must have been.
Still, we can give a good reason for a visit. During the Spanish Civil War, the castle was where the sirens went off in the event of a bombing. That was the signal for the population to take shelter. This happened in a network of tunnels and spaces in the hill on which the castle stands. These air-raid shelters with a capacity for more than 5,000 people are now furnished as a museum. The story about the origin of the extensive hiding place and how life was like at the time is made clear on the basis of various themes.
Via the museum you can take the elevator up to the castle. This is an easy and at the same time a symbolic way of connecting Cartagena's more recent and centuries-old history.
