Graphic Representation and Military Architecture: The Trace of the Fuenterrabía Fortifications in the Current City

Abstract

Fuenterrabía, one of the most outstanding strongholds of the Basque Country, has historically been a strategic checkpoint on the land crossing between France and the Iberian Peninsula. Due to its military interest, it was many times besieged between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries for its possession and territorial control, main reason for the extraordinary importance of the development in its fortification system. Military engineers developed continuous fortification projects to adequately resist the advances in artillery and siege warfare tactics. This progress also affected the urban development, including the social and economic living standards of its inhabitants. This paper attempts to analyse the relationship between the evolution of the fortress and the urban development of Fuenterrabía through the recovery of the missing trace of its fortifications at its present location. By precise graphic overlays and research on the perfection of the outlines in historical drawing, the different traces of fortifications can be accurately determined, anticipating the location of foundations and buried vaults.