Puerta de Tierra - Cadiz - Andalusia

The Puerta de Tierra was once the entrance gate to the city of Cádiz.

The gate was built in the 18th century by Torcuato Cayón. Carved in marble , it is conceived more as a religious altarpiece than a military fortification.

It is one of the most important monuments of the city, currently separating the old quarter (popularly called "Cádiz" or "Cádiz Cádiz") from the modern part (popularly called "Puerta Tierra" or "Extramuros") of the city .

In the 16th century the first wall was built in this area and in 1574 an extension was made to protect it with two bastions. In the first half of the 20th century, with the growth of the city in the areas outside the city walls, the possibility of demolishing the entire complex and making the city center more accessible to vehicles was considered. It was finally decided to partially fill in the canals and to open two new arches in the wall.

The Torreón de Puerta de Tierra was built in the late 1850s to serve as tower No. 57 of José María Mathé's Andalusian optical telegraph line , which could send messages from the Ministry of the Interior (in Madrid) to Cádiz in almost two hours, if the weather allowed.

Willem Vandenameele