The crownwork fortification of Puerta Tierra (Cadiz) through the eighteenth century urban maps

Abstract

Most of the walls of Cadiz is mainly due to the works carried out on the seventeenth century. During this period the defenses of the Puerta Tierra wall -the city's only terrestrial communication point- were expanded with the incorporation of new defensive elements, such as the so-called "crownwork". However, it was during the eighteenth century when this defensive element acquired its last configuration, which did not correspond to the last planned project. This paper offers a vision on the various projects make by military corps of engineers for the remodeling of the Puerta Tierra wall. For this purpose we relies on the historical maps of the city corresponding to the eighteenth century. Also, it is analyzed how during this century its physiognomy evolved until the disappearance of the crownwork.