History of the Castle
EKing Philip III ordered the construction of a tower at the express request of the merchants, through the Gran i General Consell. It was the 'beginning of the architectural ensemble. Access to the tower was via a drawbridge, by means of a masonry staircase, using the door at the top.
The cost of the construction amounted to 12,000 pounds, 5,000 of which were paid by the University of the Kingdom of Mallorca, 5,000 by the Crown and the remaining 2,000 pounds by the Colegio de la Mercadería.
Lhe lighthouse was built between 1610 and 1612 on the original site of the old Porto Pi lighthouse.
The construction was carried out due to the need to defend the maritime area between Palma and Palma Nova and especially Porto Pi, which during the 17th century was the natural port of the city of Palma, from attacks by pirates and Berbers who sailed the Mediterranean.
Lhe tower is tetragonal in shape with a bastion at each corner. The material used is sandstone and the marks of the stonemasons of the time can be seen on many of the pieces. According to some historians, the castle was named after the Viceroy of Mallorca, Carlos Coloma. Half a century after its construction and faced with the need to increase the Castle's staffing and equipment, in 1662, during the reign of Philip IV, the construction of the second phase of the extension was undertaken by the illustrious military engineer Vicente Mut. The fortress is trapezoidal in shape, with four large bastions that give it its peculiar layout. In the 19th century, the 3rd, and definitive, major reform was carried out, with the addition of a Coastal Battery with four 24-barrel Ordoñez cannons on the outside.
During the 20th century it has been used for various purposes, as a prison for officers, a battery of salutes to salute warships and a military museum since 1981. Since 1997, the Castillo de San Carlos Consortium has been in charge of the management of the museum and the fortress, formed by the following administrations:
Ministry of Defence
2. Govern de les Illes Balears
3. Consell Insular de Mallorca
4. Palma City Council
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