SPANISH FORTRESS (TVRĐAVA ŠPANJOLA)

Ruins of a fortress above the road, erected by the Spanish when they took the town (1538), when a troop of 3,000 men sent by the Habsburgs of Spain (under Charles V) came to support the Eastern Christians (the Venetians) against the Turks, along with other Christians enrolled in the Holy League. But the Ottomans recaptured the fortress a few months later in a bloody battle (the Battle of Castelnuovo) led by the notorious pirate Barbarossa, now admiral to Suleiman the Magnificent. In this battle, he wiped out the entire Spanish fleet, down to the last man, with a huge fleet of 200 ships and almost 50,000 men. Barbarossa first landed at Herceg Novi with his turban, his long velvet robe, and his weapons adorned with gold and precious stones, and offered the Spaniards their lives if they surrendered. But General Francisco de Sarmiento refused, and died in battle with all his men. The Turks finally completed construction of this fortress in 1548, and engraved on the entrance: "This tower was built by the sultans on the orders of Suliman, the mighty and honorable knight. May he live long, in joy and fortune. May the poets who arrive by road see this work and exclaim its beauty". Today, a hike to these ruins offers beautiful views of the coastline and Herceg Novi below.