Castillo de la Luz

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Spain

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Castillo de la Luz in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, is the oldest fortress in the Canary Islands, built starting around 1478 as a wooden watchtower after the Castilian conquest and upgraded to a stone structure by 1494 to defend the harbor from pirates and invaders.

Strategically located at La Isleta near the original landing site, it famously repelled attacks by Francis Drake in 1595 and Dutch admiral Pieter van der Does in 1599, despite sustaining damage, before becoming more symbolic from the 18th century onward.

Declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1941, it was restored in the 20th century and now houses the Martín Chirino Art and Thought Foundation, blending its volcanic stone defenses with modern cultural exhibits overlooking the Atlantic.