WALL OF THE REVELLÍN

If Logroño had visible scars,
one would be the Revellín. Here are the remains of the fortifications that defended the city, reinforced especially between 1498 and 1540, and spurred by a key moment: the siege of 1521, when French troops and Navarrese contingents surrounded Logroño for several days. From that tension were born defensive improvements, moat, reinforcements… and the famous citizen story that is still remembered in San Bernabé.

Military architecture has its own language: thick, sober, designed to endure. No “how nice”, all “how tough”. And that, oddly enough, makes her attractive: because she is a beauty without makeup. The Cube and the Gate serve as a reminder that Logroño was a border town, a strategic place between kingdoms and roads.

Fact to look for with a detective’s eye: look for changes in materials and traces. The walls are reformed, repaired, covered, opened… like the city itself. And today, when you pass by here, it is hard to imagine the noise of a siege; but it is enough to touch the stone (gently, without being a sculptor) to understand that it is not decorated.

Current bonus: the Revellín is still the scene of a living tradition (distribution of bread, fish and wine in San Bernabé). That is to say: here history is not studied; here it is celebrated.