Monte Urgull

Castle and Mountain in San Sebastián

Mount Urgull From Beach — Pixabay / CarolinaP

Castillo San Telmo Donostia — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Col.Trauma

Donostia Urgull Overlooking San Sabastian — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Gordito1869

Castillo De La Mota, Stone Stairs — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Raimundo Pastor

Museum Mount Urgull — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Euskaldunaa

Urgull is a hill overlooking the Bay of Biscay in San Sebastián, Spain. Urgull is now a tree-covered hill with picturesque military structures and pleasant promenades and viewing points overlooking the bay and the city.
It is located between the old town and the Paseo Nuevo, at the eastern end of La Concha Bay.

The name Urgull comes from the Gascon word meaning ‘pride’. The hill was the strong point of the town since its foundation in the 12th century. The hill was reinforced in the 16th century with the addition of a wall and a stronghold and the Mota Castle. The hill faced military action during the Siege of San Sebastián (1813) and the assaults of 1823, 1836 and 1876 during the Carlist Wars. The stronghold at the top of the hill is now occupied by a small free history museum, and is part of the larger San Telmo Museoa located at the south-eastern access of the hill.

The Monumento del Sagrado Corazón, a 12 metre-high sculpture of Jesus Christ added in 1950 at the top of the hill.

The are several military batteries on Urgull. The Batería de las Damas is most impressive. It is named after the women, or damas who would collect water at a nearby fountain, La Fuente Acorazada which was accessed via the battery.

The Cementerio de los Ingleses or Cemetery of the English lies on the slopes of Monte Urgull. Although nobody knows for sure where the name comes from it is thought to be P the resting place of the English soldiers who fell in Guipuzcoa during the first Carlist war. This was the conflict (1833-1840) in which the Carlists, loyal to Carlos María Isidro de Borbón fought against the Isabelinos, connected to Isabel II and her supporters.

The Monte Urgull appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting San Sebastián!

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