First a bit of history:
The Fortress of Isabel II is situated on La Mola peninsula on the island of Menorca, just outside Mahon harbour and dominates the view from the area of Es Castell where I was staying. I'd visited once before in 2007 and this time the urbex instincts took over. I visited the site again back in July this year where I took the pics.
It wasn't as straightforward as may seem though, for a few reasons. This is predominantly a live tourist attraction, the majority of the fortress has been made suitable for tourists but the bits most interesting to me were off limits to the tour, standing derelict above the actual fortress and although you can get close to them on the actual tour you aren't allowed in them. It was also getting very near the closing time. Although that did work in my favour as nobody else was around, except the family of mine which thwarted my attempts to get into the prison part, which unfortunately looked the most interesting from what we could see through the barred windows.
This is the full set of derelict buildings on the site. To the left is the prison, the buildings second from left and on the far right are barracks we assume were used to house the people who built the fortress. The peculiar building in the middle I have no idea what it was used for
Unfortunately this barracks was inaccessible, all ground floor access had been bricked up
The few shots of the prison, I reckon if I had had a bit more time there I would have found a way in, but it's hard to sneak around as you are very exposed on top of a hill
the one shot of the interior of the prison, taken through the small hole in the door
The barracks that are accessible, opposite the prison
Has been used to store big guns. The upstairs part is bare
Stone kennel with water bowl!
adjacent to the barracks was a peculiar and very wrecked outbuilding with the rusting hulk of some unidentified radar truck next to it
the rest of the pics, including a selection of my favourites from the live parts - it's a haven for tunnel lovers, with an almost 500 metre long tunnel and various other smaller ones
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157621670246937/
The Fortress of Isabel II is situated on La Mola peninsula on the island of Menorca, just outside Mahon harbour and dominates the view from the area of Es Castell where I was staying. I'd visited once before in 2007 and this time the urbex instincts took over. I visited the site again back in July this year where I took the pics.
It wasn't as straightforward as may seem though, for a few reasons. This is predominantly a live tourist attraction, the majority of the fortress has been made suitable for tourists but the bits most interesting to me were off limits to the tour, standing derelict above the actual fortress and although you can get close to them on the actual tour you aren't allowed in them. It was also getting very near the closing time. Although that did work in my favour as nobody else was around, except the family of mine which thwarted my attempts to get into the prison part, which unfortunately looked the most interesting from what we could see through the barred windows.
This is the full set of derelict buildings on the site. To the left is the prison, the buildings second from left and on the far right are barracks we assume were used to house the people who built the fortress. The peculiar building in the middle I have no idea what it was used for
Unfortunately this barracks was inaccessible, all ground floor access had been bricked up
The few shots of the prison, I reckon if I had had a bit more time there I would have found a way in, but it's hard to sneak around as you are very exposed on top of a hill
the one shot of the interior of the prison, taken through the small hole in the door
The barracks that are accessible, opposite the prison
Has been used to store big guns. The upstairs part is bare
Stone kennel with water bowl!
adjacent to the barracks was a peculiar and very wrecked outbuilding with the rusting hulk of some unidentified radar truck next to it
the rest of the pics, including a selection of my favourites from the live parts - it's a haven for tunnel lovers, with an almost 500 metre long tunnel and various other smaller ones
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157621670246937/
