The cartography of the Spanish strongholds: the case of the map of Pamplona of 1882

Abstract

Spanish legislation, in the second half of the nineteenth century, granted for security reasons the design of maps of fortifications and military areas inside and outside of cities exclusively to the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1880 the City Council of Pamplona charged the design and publication of a map of the city to a civil surveyor, in order to have a tool that enable urban reforms required for the population growth. The map contained the internal distribution of the Citadel and that of the ramparts, and this fact triggered a bitter discussion between military and municipal authorities. The finally published map reveals the preponderance of the former over the latter, especially in a moment where the importance of these fortifications was declining due to the progress of the artillery.

Key words: historical cartography, strongholds, Pamplona, Dionisio Casañal, urban cartography.