Tarragona Roman Wall And Gardens (archaeological walk)
Tips, tickets and opening hours for visiting the MHT museum of the old roman city wall, gardens & later medieval fortifications of cannons
About Tarragona Roman Wall & Gardens (archaeological walk)
The archaeological walk is along the kilometre of Roman wall that surrounds the old town of Tarragona, between the original Roman Wall and the outer countermure defence wall which was added later. We can see additions from modern times and visit the Arquebisbe and Minerva towers.
The wall was the first major construction by the Romans shortly after settling on the site, originally a wooden structure. The original military settlement was the origin of the future city of Tarraco. The Roman city quickly became the bridgehead due to the arrival of reinforcements from Rome which resulted in the need to strengthen the defences that existed until then. Between 217 and 197 BC, the first stone wall was built. It consists of uneven stone blocks reinforced with towers at the most vulnerable points. The height of the perimeter walls was 6 meters and the thickness 4.5 meters with taller towers.
The most widespread opinion is that around the years 150 and 125 BC the wall was strongly transformed and grew in extension, height and width. In this way it came to encompass the entire city to the port. The wall also served as living space on the inside.
The wall no longer encircles the old part of Tarragona town but sections of it remain. The most substantial remains are three towers and a section of one kilometre from behind the cathedral to Portal de Roser. The space on the outside of the wall is now a public garden and is a nice walking route that has views over Tarragona facing inland.
The wall construction in the archaeological walk has additions from the 16th and 18th centuries when it was reinforced with bastions, a false countermure and small forts on the outside. Along the archaeological walk you will have the roman wall on one side of the gardens with the medieval later modifications and cannons on the other side.
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