The Castle San Jose lies to the north of the capital, Arrecife. It is one of the Tourist Centres of the island Municipal Council, it is situated between Mole of the Marbles and Puerto Naos and its walls raise over a promontony from which it obtains a splendid view over the sea. This fortress, built on the orders of Carlos III in 1799, directly overlooks the entrance to the harbour and the town.
It was also called, The Castle of Hunger, beacause at the time of its construction the inhabitants of Lanzarote were undergoing severe hardship due to their being no work. The bening monarch, Philip 2nd ordered this fortifications to be erected, which besides protecting the port and Arrecife, also gave employment to many islanders.
Some fifteen years ago, local artist, César Manrique, converted part of the Castle into an art gallery, known as the International Museum of Contemporary Art. One of the cavernous halls is also used for concert recitals and cultural meetings. On the ground level, almost on the shorxxshore line via a drawbridge of which type there can only found one in the whole Canary Islands.
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