Castillo de San José – Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo

On your way to Castillo de San José, the city’s last major sightseeing location in the northeast of the town – the only one, which requires some transport to reach it – you will first come past Puerto de Naos, Arrecife’s fishing port and birthplace of César Manrique, Lanzarote’s most famous son.

Puerto de Naos boasts the largest fishing fleet in the Canary Islands and the seventh largest in Spain, fish being the basis of the local canning and salting industries. Adjoining to the fishing harbour are the main commercial docks of Puerto de los Mármoles, which is – after Las Palmas – the second largest container harbour in the Canaries.

Its commanding position on a cliff top overlooking the sea made the Castillo de San José vital to the defence of the island’s capital and its port against the many pirate raids, which all the Canary Islands were exposed to at the time.

Built of black basalt between 1776 and 1779 on the orders of the Spanish King Carlos III, the construction of this appealing semicircular fortress served at that time – apart from the military purpose – predominantly to provide work and money for the islanders, who were going through a starvation period after the volcanic eruptions earlier in the century, which had devastated the island. This is also the reason why this fortress became known as the Fortaleza del Hambre (Hunger Fortress).

When its defence purpose became less imperative, the Castillo was used for many years merely for powder and ammunition storage and after having been abandoned for almost one hundred years, by the 20th century the fortress had started to decay.

César Manrique convinced the town authorities to transform the castle into an art gallery and, after a complete restoration under his supervision, the Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo (Contemporary Art Museum) with one permanent as well as temporary expositions was opened in 1976.

Although originally built mainly for military purposes, this two-storey fortress reflects an unexpected elegance in its interior – the black stone strongly contrasting with the white walls of the fortress. Spacious halls, spiral stairwells, black barrel-vaulted ceilings and floors decorated with black volcanic slabs and black pebbles make it a unique setting for the display of the vivid 20th century paintings and shapes. The abstract art collection put together by Manrique includes works by Picasso, Tàpies, Miró, Mompó, Millares, and Manrique himself, along with modern sculptures, many of which can be seen outside the entrance. Recitals of chamber and modern music take place on a regular basis in a purpose-designed concert hall.

A spiral staircase leads down to Manrique’s own contribution to this place, a stylish restaurant and bar, predominantly decorated and furnished in black, with modern tables and chairs, and even black napkins, and a huge picture window occupying the entire front of the restaurant, overlooking the busy Puerto de los Mármoles harbour. Modern classical music in the background provides the last touch to the stylish ambiance of this place.


Opening hours:
Museum: daily from 11.00 to 21.00 hrs (free entrance)
Restaurant: 13.00 to 15.45 hrs and 19.30 to 23.00 hrs
Bar: daily from 11.00 to 24.00 hrs