El castillo de Escuer o Torraza de Escuer es una fortificación del siglo XIV situada en la localidad oscense de Escuer Alto​ en el municipio de Biescas.
Historia
Se tiene constancia de Escuer desde 1184, que sería una posición fortificada usada desde la época musulmana.​ Pascual Madoz en su Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España y sus posesiones de Ultramar afirma:
Desde el tiempo de los sarracenos se conservan todavía varias atalayas sumamente fuertes que ha respetado la destructora mano del tiempo: 3 son las más importantes que aún existen en los pueblos de Escuer, en el de Larrede y la terera a 1 hora de dist. de Jaca en su monte llamado Boalar. Tomo 9. p.487
En el siglo XVI​ se reformó el interior de la torre.​ El castillo fue usado como vivienda hasta 1936 cuando en el marco de la guerra civil española se intentó volarlo.​ En 2005 tuvieron lugar obras de restauración y consolidación de las ruinas.

Castillo de Escuer

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

Rapitán fort is one of the most interesting elements of the vast military heritage that is spread throughout the Jacetania Area. It was conceived at the end of the 19th century as a part of the dense defensive network that was intended along the international Oloron-Canfranc railway line. The relatively fresh memory of the War of Independence, the demands made by the Ministry of War as part of the Canfranc project, and the ancestral fear of invasion from the other side of the mountain range all help to explain the historical context in which these works were planned.
The first stone of the Rapitán castle was laid in 1884. The chosen spot left little doubt. Placed at the entrance to the valley traversed by the River Aragon, at the top of a mountain of the same name that dominates the entire Jaca plain, it was of guaranteed importance in the defense of the national frontier. Since 1675 the mountain had been used by the town of Jaca for grazing. The fort was built at the same time as the “Coll de Ladrones” fort in Canfranc and the Santa Elena fort in Biescas.
The access track was finished two years after the start of work and in 1890 the first eleven artillery pieces arrived from the Trubia foundry to arm the castle. In order to overcome the difficult terrain and facilitate access for building materials and heavy armament a 37-metre long hemp rope was made that weighed more than 200kg. Hundreds of labourers worked for two decades to build the fort, thereby saving many families from the desperate state of poverty that they found themselves in. Rapitán was finished in 1904, and garrison activity started immediately, although it soon became apparent that advances in military tactics and strategies were rapidly to make it obsolete. During the Civil War the moats were the dramatic stage on which the rearguard action was fought, while during the Franco period activity at the fort steadily declined until it was finally abandoned.
Since 1973 the fort is administered by the City Council of Jaca, although it remains the property of the Treasury Ministry. In 1978, work was undertaken to convert it for residential and cultural uses, for which it continues to be used from time to time.
http://www.aspejacetania.com

Rapitán Fort

The Citadel of Jaca or Castle of San Pedro (St Peter) is one of the most exceptional and valuable monuments in the Jacetania area. It was built as part of a defence strategy applied by Phillip II after the invasion of the Tena Valley by an army from the south of France in January of 1592, as well as to control any potential internal conflicts.
The Citadel of Jaca was designed to respond to the attacks of armies with artillery. The ground plan is pentagonal with five reinforced bastions armed with canons at each corner. Its first line of defence is made up of a moat, covered walkways, a parade ground and a downward slope around the external perimetre.
It was designed by the well-known military engineer Tiburzo Spanocchi and was conceived as the focal point of a dense network of Pyrenean defences, which included the towers in Anso, Hecho, La Espelunga (Canfranc) and Santa Elena (Biescas – Tena Valley) and the small castles of Berdún and Canfranc.
Its position between the medieval city and the Aragón River and outside the city walls was not popular at first among the inhabitants of Jaca who saw it as an infringement of their special rights and privileges. Construction work began in 1592 and by the following year the exterior structure was virtually finished except for the last layer of decorative stone. On the inside there were five barracks which could accommodate 300 troops. 
In 1613, under Phillip III, the main entrance was completed. However, the digging of the moat took longer as did other related projects which were still being finished in the 17th century.
The garrison, offices, storage and munitions rooms are organised around the enormous central parade ground in five blocks which run parallel to the external walls. Inside, there is also a Barroque style military chapel dedicated to St Peter. It was built in the second half of the 17th century and has a stone doorway. The Citadel was only used defensively during the War of Independence although paradoxically, it was the French troops that holed themselves up there after conquering the fortress. They were to occupy it for four years.
http://www.aspejacetania.com