Cartagena

It was from here that Hannibal set out in 218 BC with a mighty army and his elephants, crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps before narrowly failing to destroy the Roman Republic. The Romans had their revenge in 209 BC, when they conquered Cartagena during the Second Punic War. This began a period of splendor under Roman rule that lasted until the beginning of the 2nd century AD. In 44 BC Cartagena was honored with the title of Colony—Colonia Urbs lulia Nova Carthago—and it prospered because of its mines and its easily defended natural harbor and the inland sea, Mar Menor, then known as El Almarjal, directly to the north.

In the early 16th century, castles and the huge city walls—both still visible today—were constructed, but they couldn't stop Sir Francis Drake from sacking Cartagena in 1585. The city was named capital of the Mediterranean Maritime Department in 1728, resulting in a large population growth to support the construction of arsenals, barracks, and castles. Mining was economically important at this time and remained so until the end of the 1920s. During the Spanish civil war, Cartagena remained steadfastly loyal to the Republican government, and was one of the last cities in Spain to surrender to Generalísimo Francisco Franco's troops.