@caramel_ 26 December 2021

La Union: Baluarte Watch Tower

During the Spanish colonial period, the 400-year-old Baluarte Watch Tower was established to warn people of pirates and foreign looters along the seaside town. During the Spanish era, the 5.6-meter high round-shaped tower served as a strategic lookout for Spanish guards to prepare for probable invasions from Japanese, Moro, and Chinese invaders. It was also utilized as a communication tower during WWII.

It is located on an embankment beside Barangay Victoria's gorgeous Pebble Beach, which is lined with multi-colored stones of all shapes and sizes. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines recognized this historical property a National Cultural Treasure in 2014. It has been visited by innumerable tourists over the years.

The huge fortification was divided in half for many years before finally collapsing in 2015, after being battered by typhoon Lando's fierce winds. Restoration work began in 2016 and was finished in 2017, with the building's walls fused together using a blend of centuries-old adobe-coral stones and modern, lighter-colored red bricks.