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It is one of the fortifications of the great complex that was built in the seventeenth century on the estuary of the Valdivia river. It was erected in the middle of that century, by the army that the Viceroy of Peru Antonio de Toledo sent in order to refound the city of Valdivia and erect a defensive complex on its coast. The objective was to defend this strategic place from the enemy European powers of Spain and from the pirates and corsairs who crossed the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn to go to the vicinity of the rich ports of the American Pacific.



The Niebla Fort is located on the north bank of the mouth of the Valdivia river, facing the other fortifications of the complex: the San Luis de Alba castle, located on the south bank, and the San Pedro de Alcántara castle, located on the island from Mancera, in the middle of the bay. The idea was that the intruder ships would receive the crossfire coming from these three bastions. The one in Niebla was built in ´´living stone´´, on a cliff of regular height, its back being protected by an escarpment; its creative design adapts very well to the geography of the place.



Originally, the Castle of Niebla had fourteen cannons and stone walls of little considerable height. This last fact determined that the plan of remodeling and reinforcement of the Valdivian fortress, put into execution at the end of the 18th century, contemplated its renovation. Its wall was extended, elevated and repaired, and some of its internal dependencies were enlarged; Furthermore, a moat was dug around it.



El Castillo de Niebla, located in Punta de Niebla in Valdivia, 17 km southwest of the city.



The city of Valdivia is located 839 km from Santiago de Chile. There are several access routes:



By plane

On flights from Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport to Valdivia. The flight lasts two hours. The Pichoy aerodrome, located 32 km north of Valdivia, allows access through international flights.



By car

From the north and south, Valdivia is reached by Route 5 South or the Pan-American Highway. The city is linked to the rest of the country by Route 5 with access from the north by San José de la Mariquina and Máfil, from the south from Paillaco where the highway forks to the northeast, the trip is 48 km to Valdivia.



By bus

From Santiago on buses that leave from Terminal Sur Santiago. The trip lasts 12 hours.



Currently, the Castle of Niebla is one of the main tourist attractions in the X Region, and it has a very interesting Museum.



It was declared a Historical Monument on June 14, 1950.

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