Gibraltar Dungeons come back to life in Moorish Castle attraction 

Gibraltar will open a new tourist attraction later this week, with part of the former prison at Moorish Castle transformed into Gibraltar Dungeons, an immersive experience exploring some of the darkest chapters in the site’s history. 

The attraction recreates the harsh punishments and executions that took place at the castle, particularly during the 18th century, when public hangings were held as a spectacle.  

Historical accounts also refer to practices including flaying and the use of human remains in the construction of walls. 

During the official inauguration, reporters experienced the dark atmosphere of the former prison, with actors, costumes and lanterns helping to recreate the conditions and practices of the period. 

The attraction also uses artificial intelligence to recreate historical episodes, with the site’s interpretation is based on historical research and documented accounts. 

Gibraltar Dungeons is operated by Fortress Attractions on behalf of the Ministry of Heritage, with historical input from the Gibraltar Museum. 

The museum’s director, Clive Finlayson, and Geraldine Finlayson told the Chronicle that authenticity had been central to the project.  

“A very important factor for us is authenticity,” Professor Finlayson said. 

“That all of this is authentic, we found the material in texts, in files, the most recent, talking to people who have worked here.” 

HORRORS 

The most recent accounts of the prison’s horrors date from the 20th century but Prof Finlayson said the 18th century had been particularly brutal. 

“The 18th century in particular was a hell,” he said. 

Military personnel, men and women, faced severe punishments if convicted of desertion, murder or striking an officer.  

The punishments formed part of a system intended to maintain military discipline and control in Gibraltar. 

While the executioner during the 20th century was brought from England, two centuries earlier the prison had accommodation for the hangman, reflecting the frequency of executions at the time. 

“Apart from execution, convicted prisoners suffered up to 500 lashes with the so-called cat-o-nine tails, a nine-tailed whip,” Prof Finlayson said. 

“Multiply each lash by nine.” 

Research into historical archives and diaries uncovered numerous forms of punishment and a structured system of inflicting pain on prisoners, including punishments that could lead to death. 

Explaining the historical interpretation behind the attraction, Prof Finlayson said the museum had discussed with Fortress Attractions how the story could be told through the castle’s walls. 

“Really the way to theme this was to talk about the walls. These huge walls that were built successfully to keep people out, but then were used to keep people in,” he said.  

“And that's the duality of the story. And today we're looking at the bits for keeping people in.” 

Although the accounts from the original dungeons were “beyond belief”, Prof Finlayson said there were also some more unusual stories that could capture visitors’ attention. 

He cited the case of Benito de Soto, describing him as Gibraltar’s “last pirate of the Caribbean”. 

“We didn't need to invent a Jack Sparrow. We have the real pirate, and the last one was in the cells directly below us,” he said. 

The story was one of many rooted in the castle and its former prison. 

“One account says that Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing to compare with Gibraltar at the time,” Prof Finlayson said. 

He thanked Fortress Attractions for its work, the museum team for its archaeological and historical research and those who had provided information in collaboration with the museum. 

RESTORATION 

From Fortress Attractions, Patrick and Peter Cabezutto acknowledged the considerable work involved in restoring the area, which was carried out in collaboration with the Gibraltar Museum. 

They thanked the teams involved in the project and highlighted the significance of bringing a 300-year-old dungeon back to life. 

They said they hoped the attraction would help bring more tourists to Gibraltar, offering visitors experiences beyond the Rock’s famous monkeys. 

The restoration took two years and faced several challenges.  

This was acknowledged by the Government representatives attending the inauguration, the Minister for Heritage, Dr John Cortes, and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, who highlighted the cooperation between the private and public sectors in delivering the new attraction. 

Mr Picardo said the project reflected the potential to improve Gibraltar’s tourism offering and attract more visitors. 

“For the first time, we're now seeing the opportunity of improving the tourist product in Gibraltar and seeing the opposite potential in respect of the arrival of tourists to Gibraltar,” he said. 

“We're seeing a massive potential increase in the arrival of tourists in Gibraltar.” 

“So, the opportunities that we have given private sector operators to combine with us, to invest in the Upper Rock and deliver new sites, has been absolutely the right one.” 

Dr Cortes said that, at one point, he had considered the Moorish Castle an “impossible task”. 

He also highlighted other renovated tourist sites and the Government’s work in transforming a derelict area previously full of rubbish into a tourist attraction for visitors and the local community. 

EMPLOYMENT 

David Neish, Chief Attractions Officer at Fortress Attractions, said 30 people had been recruited over the past two months to prepare the attraction for opening. 

“We want to make sure that we offer the right sort of packages to people,” he said of the recruitment drive.  

“We want to incentivise them. We want to ensure that they bring the right quality that we require. We'll invest in them. We'll make sure that we give them the training that they need to do their jobs properly.” 

Mr Neish said maintenance would also become a major department once the company’s other sites were fully operational. 

“We want to attract people and create new possibilities for people in Gibraltar, whether they go to university or not,” he said. 

He also acknowledged the challenges involved in bringing the attraction to completion, particularly given the historic nature and condition of the building. 

“Like any projects, when we start the planning stages, you don't necessarily envision all the challenges that will come once you start getting into the project, and that's been the case here,” he said. 

“It's been a challenge to get certain issues sorted out due to the fabric of the building, the historic nature of the building.” 

Maintaining the integrity of the Moorish Castle had been a priority, meaning the company had to find alternative ways of incorporating certain features while integrating modern technology without making it appear out of place. 

He said these challenges had contributed to delays, but the attraction was now ready to open. 

Mr Neish also provided an update on the company's plans for the Northern Defences, describing it as a much larger and ambitious project which was now well defined. 

“So, we're looking forward to now getting started on that project in earnest,” he said.  

“There's a lot of work to do. We've learnt a lot from these projects here, so we take that knowledge into the next projects.” 

He hoped the Northern Defences attraction would open early next year. 

Gibraltar Dungeons will open to the public later this week.  

During the summer, it will operate from 9am to 8pm, with winter opening hours from 9am to 6pm.  

Tickets will be available online.