The Antigua Cárcel de Mujeres de Ceuta, originally constructed as the Fuerte del Sarchal in the 18th century to defend the vulnerable Sarchal cove, later served as a powder magazine before its transformation into a political prison in 1936. During the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship, dozens of women were imprisoned within its walls for alleged disloyalty, suspected sympathies, or simple denunciation. After 1945, the facility was abandoned and has deteriorated over eight decades, despite designation as a Site of Cultural Interest in 1995. Recent proposals seek to transform this historically significant structure into a memorial space dedicated to remembering the women who suffered repression during this turbulent period.
