Spanish police destroy dangerous Napoleonic-era explosive discovered at touristic castle

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish police said on Wednesday that they destroyed a dangerous explosive device from the Napoleonic era.

Last week, archeologists discovered the 76-kilo (167-pound) live cannonball while doing restoration work on the touristic Peniscola Castle.

The imposing castle overlooks the Mediterranean Sea in the picturesque beach town of Peniscola in the Valencia region.

Built by the Knights Templar on the remains of an old Moorish citadel, in 1411, the castle became the residence of Antipope Benedict XIII. While he was, in part, recognized as pope, he failed to gain the recognition of Rome and was eventually excommunicated.

The castle has also been a focal point of various military conflicts, including the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.

And for more than 200 years, the unexploded cannonball, loaded with black gunpowder, has been lurking in the castle’s structure.

That was until the Spanish police carefully removed and detonated it. In a statement, they said what’s left of the cannonball will be returned to the archeologists for further study.

Police also warned people to beware of historical unexploded devices. In Spain, they are most commonly relics of the Spanish civil war and found in isolated farming areas or in bunkers below homes.

Anyone who stumbles across suspicious objects is advised not to move them or touch them but instead highlight them with brightly colored objects or rocks and report them to police.