One of the eight surviving bastions of the star-shaped fortifications that ring the old city, built between 1640 and 1680 during the Portuguese Restoration War. The walls are a textbook example of the bastioned trace popularised by Vauban — angular, low-profile, designed to deflect cannon fire — and Badajoz is one of the best preserved fortress cities of its type in Spain.
The Baluarte de San Roque on the southeastern corner can be walked around freely, with information panels explaining the layout of the defences and the sieges they endured. The grass-covered ramparts are a pleasant place for a sunset walk, with views back across the old town to the Alcazaba.