A Travel to Miravet Castle in Tarragona, Spain

Declared as a site of national interest and opened to the public in 1994, the Castle of Miravet is one of those secret places of Catalonia that are a must in an avid traveler's agenda, only 50 kms away from famous Costa Dorada!

As you can appreciate above, the castle was built on a bend of the Ebro river and dominates over a landscape of fertile lands where vineyards are predominant.

From the rock on which it stands one cannot avoid to recall those centuries of history behind the renown building and the villagers that enjoyed such remarkable views.

From Iberians to Muslims, from Templars to feudal lords, from Carlists to Bourbons, from Nationalists to Republicans, each of them had the chance to rejoice in the same landscape.

There were people here, according to the oldest remains found, since 2 BC, Iberians to be precise. Later, came the Arabs or the Moors, as they were known in Al-Andalus, the name they gave to their dominions in Spain. By the 11th century, they had built this impressive defensive fortress which was expanded in coming decades in order to protect themselves from military incursions of groups organized by powerful Catalan counts. Bear in mind that, after many years of prosperity toiling these lands, the time came when only Miravet and Siurana remained as the last redoubts of the Moorish period.

It was Ramon Berenguer IV, one of those feudal lords, who took the castle from them and gave it to the Templar Knights. For almost two centuries they dominated the fortress which they improved until 1307, year in which, the Spanish Inquisition, instigated by Philip the Handsome, King of France, starts persecuting Templars in France as a result of which James II of Catalonia and Aragon sets on doing the same in Miravet. After two months of resistance to the siege imposed by James, Templars are imprisoned and sent to trials by the Inquisition. The order of the Temple is dissolved and their assets confiscated and transferred to the order of Hospital de Sant Joan de Jerusalem also known as Hospitallers.

But if you want to know more about this Romanesque building and you are fond of Catalonia castle tours it is better that you visit this place and its idyllic environment.

Miravet Castle

Contact details
Carrer del Castell, s/n
+34 977 407 368
Miravet, Tarragona (Catalonia)

miravet.cultura@gencat.cat

Location

Autonomous region: Catalonia
Province/Island: Tarragona

Practical information

Schedule

From Jun 01 to Sep 30
From 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

From Oct 01 to Dec 15
From 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM

From Dec 16 to Feb 28
From 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

From Mar 01 to May 31
From 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM

Prices

General: €3,50
Reduced: €2,50
ICOM members and associations: Admission free

Ebro River View From Miravet Castle, Tarragona, Catalonia

Ebro river as seen from Miravet Castle

This is what you could see if you were visiting Castell de Miravet (Miravet Castle) in Tarragona. 

Catalonia is full of wonderful secret places awaiting for you to discover should you dare to go a little out of the usual tourist path. 

From a castle built on sheer rock by the Moors and later inhabited by the Templars, located on one of the banks of Ebro river, you may let your imagination wander and think of past times when it was necessary to protect your private paradise from invasions. Check for more pictures and information in the next post.

Small Tower, Cardona Castle, Catalonia

Maybe you remember my post about the Cardona castle where we talked about this jewel of Catalan history, maybe the most emblematic medieval castle in Catalonia. An inexpugnable stronghold under siege on many occasions but never conquered by force and devoted to protect not only its illustrious lords, the Cardona family, but the salt mines in the valley nearby. A very good sample of the evolution of defensive techniques from medieval to modern times in our country. It is precisely the last fortress to surrender to Philip V troops, the last redoubt of the Catalonian supporters of Charles VI of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession, in 1714. The remains of a small tower outside the castle talk of its privileged location on top of a promontory and make us think of a thousand battles.

Castles: Salvana Tower at Santa Coloma de Cervello

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An abandoned castle near Colonia Guell in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Barcelona city. Known as Salvana Tower, the castle was first documented in 992, the year it was sold by Ramón Borrel i Ermengol to the lord of Masquefa castle whose heirs first acquired the Cervelló name and the title of Baron until 1297. After that it was occupied by different illustrious families until 1857. Most of the castles I see here in Catalonia are lost up there in the mountains and I rarely have time to take my camera and climb up for some good pictures, so being this close has been an interesting experience. It is a pity that being so near to Gaudi's Colonia Güell , nothing is done to restore the tower, at least. Behind the building there is a beautiful valley the dwellers must have been scrutinizing constantly for different reasons and in between, the highway to Barcelona.

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The Castle of Cardona

Remember we talked about the Spanish War of Succession, well this picture was taken in the castle of Cardona, the last redoubt of Charles VI of Austria's supporters before being occupied by Philip V's bourbonic troops in 1714. High upon a hill of the Cardona valley, known by its salt mines and near the Cardoner river, this historical romanesque and gothic castle built in 886 by Guifré el Pilós, used to be the house of the Dukes of Cardona, one of the most powerful families in the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon. 

It is a real joy to stay up there on a bright day, sitting on the grass right next to the base of the surrounding walls to look over the neighboring village and the salt mines or to climb the ramparts and explore the ruins like this sort of firing hole from where the rampart was protected. There is even a wonderful place to stay inside the castle which recommend: El Parador de Cardona.

Barcelona City Walls: Defense Tower

Back in the month of May I posted a picture about some wild flowers growing on one of the last preserved fragments of Barcelona City Walls, and I promised that further ahead I would show a more illustrative photo of the bulwark itself. So here you are, a defense tower part of the western wall. There was a first wall built by king James 1st in the 13th century running parallel to where La Rambla is now and a hundred years later the latter was enclosed by an outer wall, this time engulfing El Raval (on your right while walking down La Rambla towards the sea). This image you see is part of such outer wall, at Avinguda del Parallel, near Reials Drassanes (Royal Dockyards), turned into Barcelona's Museu Marítim (Naval Museum).

Google Earth View of the Barcelona City Walls: Defense Tower