La Mola castle stands on a small hill at 360 metres above sea level and 3 kilometres from the town of Novelda. The fortress was built by Spain’s Islamic occupiers in the late 12th century. The castle has a polygonal layout with eight square turrets jutting out from the outer wall, although only four still survive today, two of which are clad. The castle has a 9 by 11 metre free-standing square tower inside, although one of the floors is missing. The hall on the ground floor is lit by a loophole. The castle was built using mortar over masonry.
In the late 14th century, under Christian rule, it underwent structural changes that included the addition of a triangular tower measuring 15 metres wide and 17 metres high, the only one of its kind on the Iberian peninsula. The tower is accessed by a semi-circular stone gateway facing northwest and set high in the wall. It has two floors and is lit inside by several loopholes. The castle was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1931.
http://www.costablanca.org

La Mola Castle

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

El castillo de Petrel se encuentra en una elevación montañosa ubicada en la zona este del casco urbano de la ciudad de Petrel, Alicante, España. Desde él se divisa todo el valle del Vinalopó.
Características
Originario de finales del siglo XII o principios del XIII, es un castillo musulmán, probablemente construido sobre una atalaya anterior. Es de forma poligonal, y su fábrica es de mazonería con sillería en las aristas de sus lados. Está almenado y su interior está recorrido por un terraplén.
La muralla exterior está formada por dos lienzos de tapial separados por un torreón central y cubos en los extremos. Su elemento más destacado es su gran torre cuadrada, con dos pisos y un sótano que era un aljibe en la época islámica. Posteriormente sería utilizada como prisión. También posee una gran sala avoltada, escenario de las fiestas del señor feudal, que en la actualidad se dedica a conciertos de cámara celebrados con motivo de la Semana de la Guitarra y a la celebración de bodas civiles.
Su función era eminentemente estratégica y de dominio del territorio, al controlar el paso entre la meseta castellana y el litoral mediterráneo. Fue tomado por los moriscos durante las revueltas de 1265; para recuperarlo, el rey Alfonso X de Castilla recurrió a la ayuda de Jaime I de Aragón, quien pronto lo reconquistó.
Las obras de reconstrucción finalizaron en el año 1982, además de acometerse en él nuevas obras durante el 2010, presentando actualmente un impecable aspecto.
En su torre del homenaje se realizan exposiciones y es Conjunto Histórico-Artístico de Interés Nacional desde 1983.

Castillo de Petrel

The castle is of Islamic origin. It was conquered by the Crown of Aragon in 1239 and subsequently ceded to the Crown of Castile under the terms of the Treaty of Almizra. From its position, it dominates the whole city. The keep, whose foundations are laid over a cave, and the bastion tower are the elements that have survived to the present day.
https://www.spain.info

Sax Castle

The older people of Elche remember when it still served as a textile factory and even intermittently, as a prison. The dramatic process of renovation experienced by the Palace of Altamira, or Alcazar de la Señoría,makes it one of the best preserved strongholds in the province of Alicante, and at the same time an essential monumental point of reference of vital importance for the city.
Residence of the noblemen of Elche between the XV and the XIX centuries, its Torre del Homenaje or Keep also housed the Kings Jaime II and Pedro IV and the Catholic Monarchs during their stays in the city and hosted the meetings of the General Council of the City up to the XV century.
Factory and Prison
In the construction process of the Palace of Altamira several important stages stand out. The first corresponds to the Islamic period between the XI and XIII centuries. In the present day some stretches of the City Wall from this time may be seen, along with remnants of dwellings and drainage channels, which are not visible, as well as a monumental entrance gate and the Keep, of which only the ground floor belongs to this period.
The second phase, between the XV and XVI centuries, occurred after Gutierre de Cárdenas took possession of the lordship. This rebuilding work, defined by its decisive and extensive nature, shaped the general lines of the current form of the Palace. Subsequently, in the XVIII century, the Count of Altamira added a manor house of two floors to the original wall, which currently constitutes its south-facing facade.
It is polygonal in shape, with angles defined by projecting circular hubs, except in the area occupied by the Keep, which has a square base and three floors. Its rooms and the outbuildings of the western wing intermittently housed a prison from the XVIII century until 1959.
In 1915, the building was acquired by a local industrialist who built a textile factory in the Patio de Armas or parade ground, adjoined to the east wall, which was in operation until the end of the 1960s, at the same time as the prison. Nowadays this same parade ground is sometimes made use of as a perfect arena for social and cultural events.
Restoration
After being expropriated by the City Council in the 1970s in the last century, restoration of the building was carried out, including the outbuildings of the former factory, which, once refurbished, went on to house the Alejandro Ramos Folqués Municipal Archaeological Museum. In 2005, after further restoration, which brought to light remnants of the original stronghold, including an upper entrance gate from the banks of the river, whose existence was previously unknown, the palace came to form part of the new Archaeological and History Museum of Elche (MAHE). This centre was inaugurated in 2006 in conjunction with the return, for a period of six months only, of the Lady Elche, who was housed on the ground floor of the Torre del Homenaje or Keep, where an exact copy of the Iberian bust is currently displayed, ceded by the Provincial Archaeological Museum (MARQ).
http://www.visitelche.com

Altamira Palace

The Castle of Biar stands on a hillock overlooking the town of Biar, in the comarca of Alt Vinalopó (Valencian Community, Spain).
History
During the Muslim rule had already news but few of the fortress, which began to be relevant to the time of James I of Aragon, remain as border castle under the Treaty of Almizra. The building lost its role during the early modern period and, although rarely used, after was used as a cemetery. It was declared a Monumento Nacional in 1931 and is in the call Route of the Castles of Vinalopó.

Structure
The castle was built in stone with masonry and rammed earth, which was used for the tower of homage. The building consists of two parts. On the one hand, a semicircular enclosure with four towers at the corners thereof, and on the other, a space with four cubic structures and the tower of homage. These towers and other structures are the basic defenses of the castle, and its position high on a rocky hill, the proliferation of small openings in its walls and battlements auction.
The tower of homage is the highlight of the architectural complex. Of 12th century, is situated on one side and reaches a height of 17 meters. Its plan is square shaped and has three floors, acquiring such an enormous importance. On the lower floor is used the called barrel vault and the other levels, second and third, use the Almohad ribbed vault which, together with those of the neighboring Castle of Villena, are among the oldest in Spain and throughout the Maghreb, as well as the only used in a military building in the Iberian Peninsula.