El Castell de Guadalest () or simply Guadalest (), is a

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...

town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

located in a mountainous area of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a " ...

'' of Marina Baixa, in the province of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. Guadalest has an area of 16 km² and, according to the 2002 census, a total population of 189 inhabitants.

History

The medieval

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

overshadowing the Guadalest valley was originally built in the 11th century, during the

Muslim rule The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

over the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. It served to control the valley, as infighting between the smaller kingdoms left by the disintegration of the

Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and part ...

was constant. In the 13th century, after the Christian conquest of the region, the castle and the town were incorporated into the

Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1 ...

. As Christian colonization was anecdotal, Muslim inhabitants of the region were allowed to remain in the valley and work its land until the

expulsion of the Moriscos The Expulsion of the Moriscos ( es, Expulsión de los moriscos) was decreed by King Philip III of Spain on April 9, 1609. The Moriscos were descendants of Spain's Muslim population who had been forced to convert to Christianity. Since the Spani ...

. The site then changed hands over the centuries. On June 22, 1644, an earthquake partly destroyed the fortress. In 1708, during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...

, a mine blew up its western aisle during a battle. Nowadays, only a small, ruined, portion of the castle still towers over the valley.

Tourism

The economy of Guadalest is mainly based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

. The town has many remarkable monuments and interesting places to visit: *

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

of ''L'Alcazaiba'' or ''Sant Josep'', built in the 11th century by Muslims. * Castle of the King. *

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

crag Crag may refer to: * Crag (climbing), a cliff or group of cliffs, in any location, which is or may be suitable for climbing * Crag (dice game), a dice game played with three dice * Crag, Arizona, US * Crag, West Virginia, US * Crag and tail, a g ...

of ''Alcalà''. * Baroque

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

church of ''Mare de Déu de l'Assumpció'', built between 1740 and 1753. *

Jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

, built in the 12th century. It conserves a

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

. * Antonio Marco Museum * Ethnological Museum * Historical Motorcycle Museum ''Vall de Guadalest'', a collection of over a hundred motorcycles and some small cars, all in perfect condition. * Micro-Gigantic Museum * Miniatures Museum * Ribera Girona Museum
The Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum
20,000 salt and pepper shakers from around the world. (See also) * Torture instruments Museum
Town Museum Orduña House

References

External links

Town Hall Page

www.guadalest.net

Destino Guadalest
Listing of all activities to do in the Valley.

Overview on the city with sightseeing attractions and map. in English.
Webcam of Guadalest

Image:Guadalest_(4).jpg, Tower of Guadalest Image:Guadalest__(2).jpg, Road up to mountain of Guadalest Image:Guadalest_.jpg, Mountain of Guadalest Municipalities in the Province of Alicante {{Valencia-geo-stub