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

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

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'' (, , , ) 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 "march, mark ...

'' of

Marina Baixa Marina Baixa (; ; lit. "Lower Marina") is a ''comarca'' in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the ''comarques'' of Comtat on the northwest, Marina Alta on the northeast, Alacantí and Alcoià on the west and the Mediterranean Sea ...

, in the province of

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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 fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

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

Muslim rule The terms Islamic world and Muslim 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, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is p ...

over the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

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

Caliphate of Córdoba A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

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 The Kingdom of Valencia (; ; ), located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. The Kingdom of Valencia was formally created in 1238 when the Moorish taifa of Valencia was taken in ...

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 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 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 fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, 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, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

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

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

of ''L'Alcazaiba'' or ''Sant Josep'', built in the 11th century by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s. * Castle of the King. *

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

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 ...

of ''Alcalà''. *

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

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

Jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

, 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 derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

. * 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 Salt and pepper shakers or salt and pepper pots, of which the first item can also be called a salt cellar in British English, are condiment dispensers used in European cuisine that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible sa ...

from around the world. (See also) * Torture instruments Museum
Town Museum Orduña House

Aventuras Sobre Ruedas
Alquiler de Autocaravanas

References

Gallery

Embalse de Guadalest, Alicante, España, 2023-01-21, DD 03.jpg, Reservoir of Guadalest Embalse de Guadalest, Alicante, España, 2023-01-21, DD 05.jpg, View of Guadalest from the reservoir Campanario, Guadalest, Alicante, España, 2023-01-21, DD 22.jpg, Bell tower Pasaje, Guadalest, Alicante, España, 2023-01-21, DD 26.jpg, Passage in Guadalest

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castell De Guadalest, El Municipalities in the Province of Alicante