The middle part dates back to the XVI-th century, and there are located the weaponry yard, the Queen’s citadel, and the Santa Barbara chapel. The highest area (La Torreta) is the oldest: here is the main tower and ruins of the Muslim era. The castle can be divided into three zones at different levels, with different characteristics, and built at different times. The fortress of Santa Barbara in Alicante is of Muslim origin and dates to the late IX-th century. It crowns the top of the mountain Benacantil that rises in the city centre. Majestic and beautiful Santa Barbara in Alicante is the most famous castle on the Costa Blanca and the symbol of the capital of the province. The castle of Santa Barbara in Alicante (El Castillo de Santa Bàrbara) We offer you a selection of the most interesting castles in Alicante. Of course, the most famous is the Castle of Santa Barbara in Alicante, however across the province there are more than 100 ancient castles, fortresses and watchtowers of great historical value. For all those who wish to diversify their vacation on the Costa Blanca, we invite to take a trip to the castles scattered around the province area. Throughout the province of Alicante, you will find many interesting places that can expose the mystery of ancient times, and the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, ancient castles.Įvery castle in Alicante has witnessed many historical events. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.The province of Alicante and the Costa Blanca are not only sea, sun, and beaches, but also rich culture and history. ![]() If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "The Essential List". Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. This video is part of BBC Reel's Forgotten Places playlist. As for the residents, they and their descendants meet up twice a year back in town, on All Saints' Day (1 November) and the Day of the Assumption of Mary (15 August). The town was designated a Historic-Artistic Site in 1980 and is now run as a free, open-air museum (overseen by the Autonomous National Parks Agency). However, visitors can and do come for day trips. "I remember that every time a family left the village, everyone came out to the entrance of the village to say goodbye and cried," she said.Įven today, villagers have not been allowed to reclaim their homes because the government maintains the flooding decree signed by Franco. Purificación Jiménez, a former resident, also recalled the difficulty of those years. But what truly frustrates me is that during democratic times, I've been struggling for the recovery of Granadilla with the former children's association, and no government has listened to us." But those were times of dictatorship, and we had no rights. "They kicked us out, claiming that the dam would flood the town, which was impossible because the town is higher than the dam. "It was a travesty," said Eugenio Jiménez, president of the Association Sons of Granadilla. The experience was traumatic for locals, many of whom still carry their frustration. Nevertheless, the residents were not allowed to return. But that's as high as the water got – the town itself never flooded. When the water started to rise in 1963, it covered all except one route into the village, turning it into a peninsula. Over the course of 10 years, from 1959 to 1969, all 1,000 residents were forcibly evicted, many relocated to colonisation settlements near the village. ![]() ![]() The largest of these efforts was the Gabriel y Galán reservoir on the Alagón River, and in 1955, officials decreed that Granadilla was in the floodplain and therefore had to be evacuated. The end began back in the 1950s, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, when Spain embarked on massive project of building dams as a way to boost the economy during the period of isolation. But the community that lived here right up until the 1960s is not. Over the years, rule of the town changed hands, and today it's one of the few Spanish fortress villages where the ancient walls are still intact. Originally founded by Muslims in the 9th Century, Granadilla occupied a strategic spot that allowed its occupants to keep a watchful eye on the Ruta de la Plata, an ancient trade and travel route across the region. Not since all the residents were kicked out in the 1960s. Visitors can peek into empty rooms, wander along its walled-in streets and view the town from atop its castle. The medieval fortress town of Granadilla is a ghost town.
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