The Castle

Ulldecona Castle is undoubtedly a symbol of our town’s identity. With its imposing outline and character, which is also reflected in the local coat of arms, it continues to provide valuable information about historical and cultural developments in an area that was crucial for control of the region. Throughout history, its strategic location controlling trade routes and, as the boundary between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms, has left remains of the various stages of human occupation. The Iberians established a settlement at the top of the hill to watch over the other Iberian settlements with which they were visually and socially related. The few structures that remain in the northern part of the walled area dating back more than two thousand years show its vital strategic importance at that time. There is no record of occupation by the Romans, despite this being highly likely. However, it was probably used as a checkpoint given its proximity and visual command over the vital Via Augusta road and all its interconnected branches, and there were undoubtedly Roman settlements with their agricultural holdings nearby. The remains of the Arab occupation from the eighth to the eleventh century are more visible. The remains of the wall built in the old military keep culminate in two watchtowers that are still highly visible within the structure of the current buildings. The Christian reconquest of the eastern Iberian Peninsula established today’s river Sénia as the border between the Christian and the Muslim kingdoms. Work began on the construction of the current Christian military fortification on top of the earlier Muslim fortification at this time. This was commissioned to the Knights Hospitaller by king Alfonso the Chaste in 1178. It would become the birthplace of medieval Ulldecona, which received its first municipal charter in 1222, enacted on the hill itself.