This consists of a few ruins of the 11th or 12th century castle, which was originally an Islamic construction, in the highest part of the town. In its origins, the fortress had an irregular layout, adapted to the peculiarities of the terrain, and consisted of three enclosures.
The castle was very important during the expansion of Aragon in the 11th century, as it was like a spear-head pointing towards the east. It was an advance post of Aragon in the Islamic territory of the Taifa of Lerida. Although no documentation exists to confirm it, it is very likely that El Cid came here more than once, because of the agreements that connected him with the Aragonese King Pedro I. Later it would fall into different hands (including the Templar knights) until the times of peace led to its abandonment. In the 19th-century Carlist Wars, it reached a state of semi-ruin, as it was used as a quarry for many of the houses in the town. Going up the castle culminates the visit to one of the Castilian towns that most evokes the Middle Ages and rewards travellers with spectacular views of the Natural Space of the High Maestrazgo, where vast forest of Scots pine and black pine alternate with the mountains, ravines and moors of the highlands.
Visits: free.
Rev.: PAB 03.05.23