El Castell Vell or del Fadrell, in Castellón
It is 8kms away from the city centre of Castellón: drive along N 340, which connects with CV 147, and then turn toward La Magdalena Castellón de la Plana - Castelló de la Plana
The remains of this Muslim castle, which dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries, are located on the hill of La Magdalena. This site, where Neolithic settlement relics have been found, is the place where the origins of Castellón lie. As for the structure of the castle, it is organized to conform to the shape of the hill. One of the most outstanding features of the castle is that it has many Arab features (walls and masonry), which were hardly changed during the Christian period.
Several restoration works have been performed onto the castle, in spite of which it is possible to distinguish three very different parts: la Alcazaba, which is situated in the upper part and includes wall remains and three semicircular towers; la Albacara, which is situated in the middle and also has three towers; a 15th-century chapel, which is carved out of the rock.
In the year 1251, the town was transferred from the mountain to the coastal plains, where Castellón was founded in 1252. Taking into account that Castellón had still not been founded at the time of El Cid, it is clear that references to El Cid’s conquests in El Cantar de Mío Cid refer to Montserrat; not to the plains, which offered no defense in the turbulent years of the 11th and 12th centuries. Therefore, Álvar Fáñez, the leader of the second embassy which El Cid sent to Alfonso VI to announce his new conquest, informed the king that El Cid had taken this hill in the area surrounding Castellón.
El Cantar stays close to history in this case: the Muslim castle of Fadrell, which is also known as Castell Vell, belonged at the end of the 11th century to King Pedro I de Aragón, who also owed other lands and possessions in the Levante region, as for example Miravet, Oropesa and the fortress of Montornés. The uprising of the castle led by the Muslim population led El Cid to establish a mutual aid pact with King Pedro I, so that the assembled armies started siege of the fortress in 1097, which eventually led to the surrender of the Muslims.
Visits to hill La Magdalena: check opening hours.
Rev. PAB 26.12.1