Monumental ensemble of Olèrdola castle

From within the protected natural area of the Olèrdola Regional Park, there are exceptional views of the area surrounding Vilafranca and Garraf and a number of remains and buildings that allow us to explore the history of Penedès from the Bronze Age (around 4,000 years ago) to the early Middle Ages. The Catalan Museum of Archaeology facilities include a visitors´ centre and a visit to this site, which is organised as part of a route that starts at the visitors´ centre and links several points of interest. Some of the most interesting remains are those from Roman times, such as the wall (2nd-1st centuries B.C.) that defended the only part of the mountain that isn’t surrounded by crags. It has a single, central entrance and four towers and the tank (also from the 2nd-1st centuries B.C.) was built into the rock and used to store rain water. It is the only one of its kind in the country, as it can store 350,000 litres of water. The spectacular Sant Miquel church dating back to the Middle Ages stands out. It is located on the top of a hill that shares the same name and it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times since the beginning of the 10th century. It has two parts: a pre-Romanesque part (built in 929), of which the apse remains and is striking because of its horseshoe arch, and another, later, part (10th-12th centuries). Both parts were used until 1885. The Pla dels Albats necropolis is also worthy of a special mention (10th-11th centuries), with one hundred anthropomorphic tombs built into the rock next to the ruins of the Santa Maria chapel, several street structures, Iberian and Medieval houses and silos, a Medieval castle and a Roman watchtower. The history of the area details settlements belonging to several tribes during the Bronze Age (2000-1800 B.C.), the construction of a primitive wall during the Iron Age (8th-7th centuries B.C.) and the arrival of the Cosetanos (5th-4th century B.C.), an Iberian tribe that built a whole settlement, which was later replaced by a Roman military camp that controlled the Augusta road. During the Christian conquest (929), Count Sunyer built the first castle on the ruins of a Roman watchtower, as well as Sant Miquel church. The 10th century Muslim incursions significantly destroyed the area and the church had to be rebuilt during the following centuries, once it became the property of Mir Geribert, self-proclaimed prince of Olèrdola.

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