Claramunt Castle

 

Claramunt Castle stands on a hill overlooking the Òdena basin. Its history, marked by war, is one of destruction and reconstruction. Yet despite it all, it retains its structure and impressive appearance as a fortress.

Founded in the latter half of the 10th century, it was part of a dense network of castles along the border between the County of Barcelona and al-Andalus and served to protect and organise the territory.

The castle was entrusted to the Claramunt family, who held it until the 11th century. It later became the property of the House of Cardona, who turned it into the administrative centre of the lordly domain of the Cardona-Medinaceli family, who ruled the entire Ódena basin except for Igualada. Claramunt, along with other nearby castles, remained under the family’s jurisdiction until the end of the Middle Ages.

Witness to multiple wars, the fortress has been demolished and rebuilt on several occasions since, in 1463, during the war between Joan II and the General’s Deputation, it was damaged for the first time. After the war, Joan Ramon Folc III of Cardona ordered the reconstruction of the castle, which lasted until the 16th century. In 1714, however, following the War of Succession, the castle was partially demolished and abandoned once and for all.

The fortress retains the classic structure of a 12th century castle, divided into two enclosures that separate the residential complex, home to the living quarters and keep, from the lower enclosure, which housed the services necessary to maintain the castle and which today has the appearance of a large walled courtyard.

 

More information:

https://patrimoni.gencat.cat/ca/monuments/monuments/castell-de-claramunt 
https://patrimonicultural.diba.cat/element/castell-de-claramunt 
https://www.lapobladeclaramunt.cat/municipi/turisme/el-castell-de-claramunt/ 
http://culturaeducacio.gencat.cat/museus/castelldeclaramunt/ 
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell_de_Claramunt 

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