El Castell de Guadalest
Guadalest ( Valencian: El Castell de Guadalest ) is a small town in the province of Alicante in Spain, in the administrative area of Marina Baixa.
Geography
The town lies about 15 km (air line) north of Benidorm and is a part of the highway CV 70, but also on the CV 755, connect both Benidorm and Altea with Alcoy to achieve. Guadalest is located on a hill overlooking the valley of the Rio Guadalest which is dammed here to a lake. The local situation is framed by the hills and mountains of the Sierra d ' Aixorta ( 1125 m above sea level. NN ) and Sierra de Serella ( 1361 m above sea level. NN ) in the north and the Sierra de Aitana ( 1557 m above sea level. NN ) in the south.
Flora
In the vicinity of the place pine grow; Citrus trees, olive trees, carob trees and almonds are cultivated in terrace cultivation.
History
The village complex was carried out by the Moors under Tariq ibn Ziyad and Al Azraq, which boasts an extensive irrigation system supporting agriculture as ruler of the area and its colonization promoted. After the conquest by Jaime I in the middle of the 13th century this came from his rights to Vidal de Sarria. King Carlos I created in the mid-16th century, the county of Guadalest with the nearby villages of Benitachell, Beniardá and Benifato and transferred the responsibility of the county to the House of Folch de Cardona. Another family, the Orduñas, practiced until the beginning of the 20th century a significant impact on Guadalest and the region and often presented the mayor and has held important positions in the county government. The members of the family took advantage of this, among other things, their relations with the Spanish royal house. This family had its origin in the same place Galician and came to Valencia with the Infante Fortuna de Navarra. They entered the service of the family of admirals Cardona, whose member Sancho de Cardona was appointed in 1542 to the Marquis of Guadalest in the 16th century. Beginning of the 17th century (from 1609) reached the conflicts between the Moors and Christians with the expulsion of the Moors by King Felipe III. culminating what the neglect of many villages had by the departure of its inhabitants result. By earthquakes in 1644 and 1748 ( Terremoto de Montesa - Earthquake of Montesa ) the village of Guadalest and its surroundings suffered heavy damage. During the Spanish Succession War, the fortification of the castle was blown up. 1756 Don Pedro Antonio Buenaventura de Ordufia y Garcia was raised to the peerage, by joining the military order of Santiago.
The place
The village has 236 inhabitants (1 January 2013) and is considered a center of attraction for tourists. The 1974 Historic-Artistic Monument declared village is divided into a castle and the quarter of El Arrabal, which was created when the old village of the growing population could no longer cope. There are many small shops with craft items and numerous museums.
Attractions
- Toy Museum in El Arrabal
- History and Museum of Torture in El Arrabal
- Historical Automobile and Motorcycle Museum Vall de Guadalest (6 km below the village in the direction of Altea)
- Ribera Girona Museum: Contemporary Art with a special focus on Ribera Girona in El Arrabal, Calle de la Peña
Impressions
Tunnel between El Arrabal and the old village, looking towards El Arrabal
Townhouse with Orduñas Arms
Parish Church
Town hall
Entrance to the dungeon in the town hall
Calle de la Església
View of the dam in the Presa de Guadalest
The reservoir, view from Castell de Guadalest