The first record of the castle is a document from 998. The original castle was supposed to be just a tower, now gone, on top of the big rock. The current building is an aggregate of constructions from different periods. Its historical value comes, above all, from its role during the War of Succession, when
The castle or fortress of Cardona was occupied by the Carolingians at the end of the 8th century as a step before the conquest of Barcelona. Guifré already fortified it in 886, integrated it into his county of Urgell in 870 and, in 888, granted it the first charter of settlement, the oldest in Catalonia.
At the time, Guifré incorporated the territory comprised by the Bagan mountain of Castelladral - to the east of the Cardener - in the county of Cerdanya-Berga, whose castle will give its name to the mountain range that just crowns it. The castle was built by one of Guifré's sons, Viscount Unifred de Conflent, father
On the east bank of the Cardener and as a portal between the counties of Berga and Manresa, the castle of Súria controls the passage along the Old Road between the fortresses of Cardona and Manresa. It was built by Guifré, structured by his grandson Borrell II and inherited by Ermessenda de Carcassonne. On the
Between the riera de Salo and the Serra de Castelltallat, Guifré incorporates another mountain in the county of Berga, the Serra de Torribalta, where the Quovece Negre and future castle of Coaner rises, of which the Levite Eldemar is lord. In this same range and towards the west, stands the castle of Claret dels Cavallers.
Guifré crosses the Cardener towards the west and incorporates a new mountain into his domains, the Serra de Castelltallat, also in the county of Cerdanya-Berga. He built the castle of Odó there, later named the Tallat castle, which would also end up giving its name to the mountain on which it stands. To the north
The via Subirana that comes from the Tallat castle ends at the Sant Mateu castle, built by Guifré and later structured to guard the Portella pass and the access to the Pedregós ford from the west. The remains of the well-preserved foundations of the complex can be visited. This castle is linked to the castells
Guarding the Pedregós ford as a border crossing over the Cardener and as an access portal to the urban area of Manresa, Gotmar Castle was built by Guifré and his grandson, Borrell II, while its structure is attributed to the magnate Gotmar as Castilian. The remains of the foundations of the complex can be visited.
To the west and downstream of the Pedregós ford, stands the castle of Fals, dominating the stream of the same name that flows west, towards Andalus. Built by Guifré and structured at the time of Borrell II, from the very beginning it was in the domains of the young viscounty of Cardona. To the south,
Guard tower and access portal to the urban area of Manresa. In 1020, Ermessenda de Carcassona, made Abbot Ràmio de Sant Benet lord of Torroella, controlling the bifurcation between the Camí del Cardener and the Via de Montpeità to Manresa that communicates with the Llobregat. Difficult to access from the center of Sant Martí de
Within the urban area of Manresa, following the course of the Rio d'Or downstream and once crossed by the ford of Sant Fruitós, the two towers are erected that become the access portals to the urban area of Manresa from the northeast. To the south, the tower of Ília (bell tower of Sant Benet de
Towards the Bages field, in the middle of a landscape consolidated by Guifré between the Cardener and the Llobregat, the basin of the river Or takes us towards the castle of Or, the northern portal to the large urban area of Manresa . And it is believed that this may be the one documented as
Back inland, following the basin of the Bogatella valley, the castle of Buc dominates the crossroads of the Pas de la Portella. As in the case of Súria, this castle belongs to Ermessenda de Carcassonne. The exterior of the complex can be visited. This castle is linked to the castells de frontera de Guifré This
At the southern limit of the urban area of Manresa and on each of the banks of the Cardener, there are two towers that have become the access portals to the capital of Bages from the southeast. On the west bank is the Countess Tower of Countess Ermessenda de Carcassonne. Downstream, on the east bank,
During the High Middle Ages, the capital of the border of Old Catalonia was already the fortified city of Manresa. At the time of Guifré, in the year 889, we still find it documented as the city of Manresa which, with his son Sunyer I, will already be the county capital and of the Bages
To the south and parallel to the basin dominated by the castle of Fals, we find another more strategic one, that of the Agell river valley. Guifré crosses the Cardener, advances through this basin, builds the castle of Agell there and his grandson, Borrell II, builds it. Climbing the path between the Serra de Falcons
To the west, advancing through the valley of the Agell river at the confluence with the Falcons basin and protecting the Bages pass towards the Maçana and Estrada valleys, rises the Castellar, which dominates a defensive network with the following towers : the guardiola de Castellar that acts as a lookout between the Castellar and
To the south of the Castellar and halfway up the Follit castle, going up the Grevalosa creek, stands the Grevalosa castle, owned by Bernat Otger de Castellet, brother of Guillem de Castellvell, lord of the Guard of Montserrat. Following the Grevalosa stream to its source, next to the church of Sant Pere, stands Follit Castle.
On the grounds of the estate of the nobleman Sal·la de Bages and going down the riera de Guardiola, with Guifré's son, Sunyer I, stands the guardiola de Sal·la which, 30 years later, ends up being called Guardiola's castle . The exterior of the complex, currently a private residence, can be visited. This castle is
To the east, controlling the confluence of the Cardener with the Llobregat and dominating the communication with the Jussan towers of the urban area of Manresa, stands Galí Castle. Built by Guifré and structured by order of his son, Sunyer I, to the magnate Galí. The rest of the complex can be visited. This castle
Two years after the raid of the Al-Mansur chieftain of Andalusia in 999 who razed and looted the fortress of Manresa, its entire urban area and the castles in the south of the county, the Castellet was built to strengthen communication between the castles of Galí and Bell. Currently, the exterior of the complex can
In a crucial enclave, controlling the passages over the Llinars river bridge and the Llobregat ford, maintaining dominance over the Marganell valley towards Montserrat and to the west, Bell Castle is erected. Built by Guifré and structured by order of his son, Sunyer I, to the magnate Bell Private property. This castle is linked to
From the Marganell valley, perched on the foothills of the north face of Montserrat and just below the Porta Antiga, rises the Marro Castle, as a stronghold of the first Bages abbey, Santa Cecília, of Visigoth origin and with its first abbot, Cesari de Montserrat, as one of the Levites who intrigued to create an
During the High Middle Ages, Montserrat as the southern limit of this border of Old Catalonia was called the mountain of the Black Rocks. In 933, at the time of Guifré's son, Sunyer I, we already find it documented as Mont Serrat. In 1025 and on its north face, the bishop Abbot Oliba de Vic
Perched on the south face of Montserrat, dominating the can Maçana pass and the entire wide plain of Anoia that stretches towards Andalus, Guifré builds the castle of Bonifaci which, later on, will be known as the castle of the Guard of Montserrat, next to the church of Sant Pau, cradle of the residence of
Downstream of the Llobregat as it passes through Montserrat, dominating Coll de Betó between the Llarga and Can Rubió ranges of this massif, stands Coll de Betó castle, dependent on the Castle of the Guard of Montserrat. The rest of the complex can be visited. This castle is linked to the castells de frontera de
The ruins of Callús Castle, also called Godmar, are located on a hill on the left bank of the river Cardener, about two kilometers away from the village in a northerly direction. It is accessed by a turnoff from the road from Manresa to Solsona, shortly after passing the town of Callús. The banks and
Balsareny Castle, declared a cultural asset of national interest in 1949, is without a doubt the most representative and emblematic monument of the town and one of the best known in the region. It is a fortification dated 951 and a good example of a Catalan civil Gothic fortress. It is one of the few
The castle and the church of Sant Esteve and Sant Sebastià form a homogeneous monumental complex located at the top of the so-called Turó del Castell, from where much of the Pla de Bages and the Llobregat valley are dominated with fantastic views. . The church is part of the National Artistic Heritage of Catalonia
Muralla de Sant Domènec, 24
08241 Manresa
Telèfon: 93 693 03 96
[email protected]
Bages Turisme is the tourism management, promotion and planning body for Bages, which brings together the 30 municipalities in the region and also private agents in the tourism sector with the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
Quality labels in the Bages region
