El Castell de Guadalest () or simply Guadalest (), is a

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the El Carche comarca in Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance language also known as Catal ...

town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in a mountainous area of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

'' of

Marina Baixa Marina Baixa () or es, Marina Baja is a ''comarca'' in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the ''comarques'' of Comtat on the northwest, Marina Alta on the northeast, Alacantí and Alcoià on the west and the Mediterranean Sea on th ...

, in the province of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Guadalest has an area of 16 km² and, according to the 2002 census, a total population of 189 inhabitants.

History

The medieval castle overshadowing the Guadalest valley was originally built in the 11th century, during the Muslim rule over the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. It served to control the valley, as infighting between the smaller kingdoms left by the disintegration of the

Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and parts o ...

was constant. In the 13th century, after the Christian conquest of the region, the castle and the town were incorporated into the Kingdom of Valencia by

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 12 ...

. As Christian colonization was anecdotal, Muslim inhabitants of the region were allowed to remain in the valley and work its land until the

expulsion of the Moriscos The Expulsion of the Moriscos ( es, Expulsión de los moriscos) was decreed by King Philip III of Spain on April 9, 1609. The Moriscos were descendants of Spain's Muslim population who had been forced to convert to Christianity. Since the Span ...

. The site then changed hands over the centuries. On June 22, 1644, an earthquake partly destroyed the fortress. In 1708, during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

, a mine blew up its western aisle during a battle. Nowadays, only a small, ruined, portion of the castle still towers over the valley.

Tourism

The economy of Guadalest is mainly based on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

. The town has many remarkable monuments and interesting places to visit: * Castle of ''L'Alcazaiba'' or ''Sant Josep'', built in the 11th century by Muslims. * Castle of the King. *

Tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

- crag of ''Alcalà''. * Baroque

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

of ''Mare de Déu de l'Assumpció'', built between 1740 and 1753. * Jail, built in the 12th century. It conserves a

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

. * Antonio Marco Museum * Ethnological Museum * Historical Motorcycle Museum ''Vall de Guadalest'', a collection of over a hundred motorcycles and some small cars, all in perfect condition. * Micro-Gigantic Museum * Miniatures Museum * Ribera Girona Museum
The Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum
20,000

salt and pepper shakers Salt and pepper shakers or salt and pepper pots, of which the first item is normally called a salt cellar in British English, are condiment dispensers used in Western culture that are designed to allow diners to distribute grains of edible sa ...

from around the world. (See also) * Torture instruments Museum
Town Museum Orduña House

References

External links

Town Hall Page

www.guadalest.net

Destino Guadalest
Listing of all activities to do in the Valley.

Overview on the city with sightseeing attractions and map. in English.
Webcam of Guadalest

Image:Guadalest_(4).jpg, Tower of Guadalest Image:Guadalest__(2).jpg, Road up to mountain of Guadalest Image:Guadalest_.jpg, Mountain of Guadalest Municipalities in the Province of Alicante {{Valencia-geo-stub