CASTLES by THE CASTELL

 Hello ladies and gents this is the CASTELL telling you that today we are talking about

Flix Castle

Flix Castle is a building in Flix (Ribera d'Ebre) declared a cultural asset of national interest. It is a walled fortification located northeast of the town of Flix, on top of a hill located within the meander that forms the river Ebro, on the right bank, and near the town and the cemetery.

Description

Irregular walled fortification formed by three circular towers, joined by sections of loosened walls, and with a courtyard area in the middle of the enclosure that integrates a large oval cistern. The predominant tower is the one of the southwestern end, and corresponds to the type of fort of Vauban. It has a wide diameter, low height, flat walls and a single loophole facing the access road from the village. The upper part is topped by a cornice on which sits the crown, currently half ruined. 

Inside, the tower is covered by a spherical vault built of bricks and is accessed through three rectangular openings, located inside the fortification. The other two watchtowers, located to the north and northeast of the enclosure, are not as large as the first and do not have flattened walls. However, they have rows of loopholes at different levels built in stone, and retain much of the original exterior cladding. 

The exterior walls that delimit the enclosure and join the towers have rows of loopholes at the top of the facing, mostly built of bricks. The western canvas, facing the river, has a flattened base, as does the larger tower. Inside the castle grounds, the courtyard is bounded by loopholes. 

There are other facings that retain part of the original glazing and also the starts of some of the vaults that covered the rooms, especially in the south-eastern sector. The construction is built of unworked stone of similar size, arranged in fairly regular rows and bound with abundant mortar. The castle is currently undergoing a major restoration with a final date in the summer of 2010.

History

The origins of the castle of Flix are uncertain, and some authors suggest that under the structure of the castle there are vestiges of Roman times and it is even said that it was built on the remains of an Iberian lighthouse or watchtower. We still appreciate remains of the original castle inside what was built in the eighteenth century. 

In 1837, during the First Carlist War, the current castle was built, and in 1874, during the Third Carlist War, walls and a large round tower were added. Its geographical location made it one of the most important in the region, along with the castle of Mequinenza and the castle of Miravet. It was important both in the civil war of the fifteenth century and in that of the reapers of the seventeenth century and that of the Succession of the eighteenth century.

After the destruction of the castle of Saracen origin, the so-called Castell Nou was built in 1837, in a different place than the Saracen. It was built at the request of the Count of Morella, Ramon Cabrera, who used it during the First Carlist War to protect the right bank of the Ebro. 

That is why his walls protected him when he and his army crossed the river in their retreat, on their way to exile on June 2, 1840. Around 1872 and 1873, during the Third War, the castle was restored. On June 19, 1875, it was attacked by the troops of General Eduardo Gamir, and a liberal garrison was installed there until June 28, 1876. From that moment it was abandoned.

Since its abandonment in 1876, the castle has suffered great deterioration. For this reason, in 2009 restoration work was carried out with the aim of making it visitable, the work of the architect Miquel Orellana and his team. In 2012, the restoration was awarded the Ebrenca Quality Award for the best restored building.

Written and Translated by the Castell and as always have a chilled day by the Castell.