The Castle of Cornellà del Bercol and its wineries

The Castle of Cornellà del Bercol (cat. El Castell de Cornellà del Bercol) was a medieval castle, from the 14th and 15th centuries, but it got heavily modified in the 19th century. It is located at the far end of the town of the same name, in the region of El Rosselló (Northern Catalonia).

The oldest elements of the castle are medieval, but the castle, which became the headquarters of an important wine-growing company, owned by the Jonqueres d’Oriola family from Rosselló, was almost entirely remodelled in the late 19th century, with various later updates.

The town lordship had been owned by a family called Cornellà, feudal of the viscounts of Canet. From the mid-thirteenth century until the French Revolution it belonged to the Hospital of the Poor of Perpignan.

In the year 1200 a castle was mentioned in this town. It seems there was also a fortified town, named in the documents as Cornellanell or Castellàs, which could relate to the same town, mentioned as Cornellanell as a diminutive of the castle to which it belonged.

The castle can not be visited.

It is an imposing building constructed mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries, with quadrangular corner towers.

It should be noted that the equestrian Pere Jonqueres of Oriola, two-time gold medalist at the Olympic Games, was born in 1920 in this castle, owned by his family.

Coordinates: 42° 37′ 32″ N, 2° 56′ 56″ E

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