Lastours castles are made up of four Cathar castles, the Orbeil Valley’s “inseparable guardian brothers”, creating a unique defense complex surrounded by cypress trees.
The castles are located in the French commune of Lastours in the Aude department, just a 20-minute drive from Carcassonne.
Each castle has its own name: Cabaret, Surdespine, and Regina Tower or Queen …
MoreThe castle of Sant Ferran (cat. El castell de Sant Ferran) is a fortress of the municipality of Figueres (Alt Empordà) declared a cultural asset of national interest. It is located on a hill and occupies an area of 320,000 m², which reaches 550,000 m² if the space occupied by glacis is taken into account.
It …
MoreThe castle of Peralada (cat. El castell de Peralada) is a monument of the municipality of Peralada (Alt Empordà) declared a cultural asset of national interest. It is a castle already mentioned in the 9th century with the name of Castillo Toló, and it was the center of the county of Peralada. It is located …
MoreThe castle of Requesens (cat. El castell de Requesens) is located on a hill, which dominates all the southern valleys of the Puig Neulós mountain, about 7 km east of the neighborhood of Requesens. Its territory corresponds to the old town of Requesens in the municipality of La Jonquera (Alt Empordà).
To mention the memorial of …
MoreModern castles in Catalonia: Masllorenç
The castle’s construction began in the 20th century. The castle has not been finished due to a lack of funding. The Calaf family owns the castle.
Its original owner, Jose Calaf Boronat, died more than 15 years ago and for that reason, the castle construction was suspended.
Two entrepreneurs, Adrià Mesa and Gerard …
MoreThe Empordà castle (cat. El castell d’Empordà), located in the homonymous town, is a large house with an antic square keep tower and the rest built in the 17th and 18th centuries. It has, however, gothic elements incorporated. It is a large building, which consists of two parts at straight angles, and retains only a …
MoreThe castle of Balsareny (cat. El castell de Balsareny) is a fortress of a Catalan civil Gothic style, located on top of a hill, over the municipality of Balsareny, and dated to 951. It is declared cultural asset of national interest.
It has always been linked to the Balsareny lineage and it is in an excellent state …
MoreThe Urtubie castle (Le château d’Urtubie) is in the municipality of Urrugne, three kilometres from Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The castle was resurrected in 1505 from the ruins of a feudal castle built in 1341 and burned in 1497 (few defensive walls and a dungeon only survived).
The castle was rebuilt completely in 1745. Its territory has been expanded. …
MoreThe Riudabella Castle, or Riudabella Farm, (cat. El Castell de Riudabella, o Granja de Riudabella) is an old Cistercian farm converted into a fortified mansion with a historicist style. It is located in the centre of Riudabella, at the foot of the Poblet forest, in the municipal district of Vimbodí i Poblet (Conca de Barberà). …
MoreHistorians believe that the castle was dismantled at the end of the 17th century on the orders from the French marshal Vauban who initiated the campaign for the demolition of the old military fortifications, which could serve as a rebellion’s haven after the conclusion of the Treaty of the Pyrenees.
The castle ruins passed into private …
More 
