In the center of the town of Pallargues (cat. Les Pallargues), at the end of a narrow street, a few meters from the city hall building is the castle of Las Pallargues, Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain.
Today, the streets of the town are full of peace and quiet, which has been preserved for centuries.
A document (dated 1061) mentions the castle “d’Espallargues”, whose name comes from the Catalan word “pallar” (meaning hayloft). In 1315, it was owned by a certain Berenguer de Rajadel (cat. Berenguer de Rajadell), and a year later the castle passed on to the lord de Concabella and remained this family’s ownership during the XIV and XV centuries.
This fortress was erected on a lonely high hill on the bank of the river Sio (cat. Sió), and gradually houses began to appear under it that formed an urban settlement. It seems that by 1636 there were 23 houses in the town, which were surrounded by a wall. The castle can be described as a fortified palace – this type is often found in the La Segarra (cat. La Segarra) district. Its layout is very chaotic. It consists of three irregular Polyhedrons, which is explained by the fact that the building was reconstructed several times.
The central building – the most ancient – is decorated with a magnificent Gothic arch 13 meters high. The remaining annexes appeared in the XVI century. The balcony, built into the arch 200 years ago, gave the castle a majestic look.
The changes in the appearance of the castle did not end there: the civil war, the occupation of the town by the troops and a couple of bombardments made their amendments to the appearance of the building, giving it its current look. The internal layout of the castle is as follows: on the ground floor, there are office premises, stables, tool storage and an old guardhouse. Going up the stone stairs, we find ourselves on the second, main floor, where the Chapter Room (cat. Sala Capitular) – elegantly decorated with beautiful doors can be found. From there, we get to the chapel of St. Michael (cat. Sant Miquel), passing a stone shield with the emblem of the Rocaberti family (cat. Rocaberti) (one of the former owners of the castle), on the way. An old bedroom adjoins the hall as well as a terrace, from which breath-taking views of La Segarra district open.
Visitors of the castle should not miss the spiral staircase leading to the dungeons, ice storage, wine cellar with its huge barrels and the newly discovered well, carved into the rock and providing the castle with clean water. It is worth noting that throughout its history, the Pallargues castle always remained habitable.
Guided tours
On Sundays and holidays, guided tours are available at 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00. On weekdays and Saturdays, guided tours are available to be arranged only by appointment by calling 973-520041 or e-mailing [email protected].
