Village
Arbeca is a town in the comarca of Les Garrigues, in the province of Lleida, irrigated by the Canal d'Urgell, whose patron saints are Sant Jaume and Santa Caterina, with the main festival on 15 August. Its economy revolves around olive oil of the arbequina variety, introduced in the 18th century from Palestine by the duke of Medinaceli, lord of Arbeca, and considered one of the best in the world despite the small size of its olive. Of the Renaissance castle-palace, with five towers, only ruins have remained since 1851. Its municipal area also contains the Iberian fortress of Els Vilars, dated to around 750 BC and declared a Bien Cultural de Interés Nacional (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) in 1998, one of the most important protohistoric sites in Catalonia. It has 2,163 inhabitants (INE 2025).
Monument
The castle-palace of Arbeca, in Les Garrigues, crowns the hill that overlooks the village, at the south-eastern end of the comarca. Documented since 1158, it was extensively remodelled around 1475 by Joan Ramon Folc III of Cardona until it became a magnificent Renaissance building with four corner towers and a large central tower; in 1503 it hosted Philip the Handsome, and 16th-century chronicles described it as having as many windows as days in the year. It was blown up with gunpowder in 1707, after the War of the Spanish Succession, and its scant ruins were further damaged by the construction of the municipal water tanks in 1898 and the village school in 1945. Today part of the wall, a round tower with a battered base and the socle of another, with well-worked ashlar, are preserved.
Monument
A protohistoric fortified settlement of Arbeca, in the comarca of les Garrigues, one of the most complete Iberian sites in Catalonia and declared an asset of national cultural interest in 1998. Occupied between 775 and 325 BC, during the Iron Age, it was built on flat ground rather than on a height, a sign of the status of its inhabitants. The enclosure, oval in plan and with 2,200 m² of habitable space, housed between 150 and 175 people under a local chief, and was protected by a wall 173 metres long and 5 metres thick, twelve towers, a stone chevaux-de-frise and a double moat 13 metres wide. Excavations, carried out between 1974 and 2017, brought to light bronze objects, Attic pottery and the oldest known rotary mills in Europe, dating from around the 5th century BC.
Activity
The Fira de Santa Caterina, which together with the arbequina olive fair makes up this fair event in Arbeca, is held on the weekend closest to 25 November, between the 21st and the 23rd. The programme includes a film club, exhibitions and dancing, but the main event is the Fira del Gos Caçador (hunting dog fair). Throughout Sunday a market with craft products and clothing is set up along the avinguda dels Portals, one of the longest streets in Arbeca, where a large bonfire is lit to cook the day's typical lunch, fesols amb llonganissa (beans with sausage), dressed with arbequina olive oil. After lunch, in the plaza del Toll, a competition for the best hunting dogs is held along with an exhibition and sale of animals, with dogs of all breeds, various birds and rabbits.
Curiosity
The arbequina olive is a variety originating in the comarca of Les Garrigues, now grown throughout the world and the basis of the PDO oil of Les Garrigues. According to tradition, it was introduced in the 17th century by the Duchess of Cardona, who lived in Arbeca, the municipality that gave the variety its name. It is the smallest fruit among the Spanish varieties, weighing one or two grams, spherical in shape and black in colour when ripe. It withstands cold well but tolerates calcareous soils poorly. Its oil, of early ripening, has a mild flavour and fruity aroma, although because of its low polyphenol content it does not keep for long. Besides Catalonia, it is now grown in Aragon, Andalusia and countries such as Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
Monument
Documented since 1158, the castle of Arbeca passed to the Cardona and was thoroughly remodelled around 1475 by Joan Ramon Folc III. In 1503 it lodged Philip the Handsome, and the chronicles of the sixteenth century said it had as many windows as the year has days.
Historical milestone
Once the War of the Succession was over, in 1707 the castle of Arbeca was demolished as a punishment by means of six powder mines. The explosion also damaged the neighbouring church and left the villa without its main monumental landmark.