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The Watchtower of Calafell

Calafell, Baix Penedès, Tarragona

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The Watchtower of Calafell

Monument · Calafell, Baix Penedès, Tarragona

La Talaia de Calafell, in the Baix Penedès (Tarragona), is a 15th-century watchtower probably used until the 18th. Of elliptical plan, about 5 by 6.90 metres, it stands atop the hill of the same name, with walls of stone bonded with lime and sand mortar; the foundation walls and the flooring of the interior are preserved. Its origin is linked to an order of Queen Violant de Bar, wife of John I, to fortify the coast against attacks by Moorish ships, at a time when pirates from North Africa were ravaging the Catalan coast in the 16th and 17th centuries in search of plunder or captives to be ransomed or sold as slaves. The watchman had to warn the village so that the bells would ring and the residents could take refuge in the castle.

Photo: Paucabot (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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