Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Benissanet

What to see and do in Benissanet (Ribera d'Ebre, Tarragona): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Benissanet

Tower of Cervelló 9.4 km
Tower of Almucatén 9.4 km

Towns near Benissanet

What to see in Ginestar 1.6 km · 6 places
What to see in Miravet 3.8 km · 6 places
What to see in Móra d'Ebre 4 km · 7 places
What to see in Móra la Nova 5 km · 5 places
What to see in Rasquera 6.9 km · 6 places
What to see in Tivissa 8.4 km · 11 places
What to see in Garcia 9 km · 6 places
What to see in els Guiamets 11 km · 2 places

Spain › Catalonia › Tarragona › Ribera d'Ebre › Benissanet

What to see and do in Benissanet

Benissanet
Village
Benissanet is a municipality at 26 metres of altitude, whose name comes from the Arabic Bani Sanid, sons of Sanet. It extends along a narrow strip between the Ebro, to the east, and the Serra de Cavalls, to the west, with a flat irrigated area next to the river and another rugged one that exceeds 500 metres towards the southwest. An essentially agricultural town, it preserves the towers of Cervelló and Almucatén; the latter was set on fire in 1291 by supporters of the Entença during the struggles that pitted Templars, Montcada and Entença against each other, and today no visible remains of it survive. Among its distinguished sons and daughters are the writer Artur Bladé i Desumvila and the philologist and politician Carme Laura Gil i Miró. Its main festivities are those of Sant Jaume, at the end of July.
Tower of Cervelló
Monument
Rectangular tower built on the rock northwest of the village, on the eastern slope of the Serra de la Vall de la Torre, from where it controlled the road from Salvaterres to Corbera. The north and west walls survive, along with part of the east wall, with the marks of beams from two floors; no documentation about it has survived, and based on its features it is attributed to the 13th or 14th century. It is also known as the Torre de la Vall, de Salvaterra, or de Gandesola.
Tower of Almucatén
Monument
The Torre d'Almucatén is a fortification declared a cultural asset of national interest in the municipality of Benissanet, of which neither remains nor even the exact site where it stood are known today; it is popularly believed that it might correspond to the so-called Tower of Cervelló, although other sources place it within the old centre of the village. The first record of it dates from the end of the 13th century, when supporters of the Entença set fire to it in 1291, during the clashes that pitted Templars, Montcada and Entença against each other. According to the geographer Pascual Madoz, by the mid-19th century it was already in ruins.
Benissanet Main Festival
Activity
The main festival of Benissanet.
Benissanet waterwheel
Monument
The sínia of Benissanet, known as the Sénia del Mas Taniet, stands northeast of the urban centre, in the Cotxos area, next to the old road to Móra. Built in the 19th century, it consists of a circular tower and an excavated well, in roughly dressed stone and brick fragments joined with mortar. The tower retains an opening designed to hold the sails of a windmill. It is now abandoned and partly deteriorated, although it is listed as protected in the Inventory of Architectural Heritage of Catalonia.
Expulsion of the Moriscos of the ribera
Historical milestone
The towns of the lower stretch of the river kept a mainly Morisco population, heir to the medieval aljamas. The decree of 1610 emptied their houses and made it necessary to resettle the districts with families who came from the north and from the Maestrat.
River fish of the Ebro
Food and drink
River fishing gave dishes of their own to the riverside towns, with eel, barbel and shad as the most prized catches. They were prepared in all i pebre, fried or marinated, and they still appear on the menus of the river's restaurants.