Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Castell de Guadalest, el

What to see and do in Castell de Guadalest, el (La Marina Baixa, Alicante): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Castell de Guadalest, el

Castle of Guadalest 50 m
Museum of Microminiaturas de Guadalest 100 m

Towns near Castell de Guadalest, el

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Spain › Valencian Community › Alicante › La Marina Baixa › Castell de Guadalest, el

What to see and do in Castell de Guadalest, el

El Castell de Guadalest
Village
El Castell de Guadalest is a small municipality in the province of Alicante, in La Marina Baixa, with barely 284 inhabitants, in the valley of the same name and surrounded by the highest peaks in the province: the Sierra de Aitana, to the south, at 1,558 metres, the Xortà to the north and the Serrella to the west. Its historic centre, at 595 metres and dominated by the castle, already standing in Muslim times, is part of Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España and was declared a Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (a Spanish heritage-protection designation) in 1974. Conquered by the Christians in the mid-13th century, the castle belonged to the Sarriá family, then to the Crown, then to the Dukes of Gandía and, from 1543, to the Cardona family, Marquises of Guadalest. Two earthquakes in 1644 destroyed it. Today, with the Guadalest river at its feet, it is one of the most visited villages in Spain.
Castle of Guadalest
Monument
Guadalest Castle crowns the crag that dominates the whole valley from which the municipality takes its name; it is listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) and is one of the most visited historic sites in the Valencian Community. Already existing in Muslim times, it was conquered by the Christians in the mid-13th century, and in 1293 King James II of Aragon granted it as a fief to Bernardo de Sarriá, whose family held it for forty-two years. It later passed to the Crown, which sold it to the infante don Pedro, and from there, by inheritance, to the dukes of Gandía and to the Cardona family, who became admirals of Aragon; in 1543 Charles V granted Sancho de Cardona the title of Marquis of Guadalest. The castle was badly damaged by the earthquakes that shook the area in June and December 1644.
Patron Saint Festivities of El Castell de Guadalest
Activity
El Castell de Guadalest's patronal festival, from 14 to 17 August, honours the Virgen de la Asunción, Sant Roc and the Virgen de los Dolores; on the first day the image of the patron saint is carried in procession from the Casa Orduña to the church, returning there at the end of the festival.
Bell tower on the rock of Guadalest
Monument
The bell tower of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, baroque in style and built between 1740 and 1753, rises apart from the church on the castle rock, as if defying the laws of balance.
Museum of Microminiaturas de Guadalest
Monument
Devoted to the work of the microminiaturist Manuel Ussá, it displays pieces such as a reproduction of Goya's 'La maja desnuda' painted on a fly's wing and a bullring built on a pinhead.
The 1644 earthquake
Historical milestone
The earthquake that shook the comarca in 1644 ruined a good part of the fortress and of the houses perched on the rock. The repairs dragged on for decades and a new earthquake in 1748 again damaged what had been rebuilt.