Top 7 Castles around Benabarre

A medieval watchtower. It was part of the network of towers and castles that were built throughout the Ribagorza and Sobrarbe mountain ranges during this period of reconquest (Vicampa, Luzás, Benabarre Castle, La Mora, Monzón Castle, Samitier, Puebla de Fantova, Cajigar...among many others...)

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The route to the hermitage of Sant Vicente, the place where it is located and the views it offers of the reservoir.... these whims of nature 🏞️ are unforgettable 🤩

https://www.montsecdelestall.com/ruta/ficha/Torre_De_Viacamp The fortified complex is located on a plateau above the village of Viacamp and consists of the remains of the perimeter wall, a slender cylindrical tower and a hermitage of Romanesque origin, possibly the castle chapel. The tower has a circular plan, a diameter of about 11 meters and a height of 20 meters, with walls almost 3 meters thick. As it is built, it seems to have been built both inside and outside with the help of a double scaffold, which is due to the great thickness of the walls. Like most defensive structures of the period, the ground floor was walled, with a high, round-arched entrance facing south-east. The ground floor was used as a storage room and is not accessible from the outside. After the restoration work carried out in 2005 and 2006, it was found that the tower had five floors, although only four of them remain today. The upper part, which has now disappeared, could have been made up of small defensive openings in the form of battlements or a conical roof. Very close to the tower and within the walls is the church of San Esteban de Viacamp, of Romanesque origin, a classic among the fortresses of the Upper Ragon. Originally dedicated to the Archangel Michael, it was later dedicated to Saint Stephen. Next to the church is the old cemetery, which has not been abandoned. The remains of the external enclosure are in the areas bordering the plateau and are made of ashlar and masonry with some high-quality parts. Remains of walls and foundations or the beginnings of towers have been preserved, although they are not very high. (Wikipedia)

Castillo de la Mora or Castillo de Monmagastre​ is a castle located about 2 kilometers south of the town of Peralta de la Sal. Of probable Roman origin (Magnum Castrum or "Big Castle"), it was later reused by the Muslims (Mamacasra) for the line of defenses of Lleida against the county of Ribagorza, until it was conquered in 1083 by Ermengol IV of Urgel. The castle, which changed hands, was the nucleus of the town of Monmagastre, until it was depopulated at the end of the Middle Ages.2​ In the 15th century it passed into the hands of the Lanuza family.

Castarlenas is a town that, unfortunately, was depopulated about fifty years ago. Even so, you can easily reach it by walking from the town of Torres del Obispo, although you will have to be careful if you try to enter its streets, since a large part of its buildings are in ruins, so it is not highly advisable. In addition to an information panel where you can learn much more about this place, you will have excellent views of the Barasona reservoir and the Carrodilla mountain range.

Access point to the Castle and Church (in the image) by stairs. Numerous battles were fought in the castle of Benabarre and it was demolished at the beginning of the 17th century and reused in the 19th century with new executions, remaining active in the Catalan and Carlist wars. Due to these war conflicts, it was rebuilt to transform it into a rifle fort. Today it looks more like a 19th century fort, although it retains older walls from when it was the castle-palace of the counts of Ribagorza. Thus, it is a monumental complex of a single enclosure where all the transformations of the property parallel to the historical ups and downs are integrated. It is located at the top of the town and is visible from several points in the area. It is made up of the Romanesque church and the fortress, dating from the 12th century. It consists of two enclosures, an upper one, older and with a Muslim layout, of which there are walls at the base of the rock on which it sits, as well as the base of a quadrangular tower.

Traditionally known as "Roques de la Vila", this unique geological formation was renamed the Chinese Wall of Finestres to encourage tourism in the area. You can access the foot of it by boat through the Canelles reservoir.