Castell de Querroig
| Castell de Querroig | ||
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 Wall remains of the Castell de Querroig |
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| Creation time : | 10th to 11th centuries | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | badly decayed | |
| Construction: | Pending slate | |
| Place: | Banyuls-sur-Mer , Cerbère , Portbou | |
| Geographical location | 42 ° 26 '17 " N , 3 ° 7' 15" E | |
| Height: | 672 m | |
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The Castell de Querroig is the ruin of a medieval hilltop castle from the 10th century, which was built on the Puig de Querroig at the French-Spanish border at an altitude of 672 meters.
location
Three municipalities meet at Puig de Querroig: the northern Catalan municipality of Portbou des Alt Empordà and the two southern French municipalities of Banyuls-sur-Mer and Cerbère des Roussillon ( Pyrénées-Orientales department ). The main part of the now destroyed castle complex in the north is on the French side and belongs to Banyuls-sur-Mer and Cerbère. The round tower just touches the Catalan side . Access to the ruin is via a forest path that begins at Coll dels Belitres and follows the ridge to the west, crossing the two passes Coll del Frare and Coll de Rumpissar .
history
The Puig de Querroig was first mentioned historically in 981 as Podium Cariorubio . At that time it was owned by Count Gausfred I. Nothing more is known about the castle complex itself, but construction should begin in the 10th century. Judging by the architectural style of the wall remains, the complex dates from the 10th and 11th centuries. In 1385 the complex is documented as Castrum de Carroia . In the 14th and 15th centuries, a watchtower, the Torre de Querroig , was built on the castle complex, which has since fallen into disrepair .
description
The castle ruins of Castell de Querroig are quite an unusual structure with a peculiar floor plan and curved wall. It can be dated to the 10th to 11th centuries. Remnants of the wall indicate that the course of the wall was cleverly adapted to the topography of the summit region at Puig Querroig. There was obviously a large rectangular tower in the center of the structure.
The walls are of different heights, up to 5 meters in the east, whereas in other places they do not protrude beyond the stump. Several high and very narrow loopholes can be seen in a very thick section of the wall . The walls were built with flat slate , which comes from the standing ( green slate from the chlorite zone of the Albères massif ). The slates were roughly cut into smaller building blocks and then inserted irregularly, creating a rustic-looking style. Ashlars , which were built into the loopholes , for example, consist partly of granite , which stands out well from the rest of the masonry due to its light color.
The watchtower , which has now also crumbled , was built directly on the ruins of the previous facility. It sits on the former rectangular tower and the outer wall. It is a cylindrical construction, which was built with grouted coarse stones. The tower reaches a height of 7 meters, but its top floors are no longer there. A hemispherical vault can be seen inside . The watchtower is likely to date from the 14th and 15th centuries. B. mentioned in a document from 1385.
Photo gallery
Hiking trail to Puig Querroig, looking west
Summit construction
Loopholes
Masonry
literature
- Direcció General del Patrimoni Cultural de la Generalitat de Catalunya: Castell i torre de Querroig . In: Pat.mapa: arquitectura .
