Forna Castle
| Forna Castle | ||
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_eastern_face.jpg) East side of Forna Castle |
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| Creation time : | Late 12th century | |
| Castle type : | Summit castle | |
| Conservation status: | essential parts received | |
| Construction: | Stone and rammed earth | |
| Place: | Adsubia | |
| Geographical location | 38 ° 52 ′ 20 ″ N , 0 ° 10 ′ 15 ″ W | |
| Height: | 232 msnm | |
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The castle Forna (Spanish Castillo de Forna ) is a castle in the north of the Spanish province of Alicante . It is located on a knoll at an altitude of 232 m, south of the village of the same name, which belongs to the municipality of Adsubia ( Valencian : L'Atzúvia ). It is extremely well preserved like few castles in the region.
description
The castle has a square plan with four rectangular towers in the corners. It is built from rammed earth walls on brickwork, the openings are bordered with bricks. The entrance to the castle is on the north side between the towers. It first leads into the rectangular inner courtyard, in which there is a large cistern . One of the best examples of late medieval and renaissance wall painting in the province of Alicante is located in a hall of the northeast tower . Among other things, a scene with ships and a sea snake is shown, as well as warriors with equipment typical of the time and zoomorphic motifs. The north-eastern tower differs from the rest of the castle in its size and in the clay walls placed on top of the masonry with false ashlar on the outside. Due to its characteristics, it seems to have been built at the end of the 12th century. The shape of Forna Castle is comparable to other buildings in the province such as the Olimbroi Castle in Dénia , which has since disappeared, the Palacete Castle in Cox , the so-called "Palauet" of the Castle of Castalla and the fortress church of Murla . All of these castles were built in the second half of the 15th century, which can also be assumed for the expanded Forna Castle. Up to a height of over 15 meters, the castle is still unchanged in its original state, making it the best preserved castle in the province of Alicante.
history
Forna Castle, when the north-east tower was built at the end of the 12th century, dates back to the time of the Almohads . The castle is located at a strategically important point from which an important traffic route could be monitored. In the middle of the 15th century the castle was expanded and converted into a feudal residence. At that time the castle was owned by the Cruilles family. In the 17th century it passed into the possession of the Julià-Figuerola family.
Access
The castle is accessible from the outside at any time.
Web links
- Website L'Atzúvia-Forna (valenciano)
literature
- José Luis Menéndez Fueyo: Informe que realiza el técnico de exposiciones y colecciones del MARQ acerca del Castillo de Forna , Alicante, (2003) (PDF file; 29 kB)