Tour de la Massane
The Tour de la Massane (Catalan: Torre de la Maçana ) is a medieval watchtower in the Massif des Albères in the hinterland of the Côte Vermeille in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in the old cultural landscape of Roussillon .
location
The Tour de la Massane is located on a 793 m high mountain peak in the hinterland of Banyuls-sur-Mer , but in the municipality of Argelès-sur-Mer ; From here you have a view over large parts of the coastline of the Golfe du Lion up to Narbonne on a clear day . The river Massane flows near the tower.
history
The tower was built in the late 13th century by the Mallorcan King Jaume II as a watchtower and to secure the coast. With the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659 it lost all strategic importance and fell into disrepair. In 1935 the already ruinous upper part collapsed completely; the damage was partially repaired between 1982 and 1992.
architecture
The round tower , made of only roughly hewn quarry stones and partially sloping in the lower part, is almost without windows; the stairs and rooms in its interior are mainly illuminated through slits similar to loopholes. The entrance was about 2.50 m high and could only be reached via a ladder that could be pulled in if necessary. The upper edge of the tower is no longer preserved; it could have looked similar to the Tour de Madeloc, about 4 km south-east as the crow flies .
Surroundings
The two megalithic dolmens Cova de l'Ararb and Collets de Cotlliure are located near the road leading up to the tower .
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 29 ′ 53 " N , 3 ° 1 ′ 33" E