The castle towers over the town, standing on top of the hill that Morella is built on. Impossible to ignore, it demands to be visited.

The conical rock formation provided a natural fortress for Bronze and Iron age settlers. It was the Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors and finally the Christians who, according to the council’s historian, constructed the defences which changed over the centuries as they were adapted to deal with technological advances in warfare.

Today only a small part of the Moorish castle remains; the rest of the fortification is the thick stone needed to repel cannonballs.

Looking up from the town below, it is obvious that it will take some physical effort to tour the castle.

On my visit, when I was on the way down, a woman was finding it hard going on a steep section of ascent on a hot day. She stopped me to ask; ‘vale la pena subir?’ (is it worth going up there?).

I assured her that it was worth it; for the views, the history and reaching the very top of Morella at an altitude of 1,050 metres.

The fortress is a warren of walls, look-out towers and structures which make for fascinating exploring for an hour or two. The walls can be walked on many sections and information panels explain history and events.

The visit

The ticket booth is on Carrer del Castell, at the top of the town close to the Nevera gate (Portal de la Nevera) and the tourism office. It’s worth noting that the Valencian/Catalan words ‘carrer’ (calle) and ‘castell’ (castillo) mean street and castle, respectively.

The doors open at 11am and general entrance costs five euros.

The path leads up past the bullring and over temporary steps to reach the walls.

Before entering the castle proper, a board points out the significance of a small gate where, ‘according to tradition’, a Christian commander entered in 1231 ‘to take the castle after the Muslim garrison agreed to surrender’.

There is more ascending inside the walls to reach the Porta principal (main gate). This is a long, fortified entrance which was extended on several occasions after the 1400s. This cool tunnel provides welcome shade on a hot day.

On the other side, the governor’s residence lies on the right and the walls on the left can be walked, offering great views over the town.

Following the line of the walls, we are told about an ‘aljibe’, a wonderful word that comes from Arabic, which means cistern. The one that was constructed here in the 1200s still collects water from rain and snow.

The route leads up to a cannon, placed in a position to fire at enemy troops approaching from the plain.

From the gun, look up to appreciate how the main body of the castle has been built on a pinnacle of rock which occupies a formidable defensive position.

Before going up, the route passes a ‘prison’ built into the rock, where those subject to royal justice were kept. Prince Charles of Navarre was jailed here in the 15th century. Anyone inside the dark, dank dungeon would have had a miserable existence.

Past the arsenal, and it’s a right turn to ascend the long stone staircase which heads up to the top of the castle. The tunnel which leads in is believed to date back to the 11th century when Morella formed part of Moorish Spain.

The long, cool entrance through the rock leads to the 11th century Moorish tower, the Torre Zeloquia. This had been the castle keep and it housed royal guests when they were in residence.

Most of this section of the castle was destroyed during a siege in 1840. It is described as the ‘nerve centre’ of the fortress and is now home to a large parade ground and buildings where troops could have slept.

The ‘aljibe’ near the centre ‘is possibly of Roman origin’; archaeologists think that the roofs and gutters of the original buildings had been orientated to channel rain water into the cistern, which has the appearance of a well.

There are panoramic views from this top section of the castle and it’s worth having a good wander round before starting the long descent back to the exit/entrance.

More information on the castle and the town is available via the town hall website www.morella.net