The Power-Seizing Castle of the Dukes of Cardona

The Castle of Cardona, managed by the state-owned Paradores chain under the format of a Parador, is a medieval fortress in Catalonia, Spain. Situated on a hill overlooking the river valley of the Cardener and the town of Cardona, it was initially constructed by a Wilfred's ancestor in 886 AD. During the 14th century, the dukes of Cardona, second only to the royal house itself, came from the most important family related to the Crown of Aragon. They were important figures, sometimes referred to as 'kings without crowns' as they had extensive territories in Catalonia, Aragon, and Valencia, and dynastic ties with Castile, Portugal, Sicily, and Naples.

This presumably increased the importance of the castle. In 1714, even after a Bourbon siege destroyed a good part of the castle's walls, the garrison was one of the last to surrender to the Bourbon troops which supported Philip V. The castle’s main jewel is the 11th-century Torre de la Minyona ('maiden's tower'), a tower which measures 15 metres (49 ft) in height and 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter. The Church of Sant Vicenç de Cardona, adjacent to the fort proper, is in the Lombard Romanesque style.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons