A centuries-old fortress: the Castell de Benicàssim's tumultuous history

The Castell de Benicàssim, also known as Castillo de Centinela, is located on a hill behind the town hall and is a Bien de Interés Cultural. Its history dates back to the 12th century. Initially part of the Tenencia de Montornés, it was taken by the Almoravides during the Crusades but didn't fall definitively into Christian hands until 1234. In 1242, Jaime I of Aragón granted the baronage of Benicasim and Montornés to Pedro Sanz de Martíll, but the feud was donated to the Church of San Vicente de la Roqueta de Valencia in 1268, and later to the monastery of Poblet in 1287.

The castle changed hands until 1620 when Claudi Luperc Ferrer purchased it. The Casalduch family regained possession in 1960 and still own it today. Today, the castle is hidden within the urban center of Benicàssim, its hill having eroded and the new town hall nearly reaching the same height as the castle. The castle consists of a tower of the homenaje, two lower towers, and a surrounding wall. Remnants of two towers and part of the wall can still be seen to the south, as can part of an aljibe.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons