The Optical Telegraph Tower of Subirats

At the summit of the 385-metre-high Turó de la Guàrdia, a square stone tower stands as a firm reminder of the era of optical telegraphy. It is a structure designed for purpose, where messages traversed the landscape through visual signals instead of wires or electricity. This tower functioned as a vital node in a civil telegraph line spanning from Madrid to La Jonquera, situated precisely between the towers at Vilafranca del Penedès and Ordal.

Construction of the tower utilized local limestone held together with mud, featuring a distinctive base. While specific documentation on the telegraph tower itself is limited, there is much to explore in its layered history. Standing right next to it are the ruins of a much older, smaller watchtower from the High Middle Ages. That earlier structure was part of a defensive network used to monitor the road and alert the castle of Subirats, likely working in tandem with the tower at Can Llopart.

Today, the site remains a protected cultural asset of local interest. It invites you to observe the clear contrast between the medieval ruins and the later telegraph station. Beyond its historical significance, the location serves as a geodesic vertex, a point of permanent survey importance in the landscape of Alt Penedès. We encourage a deeper look into how these structures served the needs of their time.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons