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History of the "Castell de Cabrera"

A castle with years of history and legends

 

his castle is the first thing we notice when we approach the island by boat, and this construction welcomes us from the top of a cliff 72 meters from the sea. What we cannot imagine is the amount of history hidden behind its walls.
Many times, when we go to visit different places, we can pass by a construction or historical monument that is thousands of years old and we do not even realize it. 
Most of the times this happens to us because we have not informed ourselves before going to visit the place, and then, when we realize it, it is too late to visit it again.
For that reason, so that no one misses the whole history of El Castell de Cabrera, we will now talk about the most important historical data of the castle.
It is a military fortification from the medieval period, built in the year 1400 by order of Guillem Saragossa. This castle was built as a watchtower, with the aim of protecting the island of Cabrera from pirate invasions. From the top of the tower the watchmen could control the entrances of the boats and the landings.

This castle is the first thing we notice when we reach the island by boat, and this construction welcomes us from the top of a cliff 72 meters from the sea. What we cannot imagine is the amount of history hidden behind its walls.

Many times, when we go to visit different places, we can pass by a construction or historical monument thousands of years old and we do not even realize it. 
Most of the times this happens to us because we have not informed ourselves before going to visit the place, and then, when we realize it, it is too late to visit it again.

For that reason, so that no one misses the whole history of El Castell de Cabrera, we will now talk about the most important historical facts of the castle.

It is a military fortification from the medieval period, built in the year 1400 by order of Guillem Saragossa. This castle was built as a watchtower, with the aim of protecting the island of Cabrera from pirate invasions. From the top of the tower the watchmen could control the entrances of the boats and the landings.

The castle faced numerous attacks and even demolitions from the 15th to the 19th century. One of the best known attacks was that of Barbaroja, the captain of the Berber pirates, in 1531, when they took the island as another territory of their conquest. 

In 1550 the island suffered another attack, commanded by Dragut, who at the head of an army of 1500 Turks took command of the castle and later destroyed it.

Years later, in 1698, El Castell de Cabrera was restored and passed into the hands of the University of Mallorca, which was responsible for its conservation. 1715 was the last year in which the castle was used for military purposes, as in 1716 it became the property of the Catholic kings.

This castle was also one of the scenes of the 1808 War of Independence, when it served as a prison for the French soldiers, who were held on the island until the peace was signed in 1814. In fact, inscriptions are still kept on the walls of the castle from when the Napoleonic soldiers were imprisoned.

Today, El Castell de Cabrera is open to the public and receives thousands of visitors every summer from tourists and cults who come to contemplate the architectural and historical remains of a castle with many years of history and thousands of stories to tell within its four walls.  

After reading this post, you can boast of having the necessary knowledge to visit El Castell de Cabrera, recognizing all that has been lived there and valuing the remains and inscriptions that leave testimony of its history so that, in one way or another, the most adventurous can relive it.