The Castle and the Fortress

At Cardona, the geographic location of the castle meets the need for defending access to the salt warehouse and of having a privileged view of the Cardener river valleys. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, it was the residence of the lords of Cardona: the “wealthy salt barons”, related to the most prominent European families and such was their influence that the duke of Cardona was known as “the uncrowned king”.

“The castle never conquered by force of arms”

The castle-fortress of Cardona played a major role in the War of Succession. Its resistance to the siege of 1711 and the delivering up of the fortress, 18 September 1714, in compliance with the order of the Catalan authorities, has turned it into a symbol and last bastion of freedoms of Catalonia. Today, Cardona castle constitutes an excellent compendium of military fortification that shows the evolution of military arts from the middle ages to modern times.

The castle monuments have been a State National Monument since 1949, as has the collegiate church of Sant Vicenç, an example of Catalan Lombard art, since 1931. The Minyona Tower, the Ducal Courtyard, the defence bastions and the views over the Vall Salina are outstanding.