- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 12th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Coordinates
- 38.4807°, -0.7972°
History
After the Almohad defeat at Huete in 1172, the rulers of Murcia fortified the Vinalopó valley, and the alcazar of Elda was built on a small hill by the river, held by the Almohads until 1243. After the Christian conquest the castle changed hands frequently and served as a base in the border fighting; its walls were strengthened around 1400, when it belonged among others to the Corella counts of Cocentaina. In 1513 the count sold Elda, Petrer and Salinas to Juan de Coloma, whose descendants turned the fortress into a comital palace in the 16th century, with round towers, a chapel and a large cistern. The expulsion of the Moriscos in the early 17th century ruined the family's finances, they moved to Valencia and the castle began to decay. In the 19th century it passed to the state, was auctioned in 1848, and its new owner pulled it down and sold off the materials; stone from the round towers went into the bridge over the Vinalopó built in 1879.
What to see
What survives are the ruins of walls and towers on a low hill above the river, within the town; research and partial rebuilding have been under way since 1983, and local researchers are pressing for further work and better access to the site. The castle is included in the Vinalopó valley castles route (Ruta de los Castillos del Vinalopó), and the castles of Petrer, Monóvar and Sax stand a short distance away.
Popularity: articles about this site in 7 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).