Guadalest

Cities - Villages

Perched on a rocky canvas that serves as shelter and defense we find one of the most visited municipalities in Spain reflecting its scenic, historical, cultural and urbanistic peculiarities. History: The Castell de Guadalest, already existing in the Muslim era, after the Christian conquest (13th century), retained an abundant Islamic population under the lordship of different Catalan-Aragonese nobles. King Jaime II donated the Castle of Guadalest to Bernardo de Sarrià in 1293 and here begins a period of 42 years, during which the castle and the whole region belong to the Sarrià family. In 1335, the Castle goes to the Crown, who sells it to the Infante D. Pedro and from this he passes his son, the first Royal Duke of Gandía and the death of the last Royal Duke of Gandía, to the Cardona family. The kings Dª Juana and Don Carlos, granted to D. Sancho de Cardona for himself and his successors perpetually the title of Marquesses de Guadalest in 1543. The Cardona possessed titles, among them the dukedom of Cardona and the Admiralty of Aragon. D. Sancho de Cardona marries María de Colón y Toledo, granddaughter of the discoverer of America. The last Cardona, Marqués de Guadalest, died without descendants in 1699 and this provoked a series of problems that ended when the marquisate fell on the person of the Marquis of Ariza; The marquisate continues and its power declines in the 19th century. During the Cardona era, there is another family that acquires great relevance, it is the Orduña family. The linking of the Orduña to El Castell de Guadalest dates from the 16th century, they were perpetual alcaides from 1669 and reached nobility in 1756, upon joining the Order of Santiago, Pedro Antonio Buenaventura de Orduña y García. In the nineteenth century, with the suppression of the manors, the Orduña acquire power and influence over the inhabitants of the valley and also over the Marina region, as its members hold the positions of President of the Diputación de Alicante, civil governors, deputies and senators in the Spanish courts. D. Carlos María de Orduña y Ciscar was the patriarch of a large family. His political ambitions were inherited by D. Joaquín de Orduña and Feliu and since he had no offspring, it was his brother-in-law D. José Atanasio de Torres Ibars de Povil and his son D. Antonio Torres de Orduña who continued a political career outside the limits from the valley. D. Joaquín was Civil Governor of Alicante and D. Antonio deputy. In 1934 the last Orduña dies, D. Carlos Torres de Orduña, without descendants, passing his possessions to collateral branches. While these two families became part of the history of El Castell de Guadalest, other unique events changed the face of the municipality. In 1609, the Moriscos, the majority population of the valley, were expelled, creating a large demographic vacuum that was attempted to be filled with the Puebla Charter of 1611. On June 22, 1644, there was an earthquake that destroyed the Castle and in December of the same year, another earthquake of great intensity was repeated. In 1748 and in 1752, new earthquakes take place, but less important than the previous ones. During the War of Succession, in 1708, the Castle of San José suffers a blast that will seriously affect its west wing and the Orduña House is burned down. The Bourbon army, victor in the battle of Almansa advanced to Valencia, assaulted and destroyed Játiva and a part of it reached Alcoy and El Castell de Guadalest. The Austrians killed the Bourbon defenders, but in the end they had to leave the municipality. Already in the twentieth century, El Castell de Guadalest undergoes a series of important changes: In 1953, the construction of the reservoir that will be completed in 1971 begins. Tourism begins to discover the charm of El Castell de Guadalest. In 1974, El Castell de Guadalest was declared a historical - artistic complex. The Walled Enclosure is subject to the decree of Generic Protection of the Spanish Castles of April 22, 1949. In 1980, El Castell de Guadalest receives the Bronze Badge for Tourist Merit and in 1981, the Third Prize of the National Tourism to the Beautification and Improvement of the towns of Spain. In 1994, the municipal purchase of Casa Orduña was agreed upon and it was rehabilitated to be transformed into a Municipal Museum. The law 13/1985, of June 25 of Spanish Historical Heritage and the law 4/1998 of June 11 of the Generalitat Valenciana, of the Valencian Cultural Heritage, establish that the regime applicable to the singular elements of the whole of El Castell de Guadalest It is the property of the Cultural Interest. (BIC). In 2015, after overcoming a series of audits, the municipality is part of "The most beautiful villages in Spain" and in 2016 it enters the Federation of the most beautiful villages in the world.