Sierra de Bernía

Parks and Nature

The Sierra de Bernia is a mountainous complex belonging to the Betic Cordilleras, specifically the Prebetic Cordillera, and located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the province of Alicante. Fort of Bernía: In 1562, by order of Philip II, the so-called Fort of Bernia was built on the southern slope of the mountain range. Pretending to avoid the situation produced in 1526 with the revolt of the Moors, who were installed in this location for long months, the purpose of the building was, on the one hand, to prevent the Moorish revolts and, on the other, to defend the coast of the frequent attacks of the Berber pirates. To this eminently defensive purpose (which had strong detractors among prestigious military, such as the viceroy Vespasiano Gonzaga, who considered the fort a little less than useless), we must add the deeply symbolic fact of the installation of a fort and a contingent of troops of the king in an eminent position over an area of ​​stately dominance. Although it is often reported that the Moors became strong for a year in 1609, the fact is false, because it confuses the rebellion of 1609 (which had its stage in Vall de Laguart) with that of Bernia in 1526. After the expulsion of the Moors in 1609, between 1612 and 1613 its dismantling took place, since its provisioning was complicated by its remote location, and there was no point in leaving such a construction without garrison. Currently you can see numerous remains of the fort: canvases of walls, vaulted buildings, moats and towers of the fort. From the remains of this fortification, located at 803 meters high, you can visually control the entire coastline between the Cabo de la Nao, in Javea, and the port of Alicante. On clear days, you can even glimpse the island of Ibiza.