MILITARY ROUTE

The viscountcy of Cabrera was articulated through a network of castles and fortified houses, which were the seats of political and military power for the nobility in the Middle Ages. This defensive system was supplemented with a number of walled villages and watchtowers.

The tower was so named because in front of it stood the Convent of the Minim Friars of Francis of Paola, which is now the town hall. The 33-metre-high tower, built in the 13th century, is the tallest defensive element in the town of Hostalric. It has three storeys and the original entrance was on the first floor. In order to make it easier to defend, it did not have a permanent staircase. The highest part was crowned by a magnificent machicolation, which has partly survived, although during the Peninsular War (1810) a large part of the upper section of the tower was destroyed in a bombardment. Today, all three storeys are open to visitors and contain a permanent exhibition on mediaeval Hostalric and the Peninsular War. A lift takes visitors up to the lookout point on the terrace at the top of the tower.