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PUEBLO

THE VILLAGE

Located between 800 and 900 meters of altitude, Benassal is located in the northwestern half of the province of Castellón and is part of the Alt Maestrat region. It is located in a medium mountain area where the Iberian System and the Catalan mountain range converge. Benassal borders the municipalities of Vistabella, Villafranca, Ares del Maestrat, Villar de Canes and Culla ...

CASTLE OF LA MOLA

The Castillo de la Mola receives its name because it is located at the top of the small mill from which the oldest nucleus of Benassal is articulated. It is a construction from the 13th century, by order of the founder of Benassal Berenguer de Calatarrà, who received the Population Charter from Blasco de Alagón in 1239.

Originally, it was the residence of the founder of the town of Benassal, but it was also the meeting place for all the inhabitants of the term. Under the arches of the street, there was a church dedicated to Saint Augustine. Over the years, the Castillo de la Mola became Casa de la Villa and, later, served as a school. What was the Chapter House of the Villa today houses the Archaeological Museum of Alt Maestrat and in other rooms of the Castle we can find the tourist office and the Carles Salvador Classroom Museum.

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ARCHES AND TOWERS OF THE WALL

To this day, Benassal still conserves a portal and three towers of the wall. The La Mola portal was the closest entrance to the Castillo de la Mola. This portal was built at the beginning of the 14th century, when the Templars managed the town. It is a Gothic style arch with influences from Muslim architecture, due to the historical Muslim roots of the town of Benassal.

Of the three towers, the only one accessible to visitors is the Jail Tower. It is a rectangular construction consisting of the tower and the semi-detached house, which in wartime and postwar times served as a police station.

CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN OF THE ASSUMPTION

The oldest part of the church was built in 1370 by the masters of the Order of Montesa. Years later, the watchtower attached to the church would become a bell tower and the original church would be expanded. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, expansion works were carried out to have the church that we know today.

However, during the Spanish Civil War, specifically in May 1938, Benassal was bombed by Hitler's Condor Legion and the church was seriously damaged. As a result of the bombings, only the interior arcades and the main Baroque-style façade remained. The rebuilding of the church lasted until 1964.

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FORN DE DALT

The “Forn de Dalt” is a medieval oven located very close to the Castle of La Mola. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century as the wall, the town and the services it offered to its inhabitants were extended. During the time of government of the Order of Montesa, the oven was sold to the Vives and Miralles families, two of the most influential noble families in Benassal. Later, the furnace would have municipal ownership that it would retain until the present time.

The oven was in full operation until the 1970s. During all those years, it served as a social meeting point for those who went to graze and bake bread, since it always functioned as a baking oven, not a bread sale. When it closed its doors, the building fell into disuse. In 2015 it was restored and since then it has been open to visitors and hosts activities of a cultural nature.

MEMORIAL MURAL

Located on the wall of the church that houses the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, it is a commemorative mural of the 750th anniversary of the Puebla de Benassal Charter. It is a work made of wrought iron, made by the artist José Gonzalvo. It shows the historical elements characteristic of the town of Benassal.

Above, in the center, we see the coat of arms of Benassal. In it we find the title of most faithful town and the fleur de lis since Benassal declared himself faithful to Felipe V of Bourbon during the War of Succession.

On both sides of the shield we can see the most emblematic religious figures of Benassal. On the left, the Virgin of the Assumption to whom the parish church is dedicated. On the right, San Cristóbal and San Roque, patrons of the town of Benassal.

Under the shield, Gonzalvo represented the act of granting the Puebla Charter by Blasco de Alagón to Berenguer de Calatarrá.

Below the Virgin of the Assumption, we see represented one of the most precious assets of the town of Benassal, its water. Benassal water emanates from the Font d'en Segures spring and was declared mineral-medicinal water in 1928.

Finally, below San Cristóbal and San Roque, the artist depicted a woman holding a hazelnut in her hands. Hazelnut is one of the major crops in the Benassal lands and was, for many years, the livelihood of many Benassalians.

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FONT D'EN SEGURES

Its waters have been known since the 16th century

FONT D'EN SEGURES

The source is located about two kilometers from the urban center of Benassal, around 940 meters of altitude. It is a small urban nucleus that welcomes tourists and visitors throughout the year.

It has always been believed that the municipality of Benassal was rich in water and much of that fame is given by the water that emanates from the Fuente de la Fuente spring in Segures. A mineral water that, due to its therapeutic value for kidney diseases, was considered medicinal property and declared of public utility in 1828.

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However, as early as the 16th century there is information on the benefits of Benassal's water, but it was not until the 18th century that the presence of the first “agüista” was documented in writing. Since then, thanks to the good publicity given by the water users who came to the fountain to drink its water and heal their ailments, Benassal water became a medicinal reference for those who suffered from kidney disease. Likewise, the surroundings of the fountain were urbanized to accommodate the guests who visited the fountain. Little by little, the Fuente en Segures became a small urban nucleus annexed to the town of Benassal that, over time, would become a residential area especially for the season between May and September.

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THE RIVET

Natural area · Mediterranean forest

EL RIVET

Located at an altitude of approximately 940 meters and about 3 kilometers from the urban center of Benassal, the Rivet is a Mediterranean forest where Valencian oaks and holm oaks abound and where we can also find a great variety of low forest. It is a landscape totally modeled by the hand of man, resulting in a pasture forest for grazing cattle.

Within the natural setting, there is an area with the denomination of flora micro-reserve since two priority species grow in it: the scabious bite (Succisa Pratensis) and the orchid (Listera Ovata). This designation of flora microreserve has the purpose of guaranteeing the protection and conservation of both species.

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GASTRONOMY

HAZELNUTS

gastronomia

Benassal celebrates Hazelnut Month in October with different gastronomic activities, including special menus made with this dried fruit on weekends at La Castellana, La Piqueta and Novella restaurants. Diners can try both sweet and savory dishes with hazelnut as the protagonist.

There is usually a sample and tasting of tapas and pinchos with hazelnut.

Likewise, different establishments in the municipality offer hazelnut products. The participating stores are: Pastisseria Moliner, Pedro Monfort Bakery, El Maset Bakery-Pizzeria, Pastisseria Bellés, Carnisseria Cal Bort, Carnisseria Celesmila and Formatges El Poble de Benassal.

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TRADITION

PARTIES AND ACTIVITIES

tradición
SANT
ANTONI

It is usually celebrated on the weekend after the day of the saint's feast, when this does not coincide with the date, January 16. The highlight of the festival is the bonfire, around which all the events that are celebrated revolve. The party begins on Saturday morning, attendees go to the home of one of the mayorales where they are offered "barreja" and roll. Throughout the morning, they go to the place indicated by the mayorales to cut down the trees and make firewood. Later, the "róssecs" will be loaded and entered into the town, from which the bonfire will be formed and the animals will be blessed.

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GARLIC PARTY

As tradition dictates, coinciding with Carnival, Benassal celebrates the Garlic Festival. This celebration recalls when the travelers and merchants of the town, known as 'traginers', returned to the municipality on Carnival afternoon. At present, the celebrations have reduced their duration, from three days to one day, but they still keep all the essence and meaning of the date.
Thus, the municipality remembers the life of its ancestors on a special day. The day begins with a lunch based on 'pastissos' and 'barreja'. At lunchtime, you cannot miss the typical dish of this date so marked in the Benasalense calendar: Garlic. This dish is a garlic, cod and egg sauce, mixed with bread and soaked in wine.
When it gets dark, the entrance of the muleteer who runs through the main streets of the municipality is celebrated. This character, dressed as in the old days, represents the person who, mounted on a horse or mare, led the merchants entering the town with their new products. Next, the 'tea' is lit, as pine wood is known, and the 'ball Pla' is danced in the square. The day ends with a popular festival.

On Pentecost Easter Monday the pilgrimage of Sant Cristòfol is celebrated. The residents of the municipality walk to the hermitage, at an altitude of 1,111 meters, where mass is celebrated, the joys are sung and the traditional "premium" is distributed, flour cakes that are transported by a decorated herd of animals. It is traditional to have a picnic in the surroundings where there is no lack of "tombet", a typical dish of the population.

The patron saint festivities are held, starting on the last weekend of August, in honor of Sant Cristòfol and Sant Roc. In them different cultural, sports, festive and bullfighting activities are carried out. From the typical "ball pla", to exhibitions, concerts, festivals, costume balls, races, parades, sports championships, street bulls and plaza bulls. The traditional pilgrimage to the hermitage of Sant Roc also takes place, where the Eucharist is celebrated.

YOUTH FESTIVALS

The second weekend of March, the parties organized by the youth of the municipality take place. Music, dancing, dinners and different activities of the most lively make up the festive agenda.

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SANT
CRISTOBAL
FESTIVITIES
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