Falset castle, listed as a National Cultural Interest site (BCIN 839-MH), is documented from 1168, when Albert de Castellvell received the site with the task of building a fortress there. From 1244 it belonged to the barony of Entença, passing to the Crown in 1313; the castle flourished in the 14th century under the counts of Prades, who made it their main residence. Tradition holds that two medieval Catalan queens, Elionor of Aragon and Margarida de Prades, were born here.
The building combines a Gothic quadrangular courtyard with a great hall where corbels support pointed arches and trilobed windows, Romanesque remains of the former church of Santa Maria, and a bastion with twin towers raised by Philip V after the War of the Spanish Succession, a conflict in which the king had earlier ordered the castle's destruction. In 1825 it was converted into a prison, a role it kept until after the Spanish Civil War.
Restored and managed by the Diputació de Tarragona, it now houses the Priorat Regional Archive, the Priorat Regional Museum and the "Castell del Vi" space devoted to the comarca's wine culture, with exhibits spanning prehistory, Iberian and Roman trade, and conflicts of the modern era. The hilltop offers a fine panorama over Falset and its surroundings.
- Best forhistory, families, views, wine-heritage
- OpeningGestionat per la Diputació de Tarragona. Horari octubre-juny: dl i dv-dg 10-14 h (dv-ds també tarda, 16-18 h o 17-19 h segons temporada); dijous només grups concertats (min. 10 persones). Horari juliol-setembre: dl-dj 10-14 h, dv-ds 10-14 h i 17-20 h, dg/festius 10-14 h. Tancat dm, dc i alguns festius (1 i 6 de gener, 25-26 de desembre). Entrada general 3 €, reduïda 2 €, gratuïta menors de 8 anys i docents; visita guiada 4 € (cal reservar, mínim 10 persones).
- Price€
- AddressCarrer de Bonaventura Pascó, s/n, 43730 Falset
- Phone+34 977 830 434
Imatge: David Iturria · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sources: ca.wikipedia.org · falset.org · turismepriorat.org
Last updated: August 2026