Castell d'Amposta

If you want to get to know Amposta, one of the essential places to visit is the Castle, an old 10th-century fortress defended by Arab and medieval walls. It was built beside the Ebro, on top of an Iberian settlement. In the 12th century it was conquered by Ramon Berenguer IV and became the seat of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon. After successive wars it was abandoned and became a quarry from which blocks were taken to build other buildings in the town. Later a rice mill was installed there. A series of information panels lets you walk around the site, which today preserves the base of the Torre de Sant Joan, the graveyard and some slender stone arches beside the river. You can also visit some Iberian grain pits and remains of the mill. The complex was bought by Amposta Town Council and today hosts much of the city's cultural activity, as the Escola d'Art, the Sebastià Juan Arbó Library and the Institut d'Estudis Comarcals, among others, are housed there.