Issue date: 08 Sep, 2006
This year the Castles issue depicts the castles of Baños de la Encina (Jaén) and Torrella de Montgri (Girona). The first one depicts the front façade of the castle with the walled compound with eight of its fourteen towers with their merlons, amongst which stands out the highest one: the Homenaje (Homage) merlon. The second stamp depicts an aerial view of the squared shape castle with its four circular towers built one on each angle.
The village of Baños de la Encina is located in the northwestern province of Jaen. It has a magnificent fortress, the shape of a boat, set on a hill and built by Al-Hakan II in 968. During the Middle Ages it passed on from the Christians to the Moorish until it was definitely conquered by Fernando III the Saint in 1225. The castle has an ovoid plan and is built with earth and stone although its main tower, the Homenaje tower, which was built between the XIV and the XV centuries is made of stone cut hoarsely in regular shapes. The fortress was declared Historic Artistic Monument in 1931 and Historic Compound in 1969.
Over a hill, by the river Ter, in the northeast region of Girona (Catalonia), is the castle of Toroella de Montgri, built in 1294. This fortress, of square shaped plant and a tower in each corner was built on order of Jaime II in carved stone. Unlike other castles, it does not have an Homenaje (homage) tower. It was under the rule of the Torroella family and its construction elements are under the influence of the Romanic and gothic. It is a majestic building, embellished with windows.
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