Chulilla Castle sits on a hill overlooking the town and is the historic core of Chulilla. Its remains reflect the town's historical moments and give it a unique character.
The oldest part of castle hill is a cistern from Roman Age. During the Muslim period, the 'hisn' was established on the hilltop, consisting of a tower with a base cistern, masonry walls, and rammed earth constructions. It controlled the valley's communication routes and served as a refuge for nearby villagers. Along with Alpuente, it was the most significant castle in the region.
After the Christians conquered Chulilla and it became part of the Crown of Aragon, significant reforms occurred in the 14th-16th centuries. During this time, the watchtower was built to control the southwest territory. The castle was used as a noble residence and later as a prison for clergy.
Carlist Wars In the 19th century, during the Carlist Wars, the castle played a vital role for the Carlist cause, serving as a fortification for the pretender's troops on three occasions. The governmental army's siege ultimately led to the castle's ruin.
The castle features an outer wall, a barbican tower, a circular bastion, a vaulted room, corner towers, and the main enclosure with a tower and remains of the residence and auxiliary buildings. It also had a chapel dedicated to Saint Michael and four cisterns. Various engravings similar to those in Denia Castle can be seen throughout the site.
Herceg Novi was founded (on a former small fishing village, existing since Roman Empire times) as a fortress in 1382 by first Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. However, there was a short pause between 1538 and 1539 when it was held by the Spaniards before they were defeated in the Siege of Castelnuovo. Turkey ruled again until 1687, from then until 1797, the town was ruled by the Venetian Republic.
The Herceg Novi old town is amazing. It is on a fairly steep hill that leads all the way down to the sea. Wandering through the small stairways to the various plazas and fortresses is a many hour adventure.