How did the Iberians live? A journey into Calafell's Iberian past
A great many people have passed through the places we walk today, each with their own peculiarities and experiences. Calafell, on the Costa Daurada, is a place with a lot of history; do you dare to relive it? You can take a leap in time, travel back 2,500 years and be amazed by everything this land has lived through. Calafell wants you to share in its legacy, and that is why at every time of the year it has activities designed to enjoy and learn from it.
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Some of the offerings include historical itineraries, educational festivals about the Iberian world, family shows, historical reconstructions and demonstrations of experimental archaeology techniques. And in Calafell, an essential place to visit is the Iberian citadel, the site of the Iberian settlement that lived between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. In 1992, after intense recovery work, the site was rebuilt following the techniques and materials of the original construction (and even the interiors were furnished with replicas of recovered objects!). Today, theatrical visits and workshops bring us closer to life in that settlement, which stood on a hill surrounded by ponds and wetlands from which our ancestors drank. It is archaeological heritage of the first order, a jewel of the Costa Daurada.
Another undeniable attraction of Calafell is the Castell de la Santa Creu. Dating from the first half of the 11th century, the construction reflects the conquest of this place by the Saracens. In the mid-17th century, during the Reapers' War, the fortress suffered the demolition of part of its walls, as well as of the lord's residence. It later underwent further changes and was turned into a cemetery. After some years of abandonment, from 1982 the Patronat-Fundació del Castell de Calafell promoted its archaeological excavation and restoration.
And if you would like to discover another cultural side of Calafell, look at its literary one. The Museu Casa Barral is a former fisherman's house where Carlos Barral, publisher, writer and politician, lived and worked. Today the building belongs to the Fundació Castell de Calafell, which has adapted the space for visits. Barral always had a close relationship with Calafell and, with the opening of this space, visitors can get in touch with the author's work and legacy, as well as see one of the last 'shops' of the fishing village, an establishment that new customs had silenced.
In short, if history is your passion, on the Costa Daurada a visit to Calafell is a must, a real treasure to discover.
