The Catalan coast is dotted with watchtowers. They number in the hundreds, although not all of them are visible. And even less, visitable. Some have been swallowed up by the urban fabric and others are part of private properties, making it difficult to count them. Be that as it may, everyone has a story. They are mostly related to piracy. But there are also those that refer to the Iberians, the Romans, feudal Catalonia or episodes of the Civil War. And some even enjoy a legend of their own.
The Torre dels Encantats, on the Maresme coast, between Arenys de Mar and Caldes d'Estrac (popularly known as Caldetes), has all these characteristics.
Its cylindrical shape appears among the tops of the pine trees, at the top of a hill in Puig Castellar. Located 68 meters above sea level, it dominates the Caldetes stream and has excellent views over the Mediterranean. A privileged location already in the time of the Layetans, the Iberian people who inhabited these lands about 2,500 years ago. Because if the stones could talk...
If those in the Torre dels Encantats could talk, they would say that they were once part of a large town. From what scholars have been able to extract from them, it would be one of the most important Layetan towns on the coast. It would have an area of between 20,000 and 40,000 m2, according to estimates. Its inhabitants were dedicated to growing cereals and fishing. Hunting, on the other hand, was only a pastime reserved for the aristocracy.
This town was created in the middle of the 5th century BC. and was abandoned around 50-25 BC. Archaeological excavations have found several imported objects at the site – such as amphorae, ceramics, fine tableware and smoking pipes – that demonstrate a clear Roman influence.
The Iberian remains would rest for a long millennium until in the 13th century they were reused to form part of the fabric of medieval Catalonia. They were used to erect a tower that marked the limit of the domains of the Montpalau castle, bordering the viscounty of Cabrera. A tower that preserves its appearance to this day and that would be refortified, already during the 16th century, with more stones from the Layetan town. A circular crenellated wall was added. It was then the worst period of attacks by corsairs and pirates like the fearsome Dragut, and the enclave became a point of observation, surveillance and alarm.
We jump, finally, to the 20th century. When the Civil War broke out, the Encantats tower became military land for control of the coast. And its stones would be used again, now as material for war batteries and bunkers. Renovated in 1954, it is currently cataloged by the Generalitat of Catalonia as a Cultural Asset of National Interest.
Puig Castellar is located on the border between Arenys de Mar and Caldes d'Estrac. And although the tower belongs to the first municipality, it has a great emotional connection with Caldetes (whose slope of the hill constitutes one of the few natural spaces on the Maresme coast, the Can Muntanyà park). The legend of the Enchanted Tower is a pillar of local folklore. It says so...
Many, many years ago, the people of Calden were terrified by ghostly apparitions. Every midnight, white figures wandered around the area around the Puig Castellar tower and descended in procession to the town. The neighbors, convinced that it was some supernatural phenomenon, secluded themselves in their homes.
They were times of corsair raids. In fact, some time ago the Saracens had kidnapped the most beautiful girl in the place. Her name was Leonor... Such was her charm that her captors were unable to mistreat her. Becoming a slave, Leonor entered the service of the young princess Fátima and the two hit it off quickly.
Fatima was very sick. She had leprosy and none of the court doctors were able to find an effective remedy. Leonor then told him about the hot springs in her town (the name Caldetes comes precisely from its salutary waters). And finally the princess followed her advice. With an entourage of warriors and servants, she landed incognito in Caldes. They all settled in one of the watchtowers on the outskirts.
Every night, dressed in white robes and illuminated with lanterns, the Saracens accompanied Fatima to the thermal waters. They were, obviously, the “ghosts” of the tower. Thanks to the baths, the princess healed. Leonor, in reward, regained her freedom. And Fatima found love…
In Caldetes she married a distinguished citizen, owner of many lands, surnamed Busquets. Well, since 1981 Fátima and Busquets have been the giants of the municipality. What's more: it is said that the olive tree on the Busquets tower – another watchtower – was planted as a symbol of peace between Moors and Christians.
The curious thing about the case is that the real origin of the name of the Torre dels Encantats is unknown. The first time it appears documented is in 1765. But this legend is much later, from the end of the 19th century. Its author was the historian, doctor and novelist Joaquim Salarich i Verdaguer. The same one that promoted precisely the first search work in the Iberian town of Puig Castellar.
