November 9 Free guided tour of the summer palace of the Wolf King in Monteagudo

The 13^th century palace stands in the shadow of the ruined castle and the statue of Christ

Saturday tours continue at the Castillejo until December 21

The town of Monteagudo, a few kilometres outside the city of Murcia on the old road to Alicante, is best known these days for the Rio de Janeiro-like statue of Christ with outstretched arms which can be clearly seen from the surrounding countryside and the motorway, but 800 years ago, before the “Reconquista” of Murcia by Christian forces, this was the power centre of Ibn Mardanís, the Moorish “Wolf King”.

The remains of Ibn Mardanis’ fortress were unfortunately shattered by the dynamite used to create a plinth for the statue of Christ in the early 20^th century, but only a kilometre or so away, on a smaller hill, is the “Castillejo”, which was the Wolf King’s summer palace. Work has been undertaken in recent years to make the Castillejo visitable, and on November 9 free tours are being offered explaining the architecture and functions of the palace.

The palace will be open to the public at weekends throughout November and until December 21, and school trips have already begun with great success. The Saturday tours begin at 11.00 and prior booking is available online here.

The tour lasts two hours and starts and finishes at the excellent San Cayetano Visitors Centre in Monteagudo.

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What’s on section of Murcia Today.