Discover Portell de Morella: Castle, Fossils and Hiking Trails

Textile History and Fossils

The Muestra Textil La Rosaleda displays looms, fabrics and yarns with information panels. The Museo del textil de Portell is located in the same complex and explores the town's textile history as well as the Faixeros.

At Tierra de Dinosaurios, you can see dinosaur fossils and fossils of other animals, including crocodiles, plesiosaurs and pterosaurs. All the specimens come from sites in Portell. Another gateway to the past is the En Balaguer archaeological site within the municipality of Portell de Morella. It consists of small rural settlement clusters that were used for farming and livestock raising, as well as storage.

Castle, Churches and Templar History

The Castillo de Portell is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural, or BIC for short. Its main tower now serves as the church's bell tower. The parish church of La Asunción is an 18th-century Baroque building integrated into the castle complex and featuring a Neoclassical façade.

The Ermita de la Mare de Déu de l'Esperança also adds to the religious and architectural heritage of Portell de Morella. It dates from the 15th and 16th centuries and has a single-nave vault with star-shaped ribs. Portell Puerta Templaria explains the presence and historical influence of the Templars in Portell through an information panel and an audiovisual presentation.

Rambla Celumbres and Living Traditions

The protected municipal natural area of Rambla Celumbres lies at the meeting point of the municipalities of Castellfort, Cinctorres and Portell de Morella. It has ecological, landscape, historical and cultural, as well as recreational value. The medieval Puente de la rambla crosses the Rambla Celumbres; it was already in existence in 1212. The Abrigo del Mas de la Rambla contains a total of 29 prehistoric motifs featuring characteristics of Levantine and schematic rock art.

Traditional customs include the Peregrinos de Portell, a tradition of medieval origin. Twelve local pilgrims walk in silence to Sant Pere de Castellfort and return in the afternoon. The Sant Marc pilgrimage leads to the Ermita de Les Alberedes and includes a procession, the ringing of bells and a Mass. Alongside the buildings and natural sites, such traditions give a stay an explicitly communal dimension.

Hiking Trails with Different Routes

The linear SL-CV 134 Sender de la Cova Antolà hiking trail leads from the upper part of Portell de Morella through the Barranco de la Rosella to the remarkable natural site of Toll de Cova Antolà and is 2.00 km long. The currently valid GR 331 E02 hiking stage begins at Avenida San Isidro in Portell de Morella and ends at Carrer del Pilar in Cinctorres.

Other trails focus on different areas: The SL-CV 133 Sender de les Albaredes runs between El Portell de Morella and Casas de San Juan via the barranc de la Caseta and les Alberedes. The PR-CV 408 hiking trail begins in Portell de Morella. Portell is also a western gateway to the Els Ports area via the CV-125.

Other Places

Vall D'alba, Fanzara, Barracas, Vilafamés, Arañuel, Fredes, Traiguera and Nules

For the broader travel overview: Castellon.