Work.- 1st phase refurbishment and restoration of the castle-palace of Ciutadilla. 
Fitting-out of access to the homage tower.  
Execution plans and costs drawing-up.- may 1998
Work beginning and end.-  April 1999 to September 1999
Location.- c/ Castell  - Ciutadilla  (L'Urgell)
 

Architect.- Salvador Giné i Macià

Promoter.- Consell Comarcal de l'Urgell  -   Patronat del Castell de Ciutadilla
Builder.- Construccions Monjo S.C.L.

Total built area 1st phase.-   462  m2 
Total budget 1st phase (VAT included) .- 12.518.725 pts.     75.239 e.
Repercussion per built m2 (including square).-   27097 pts / m2       162,85 e/m2

Photographs.-
 Jordi Miralles
 Salvador Giné
 

2.- BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVES AND CRITERIA.

The castle was a medieval fortress transformed into a Renaissance palace in the XVIth Century. 

The trapezoidal interior yard has a large stairway on its North side leading to an enormous upper gallery with a magnificent colonnade which disappeared at the beginning of the century. 

A magnificent quadrangular tower rises at the right of the castle main entrance. It is the master, seven floors high, with Renaissance large windows on the upper floors.  Together with the other remainders, it is an exponent, still today, of the past magnificence of this castle. 

Following the different collapsed parts, Romanesque and Gothic elements can be observed, that make one think of a long prevalence from the XIIth Century until its reconstruction in the XVIth Century, and which persisted until 1835. 

In 1908, part of the building began to collapse. After that, time has done the rest: removal of architectural elements, wall collpase and total abandon. 

The precarious state of conservation made it necessary to carry out this 1st phase of the work. 

Given the administration availability of funds and time, a complete intervention to the castle (documentation, topographical and photogrammetric upliftings, archeological studies and excavations, project of architectural intervention and works) was not feasible. Therefore, this phase of work was aimed at allowing access to the tower as a precise intervention, with an architecture easy to disassemble at any time. 

The building work has taken place alongside with the conrresponding archeological intervention. 

Building works do not interfere or damage the building and/or the remainings of it. 

Building work takes place within fenced in plots in open spaces, so that environment security is under control and possible hazard or interference with later works are prevented. Repair and consolidation of every wall and architectural element is carried out, in order to stop the degradation process while the global works on the castle take place. 

The itinerary proves attractive for observation of the castle remains and of the near and distant landscape, offering different observation stages that culminate on the tower roof. 

The access itinerary consists of three stages.
First stage. Acess to the castle, parade ground and room.
Second stage. Footbridges and outside stairway to the tower.
Third stage. Tower inside itinerary and upper platform.

 Salvador Giné i Macià. October 1999