Castelo de Sobroso

By means of this museum conversion, Pontevedra Provincial Council seeks to highlight the importance of the monument from different points of view. As a landmark for territorial control, integrated within its surroundings; as an architectural element with a military purpose; as a building with a history of its own, with transformations and different functions; but also as a residential space inhabited by both anonymous people and historical personalities. Thanks to this variety of perspectives, it is possible to tell many tales within the same story: the history of Sobroso Castle.

Through this project, Pontevedra Provincial Council aims to design a museographic intervention that is respectful towards its environment, although filling the spaces with emotion. This is why the philosophy behind the design of this intervention is based on audio-visual products. These elements, superposed to the castle's architecture in an ephemeral manner, transform the spaces using images, lighting and sound, and thus offering a multi-sensory experience.

Experiential spaces

1. Sobroso and the landscape

Sobroso Castle is located in a strategic site, dominant over the territory and the landscape surrounding it, controlling the main roads and the Miño River, natural border with Portugal. This made the castle a key point during Middle Age that would not escape people's desires of control.

Its name comes from Latin and makes reference to the ancient existence of a cork oak forest (Quercus suber) surrounding the castle, serving as scenery for tales and legends and wrapping the castle in mystery.

The region in which it is located is an inhabited area since ancient times, and its hills, valleys and forests preserve a rich cultural and natural heritage. Ancient settlements as Castro de Chans and Castro de Troña, even the one over which the castle was built, petroglyphs, medieval monasteries such as A Franqueira, thermal baths with healthy hot springs like the one in Mondariz, legendary stones such as Pena dos Namorados, riverside beaches and pathways to enjoy nature and the landscape.

2. History of the Castle and its inhabitants

The current appearance of the castle is the result of the last remodelling, which took place in the 20th century. Although, undoubtedly, this fortress has undergone many changes since its foundation, and endured destruction and restoring in several occasions. It is believed that it was originally composed of a keep, with a wall and a large inner bailey.

Just as it happens with numerous medieval buildings in Galicia, its exact construction date is unknown and controversial. The first written reference dates back to the 11th century, and in 1117 Queen Urraca was besieged here, so it is sure that it has an earlier foundation date.

After its importance during the Middle Age, it was beleaguered and destroyed in 1467 by the Irmandiños. They burnt, razed and dismantled more than 3,000 Galician castles. From the mid-17th century, little by little, it ended up in ruins. During the following centuries, the castle passed from hand to hand in several occasions. It was not until 1923 that Alejo Carrera Muñoz bought the castle and invested a large portion of his fortune in its reconstruction.

The castle was the place where everyday life took place, not only for the family that owned it, but also for the castle's service staff, including servants, blacksmiths and stonemasons. Their daily labour is also part of its history, as it made the castle function and brought it to life. Activities such as cooking, fetching water to drink, going to the market to get groceries, making weapons and working the stone to build or repair the castle are essential for the castle to function properly and prosper.

3. Importance of the Castle during the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages the castle saw its period of greatest splendour and gave shelter to many distinguished personalities, as stated in historical documents, although their stay is surrounded by myths and legends.

Queen Urraca's presence is documented in the Historia Compostelana , locating her here during the civil war between her supporters and those of her son, Alfonso VII. She was besieged in the castle, but she succeeded to escape through a secret passage that lead to the Tea River, according to legend.

Queen Elizabeth of Aragon's stay, also historically documented, is related to many mysteries and legends as well. Legend has it that her wedding to Dinis of Portugal, the troubadour king, took place in the castle. She also might have taken shelter here later on, as a widow, at least twice during her pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

4. The Castle: from destruction to restoration

After this period of splendour during the Middle Ages, the decline of the castle begins, leading to its ruin and abandonment in the 19th century. Emilia Pardo Bazán found it in that state when she visited in 1873 and wrote an article on the matter. A few years later, in 1898, Isaac Peral took a picture surrounded by the remains of the wall.

In 1923, Alejo Carrera Muñoz, renowned journalist born at Vilasobroso, buys the castle from the count of Torrecedeira. Thus, a new era begins where it revived thanks to his investment, as he dedicated a large part of his fortune to make his childhood dream of restoring the castle come true. Many stonemasons from Vilasobroso worked on the restoration under the directions of the new proprietary, self-proclaimed Lord of Sobroso.

Alejo brings the castle back to life and organises literary and cultural activities, among them those of Saint John's Eve or the performance of classical plays, which gathered many renowned Galician intellectuals of the period.

Furthermore, it received the incipient tourists visiting the area, in many cases from the neighbouring thermal springs of Mondariz.

5. Magical beings and water

This space in the castle's tower keeps some secrets and mysterious inhabitants. The cistern was kept here, to guarantee the water supply for its inhabitants. However, it also hides some mysterious legends and magical beings, mixing reality and fiction. These legends of oral tradition, originated in the remote past, were passed down from generation to generation, and as time goes by, they live on seasoned with supernatural and magic elements.

The forest around the castle harbours a trasno that spends all day among the trees. On Saint John's Eve, this creature flies around the forest by adopting the form of a silver-winged bird.

This mysterious forest is also the scenery where the tragic love story of Floralba and the pilgrim took place. They were condemned to wander around for all eternity outside the castle.

The Pena dos Namorados was also a meeting place for two lovers, who lived a forbidden love that ended tragically as well. In the dark of the night, you can still hear Aldina crying, locked in the castle tower, mourning her lover's death.

6. Building the Castle

The construction of this castle was a complex process that required a great effort. Different specialised professionals were needed for more complicated tasks, working under the same command. Selecting a location, defining the military architecture or finding a nearby quarry were some of these duties.

Stone was the mainly used material, and workers were necessary for such project to succeed. These professionals were the stonemasons, a recognised trade essential to carry out this work. They left their visible mark all over the castle walls in the form of signs and symbols, engraved with a chisel or burin. The engravings gave information about where they were extracted from, the cut of the stones, and where they should be placed in the building. It was a way of identifying their work.

7. Castles as stages for troubadours

This chamber was the residence for the lord and his family. The fireplace and the parladoiros suggest that entertainment gatherings and music events took place in this space. Troubadours were the ones that livened up the evenings with their music compositions, usually dealing with love or the lack thereof.

Martín Códax and King Dinis of Portugal, known as the troubadour king, were two benchmark writers for Galician-Portuguese troubadour poetry.

Martín Códax's work is the best known, and the most widely spread, of Galician-Portuguese lyrical poetry. He composed seven cantigas de amigo, and thanks to the discovery of the Vindel Parchment in 1914, we know their original musical notation and how they were sung.

The cantigas de amigo and de amor, characteristic of Galician-Portuguese lyrical poetry, are love-themed. Some are told from the perspective of a woman who longs for, seeks or is excited about her lover. Others, more courtly, deal with unrequited love, where a man is the one who sings to the woman he loves.

8. The Castle as a viewpoint

From the top of the keep, it is possible to control the surroundings, covering a radius of over thirty kilometres. It serves as a viewpoint over the territory and landscape of the province of Pontevedra, from where to look beyond the Miño River, and which reaches Portugal, our neighbouring country.