Castle of Castellammare del Golfo
The Arab Norman Castle of Castellammare del Golfo is located in the square of the same name, right inside the port of the city.
The construction of the castle is attributed to the Arabs who erected it, around the 10th century , on the ruins of pre-existing fortifications. The castle was built on a rocky spur next to the sea, connected to the mainland by a drawbridge. Enlarged by the Normans, it then became an important fortress of the Swabians who surrounded it with walls and erected towers. At the center of the struggles between Angioni and Aragonesi, in 1314 Castellammare surrendered to Robert of Anjou. Two years later the Aragonese got the better of it and took possession of the castle, of which they destroyed part of the fortifications and one of the towers. Subsequently the Castle was rebuilt and became the residence of numerous princely families, vassals of the Emperor. In 1500 the castle had two crenellated towers: one called Torre di San Giorgio, the other Torre della Campana. In 1521 the fort was protected by a first wall and, in 1537, a third tower was erected, called the Baluardo. In 1587 the second wall was completed, equipped with three access doors. It was in this period that the drawbridge was replaced by the masonry bridge that still exists today.
Today the castle has been restored and houses, inside, the Museum Pole La memoria del Mediterraneo .
