Torre de la Móra, Coastal watchtower in Tarragona, Spain.
Torre de la Mora is a circular stone tower on the coast of Tarragona, featuring an internal diameter of about 4 meters and walls roughly 1.5 meters thick. The structure includes three square gun ports facing south, east, and west, and is accessed by modern exterior stairs.
The tower's construction was contractually agreed upon in 1562 as a response to pirate raids along the Mediterranean coast. This fortification was part of a network of defensive structures built across the region during the 16th century.
The tower was a communal project built by Tamarit residents, setting it apart from other privately owned towers of that era in the region. This shared responsibility shaped how the community used and protected the structure across generations.
The tower sits on a rocky promontory called Punta de la Mora, surrounded by residential areas and a camping site. Access is fairly straightforward thanks to modern exterior stairs, making a visit manageable for most visitors.
The 1562 building contract, found and published by mossèn Sanç Capdevila, specifies the tower's technical details, making it unusually well documented for a tower of its kind. It was commissioned by the batllia de Tamarit and built by the Tarragona master builder Janot Miró.
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