Espelette Castle, Castle in Espelette (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

Espelette Castle is a white-walled building with a red tiled roof, a round tower with a conical roof at its left end, and a two-storey facade with seven windows per floor and a central arched wooden door. It has served as the town hall, tourism office and library, and houses an exhibition on Espelette pepper production.

The castle was built around 1000 by the Barons of Ezpeleta and originally served as a defensive fortress and residence for the local nobles. In the late 17th century, Baroness Juliana Henriquez left the property to the people of Espelette, transforming it into shared community heritage.

The castle now houses the Herriko Etxea (town hall), the tourist office and the library, and an exhibition on Espelette pepper production is held there. The village's pepper, Piment d'Espelette, is tied to the commune's identity; the baron's title passed to all inhabitants in 1721, so residents are called barons.

The castle stands on a small hill above the Latsa valley, with long slopes falling north and east toward the river. The village has grown up to it, so it is reached on foot from the centre; the church of Saint-Étienne and its quarter lie lower, to the north. The building now houses the town hall, the tourist office and the library, and the pepper exhibition is inside.

The 1997 excavations revealed three additional towers and long curtain walls, forming a pentagon about 40 to 45 metres across. Two towers are clearly visible on the south side; a third, to the north-east, was largely destroyed when the D-918 road was widened. The towers and walls are built of finely cut limestone.