Münzer on the Road-Sept. 28, 1494

Münzer:

“The following Sunday, the 28th of September, taking another path towards the north, with a lot of struggle, we descended for three leagues to the castle of Igualada. After two more leagues we came to the fortress of Santa Coloma, where we were shown her head. Catalan leagues are excessively long, and the route very rugged. On horseback, we could scarcely travel more than four or five a day. Two leagues from Santa Coloma, towards the north, in the direction of Zaragoza, is found the castle of Cervera of admirable fame.”

What Münzer saw:

Münzer is only actually discussing two sites here. One that he calls “Cervera Castle,” is actually known today as the “Castle of Claramunt,” as it sits just above the town of Pobla de Claramunt, just south of Igualada. The reason for the confusion in names is that the castle, at the time of Münzer’s visit, was the domain of the Cervera family. It exists, though it was badly damaged twice, once during the Catalan civil war of 1471-72, and again in the war against the French. It was also rebuilt twice, once at the end of the 15th century (the incarnation seen by Münzer), and again in the late 19th century (which is what’s in the photo.
The fortress at Santa Coloma de Queralt later became just a private residence, and has been restored. Its tower is still under restoration. Santa Coloma’s head may be there, or in the church dedicated to her in the same town, but both were closed at the time of our visit.

What Münzer could have seen:

Münzer and his companions probably passed through many small towns, such as Aguiló, with stone buildings, tiled roofs, and streets so narrow that they were stepped. Since, as we’ve remarked, most sizable towns were walled; he doesn’t even bother to describe Santa Coloma’s, much of which still exist. It was a small city even then, its church wall making up part of the fortifications.

What Münzer would never have seen:

The roads are paved, of course, and well-graded, with tunnels where needed, so the present-day route is hilly and the roads wind, but the drive is comfortable. Old, picturesque windmills that existed à la Quijote further west in La Mancha are long gone, but modern wind turbines, power lines, and cell-phone towers are everywhere.