Ascó

Ascó is located in a strategic position on the Catalan Ebro River, rising right next to the river and in the middle of a large river plain enclosed by two passes or straits, the Pas de l'Ase and the Pas del Llop d'Andisc. Ascó's strategic location led to its occupation by various prehistoric peoples such as the Iberians and Romans, but it was not until the medieval and modern periods that Ascó gained greater prominence, first with the Muslim occupation and later with the Templars and the Catalan counts.

The cultural treasure symbolizes the passage and coexistence of different cultures that have left a very rich heritage and cultural legacy and that today forms part of the traditions and customs of Ascó.

Places of interest

Snow Well

Dating from the second half of the 17th century, the snow well of Ascó is the only one remaining in this region. Located in the foundations of a house, it is built of hewn stone and features a pointed vault, a circular floor plan, and an acorn shape. The upper beams rest on corbels at different heights for the snow storage platform, which was used to collect the snow poured in from a window.

Its purpose was to fill it with snow or ice and have it available for the rest of the year. During that time, the storage and distribution of ice became an important business involving a significant portion of the rural population.

Knight's Mill

At the beginning of the 20th century, around twenty olive oil mills were operating simultaneously in Ascó. The high concentration of these industries was due to the fact that the peasantry, and in particular olive cultivation, constituted the main economic resource of the town.

Today, most of these mills have disappeared. The Caballero mill, recently recovered and restored, will allow visitors to understand what this industrial heritage meant for the town.

Turns and silos

The Plaza Mayor was once the site of the old Muslim quarter, later the university, then the town hall until 1987, and today it houses the municipal music school. Above the entrance arch of this building, we can read the date 1610, which corresponds to the year of the expulsion of the Moriscos.

This square is built atop stone arches, accessed by descending the alley known as La Secanella. This area is called Les Voltes i Sitges. Inside, silos serve as a reminder of Ascó's role in storing grain, a practice dating back to the Muslim era.

Els Perxes

These are the names given to the old porches that provided access to the walls of Ascó. On Calle de Abajo we find the porches of Ciego, Baijunca and Caballero; on Calle Hospital, next to the house of the same name, we find the Perxe de Peresans; on Calle de la Plaza Nueva, the Perxe de Santo Domingo, and at Pla de Vallxiqué, the Puerta de la Tarde, now gone.

In the Plaza is another of the gates of the town and in the street of La Mola the Portetes are still preserved, a narrow alley or passageway for clandestine entry and exit from the town.

Sequerets Street

With the expulsion of some 800 Moriscos and Moriscas by Philip II of Aragon (III of Castile) who occupied 154 houses, the Morisco period in Ascó ends.

It is a zigzag street that the Hospitallers ceded to the university, which then converted it into a drying shed for fruits such as figs and raisins. The diminutive form of the name for the drying sheds remained as a place name.

Mola Street

Without a doubt, along with Carrer Sequerets, it is one of the most typical streets in Ascó. This balcony overlooking the Ebro River follows the old route of Ascó's city walls. On Carrer de la Mola, the houses leave open the passage of walls destroyed by bombings from the other side of the river during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Today, some remnants of these walls can still be seen in Carrer de la Mola, in Plaça Nova, and on Carrer del Caballero and Carrer de Trinquete. The walls of the squares and the walls of the houses are made of stone and mud, or simply rammed earth.

The horseshoe-shaped Calle de la Mola retains the typical doorways of the fan-shaped brick houses, clearly influenced by Moorish architecture. From here, there is a magnificent view of the Ebro River, the islands, the Paso del Asno pass, and Montsant mountain in the distance.