Prosecutors Investigate Neglect of Spain's Peramola Castle Amid Collapse Risks

The Lleida Provincial Prosecutor's Office is investigating the condition of Peramola Castle, a national cultural asset of interest (BCIN) that has deteriorated significantly over recent decades. Collapses in some structures have caused damage, prompting repeated complaints from residents in nearby homes who say they face serious risks.

This week, Toni Mas Buchaca, a Compromís councillor in Peramola, testified before prosecutors. As a vocal opposition figure on the issue, he described the inquiry's focus: actions taken to preserve the site and prevent harm since 2016, when strong winds tore off part of the roof.

Mas recalled that in 2011, under mayor Joan Pallarés Oliva, the Peramola town council proposed rehabilitating the castle—declared a BCIN in 1949—and repurposing it for social uses. The plan envisioned the upper floor as a civic centre for conferences and community events, while the lower level would house a living museum of local history and a mobile library with educational aims. The building was already in poor shape then, prompting emergency consolidation works costing around €15,000 to mitigate dangers.

Despite those plans, Mas said no further steps followed, as reflected in council records. He recently proposed urgent intervention, but the motion failed—a decision he finds baffling. Ownership disputes over the historic site, he added, offer no excuse given the collapse risks.

Mas provided prosecutors with documents backing his account. He also noted the Catalan government's Department of Culture rejected Peramola's bid to delist the castle as a BCIN, affirming its historical value—particularly the 11th-century medieval structure—and the need for precise boundaries on the protected area. Any future urban or restoration work requires top-level patrimonial safeguards.