En un regard
Le château en bref
Spaniola Keep, or Spaniolaturm, overlooks Giarsun, the old quarter of Pontresina in Upper Engadine. It is a bergfried with a pentagonal plan, in ruins but still four storeys high, built around 1200–1210 for the noble family of Pontresina. The name Spaniola appears only in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1244, the Bishop of Chur removed from this family the office of chancellor of Upper Engadine; in 1294 they pledged it to the Planta family, the last member of which is mentioned in 1307, after which the tower passed to the Murell family. Abandoned in the 15th century, it was described as a ruin in 1550. The masonry is of rough rubble. The acute angle of the plan faced the mountain, probably as protection against avalanches and falling rocks. The original entrance was raised, the storeys have arrow slits, and there is an annexe housing latrines. The municipality consolidated the tower in 1994.