The Levels of a Castell
The towers at the start of tower building resemble today’s ones quite closely; the basic structure of a Castell, as the tower is called in Catalan, has hardly changed. Such a Castell always consists of three parts.
World Heritage
Since 2010, the human towers of Catalonia have been recognized as part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage.
The foundation is formed by the “Pinya”, a relatively wide ring that distributes the weight and stabilizes the structure. This ring also softens the fall of the Castellers if the tower collapses.
Depending on the height of the tower, one or two additional strong, ring-shaped layers (“Manilles”) are built on top of the Pinya.
Above that is the actual tower. The “Tronc,” Catalan for trunk, consists of several levels with a specific number of people on each level. Depending on the arrangement and the number of up to nine people per ring, each Castell has its own name.
The top of the tower is reserved for children due to their light weight. They form the “Pom de Dalt”, the dome.
