Camera obscura of Valderrobres

A camera obscura projects onto a screen, in real time, the image of the town and the surrounding landscape. The one in Valderrobres is, according to the Fundación Valderrobres Patrimonial, the only one in the territories of the old Crown of Aragon. It is a short visit, always guided, of 30 to 45 minutes.

What it is and how it works

The device is a large periscope that rotates 360° and, with a set of mirrors and lenses, projects the image onto a table in the centre of the darkened room. The guide moves it to show and explain the town and the landscape, near or far. The principle is the same as photography: light entering through a hole in a dark space projects what is outside. Being inside is like being inside a camera.

The tower

The camera is in an old wall tower, built around 1400. From the 16th century it was used as a prison and, after the 18th, as a dwelling. Its last inhabitant set it on fire before fleeing to France in 1938. The foundation restored it in 2023.

The activity begins on the ground floor, where you see the traces of how the tower became a house and burned down, with a seven-minute video about the walls of Valderrobres and the origin of the camera obscura. Then you go up to the upper floor for the projection, and the visit ends on the tower's terrace, with views over the town.

Price and sessions

€5 for the ticket alone; €10 together with the castle, the church and the museum (reduced €8). Under-3s do not pay. The reduced rate is for over-65s, under-11s, groups of more than 20 and families with at least two children under age, showing documentation. At the ticket desk you pay in cash or by card.

Sessions change each month: in November 2026, at weekends at 11:30 and 12:30, and on weekdays at 11:45 and 15:45. The ticket desks close 30 minutes before the castle. Information on 978 850 725 or at [email protected].

It is easy to combine with the visit to the castle and church and with the walk over the bridge and through the old town.