Castles and fortifications in Spain
Olmillos Castle
The construction of the Olmillos Castle began in 1446. It has been traditionally known as the castle of the Cartagena, according the original owners. At the beginning of the 19th century, immediately after the French invasion, the guerrillas Santos Padilla and Melchor Cossío lit fire to the castle. Today it is a hotel.
Founded: 1446 |
Location:
Olmillos de Sasamón, Spain
Villalonso Castle
Villalonso Castle is one of the best conserved castles in the province of Zamora. The castle is a typical and notable example of 15th-century architecture; its construction may be attributed to Juan de Ulloa and his wife María de Sarmiento, whose coats of arms can be seen above the entrance gate. It played an important role during the siege of the queen Isabel the Catholic on Toro during her war against Juan "La B ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Villalonso, Spain
Berlanga de Duero Castle
Berlanga de Duero Castle, which is now in ruins, dates back to the 15th century though it was built over a 10th-century Muslim fortress of which there are no remnants. It originally belonged to the Tovar family who ordered the construction of the village’s collegiate. This castle played an important role, along with the defensive wall, in defending the villages along the Douro riverbanks during the Muslim Conquest. Of t ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Berlanga de Duero, Spain
Medinaceli Castle
Medinaceli Castle was built in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 15th century. There aren’t many remains left of this castle which was of great importance during the Middle Ages. According to legends, inside the castle, which is now completely restored, there was an Arabic citadel where Al-Mansur was buried after being defeated and killed in the Battle of Calatañazor in 1002, although, there aren’t any remains of th ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Medinaceli, Spain
Trigueros Castle
The history of Trigueros Castle isn"t very well known. It is not built on a strategic position because, although located on a small hill in the village, it is dominated by other higher hills. So, the castle was probably more a fortified residence than a military strength. Also the name of the village church, an older building on a higher hill; Santa Maria del Castillo, seems to indicate that the most suitable place o ...
Founded: 14th century |
Location:
Trigueros del Valle, Spain
Castillo de las Escobetas
The fishing village of Garrucha suffered at the hands of Berber pirates until the year 1766 when barracks were built at Escobetas, a provisional military building. In 1769, the castle was completed at a cost of 181,000 reais. The fort was designed by the architect Francisco Ruiz Garrido. After its construction, Garrucha began to grow. It is of masonry construction in three section. The central portion is rectangular with ...
Founded: 1766 |
Location:
Garrucha, Spain
Villanueva de Cañedo Castle
The castle of Villanueva del Cañedo (also known as the castle of Buen Amor) was built on the remains of a previous castle of the 11th century, and of which the basement is still preserved. In 1477 the castle became property of Alonso Ulloa de Fonseca Quijada, Bishop of Ávila. Fonseca reconstructed the castle turning it into a Renaissance palace. Between 1958 and 1960 the castle was restored by its current owner ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Topas, Spain
Castillejo de Robledo Castle
Castillejo de Robledo castle and its lands were property of the Order of Malta until it was suppressed by Pope Clement V in 1311. After that the estate passed to the Knights Hospitaller and then to the residents of the town. In the town there was an old Moorish fortification where the current castle was built in the 12th century. The remains of the original wall are visible and are characterized by a greater thickn ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Castillejo de Robledo, Spain
Castle of Los Zúñiga
Castle of Los Zúñiga was built in the 15th century by D. Pedro de Zuñiga. Its objective was to defend the passage of Barca del Río Piedras. Its structure is rectangular in shape and consists of a wall circuit with seven square towers at the corners and on the front and side canvases. The most important towers are the bell tower and the homage tower. In addition to these towers, there was a second outer low wall, alre ...
Founded: 15th century |
Location:
Cartaya, Spain
Puente del Congosto Castle
The origins of Puente del Congosto Castle dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. It was built for defensive reasons, to control the route which connected Ciudad Rodrigo with Avila. In 1393, Enrique III granted the manor of the Puente del Congosto to Gil Gonzalez Davila, which rebuilt the castle, which would be Posada Real. The Duke of Alba bought the castle to the Emperor Carlos in 1539, adding to the rectangular tower ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Puente del Congosto, Spain
Cornatel Castle
The history of Cornatel castle dates back to the 9th century, although it was built on the site of ancient Roman remains. In 1211 Alfonso IX of León donated to the area to Knight Templars who rebuilt the castle. Subsequently it was owned by the Duke of Lemos. The castle is accessed by bordering the western section between the walls and the impressive cliff at the foot of the castle. Inside, exhibitions are held periodi ...
Founded: 9th century AD |
Location:
Priaranza del Bierzo, Spain
Macenas Tower
Macenas castle or watchtower is an 18th century military structure built to keep watch the coast. In 1849 it was occupied by the carabineros and after the war arrived the Civil Guard and was built an access to the castle. It was restored in the 1990’s. On its southern side there is a dirt track which leads to the La Torre del Perulico, or Torre del Peñon tower, built during the Nasrid period (13th-15th centuries). T ...
Founded: 18th century |
Location:
Aqura de Emedio, Spain
San Felices de los Gallegos Castle
San Felices de los Gallegos Castle has an historical purpose as the frontier stronghold between Portugal and Castile. The enclosure with medieval origins is protected by the castle and the walls which were built in successive periods. The wall, built of stone blocks with adjoining square towers, dates from the 13th century and encircles a spacious bailey. The keep dates from the 15th century, and a third fortified enclos ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
San Felices de los Gallegos, Spain
Águila Castle
The archaeological remains found near the Águila Castle seem to confirm the presence of a pre-islamic population, maybe from the Roman Age. Apparently in 914 the inhabitants of the fort looked like emirales troops burned the city of Algeciras ships that supported the revolt on Ibn Umar Hafsun, in any case the construction of the castle had to be early to be this hard hit area by Berber rebellions and Mozarabic. The c ...
Founded: 10th century AD |
Location:
Gaucín, Spain
Loja Castle
The Islamic heritage of Loja is still evident in the quarter of the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress of which most of the walls and towers remain. It was built in the 9th century AD to the site of possible Roman remains.
Founded: 9th century AD |
Location:
Loja, Spain
Melgarejo Castle
Melgarejo Castle was built probably in the 14th century. Part of it collapsed in 2018 and the castle ruins were closed.
Founded: 14th century |
Location:
Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
Carcabuey Castle
The medieval castle of Carcabuey was the object of incursions by Ibn Hafsun at the end of the Emirate, being dominated and demolished by the emir Add-Allah in 892. Conquered by Fernando III, it was rebuilt according to the design of other fortifications, such as those in Fuengirola or Iznájar. From the mid-13th century, it belonged to the Order of Calatrava, until, in 1333, it was conquered by Muhammad IV of Gran ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Carcabuey, Spain
Caracena Castle
Caracena Castle was first time mentioned in 1136. The primitive castle stood until the 15th century until it was demolished during the local conflict. In 1491, Alfonso Carrillo de Acuña, nephew of the archbishop of Toledo, obtained the lordship of Caracena and proceeded to rebuild the castle.
Founded: 1491 |
Location:
Caracena, Spain
Ucero Castle
The place dominated by the Ucero castle has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The castle is built on the site of an ancient Celtiberian castro. The site was first time mentioned in 1157 when Alfonso VII located the village of Sotos the Suso between Uxama and Ucero and there are documents that indicate that the castle already existed in the 13th century. It is estimated that the important hermit of San Juan de ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Ucero, Spain
Santa Àgueda Castle
The Castle of Santa Àgueda is situated over an elongated plateau. The castle is accessed by an ancient Roman road. Next to the castle there was also, until recently, a chapel dedicated to Saint Agatha. The castle was built over an ancient Roman castra by the Arabs, when Menorca was part of the Caliphate of Cordoba. The exact date of its construction is not known, but it was prior to 1232. In 1287, it became the ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Ferreries, Spain