Castle of Charles V, Hondarribia, Spain

The Castle of Charles V is located in the strategic area of Hondarribia, at its highest point. It still conserves the structure of a medieval fortress and its defensive appearance. It was built in the 10th century by King Sancho Abarca of Navarre, although it was subsequently reformed by Emperor Charles V. The building served as both a castle and a palace, both connected by an interior courtyard. The castle had a square floor plan with sturdy walls. Highlights of the main facade include the doorway, rather small in size and decorated with an arch framed by the characteristic Islamic moulding known as an alfiz, over which can be seen the imperial coat of arms with the two-headed eagle of Charles V. It has today been restored and converted into a Parador hotel.

References:

spainisculture.com

User Reviews

Peter Debruyn (2 years ago)
Best hotel I have ever visited.

Mohammad Dabbas (2 years ago)
Beautiful gem in the Basque region. Enjoy views from the parador and walk down to the marina area for some great Pinchos

Philippe Villa (2 years ago)
Very beautiful place, full of majesty.

Nicholas Haviland (2 years ago)
Wonderful place.great history.great hiking we will be back.the hotel staff was incredibly friendly

Bobsternberg (3 years ago)
Very disappointed with the service from front desk personnel. The day we arrived I found the two gentlemen at the front desk to be aloof and not very friendly. (Perhaps they were both just having a bad day). I've never had this experience at a Spanish hotel before. This is not a “first class” hotel. If you’re looking for a bathrobe, slippers and small bottles of water placed in your room every day, this is not the hotel for you. Our room was small but did have a lovely view and the bathroom was very nice. Fortunately there was a fan on the ceiling because our air conditioning did not work. The breakfast buffet was also great. But most importantly, I would strongly suggest to management that they provide some customer service training to their front desk personnel.

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The Petersberg Citadel is one of the largest extant early-modern citadels in Europe and covers the whole north-western part of the Erfurt city centre. It was built after 1665 on Petersberg hill and was in military use until 1963. It dates from a time when Erfurt was ruled by the Electors of Mainz and is a unique example of the European style of fortress construction. Beneath the citadel is an underground maze of passageways that can be visited on guided tours organised by Erfurt Tourist Office.

The citadel was originally built on the site of a medieval Benedictine Monastery and the earliest parts of the complex date from the 12th century. Erfurt has also been ruled by Sweden, Prussia, Napoleon, the German Empire, the Nazis, and post-World War II Soviet occupying forces, and it was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). All of these regimes used Petersberg Citadel and had an influence on its development. The baroque fortress was in military use until 1963. Since German reunification in 1990, the citadel has undergone significant restoration and it is now open to the public as a historic site.

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