Royal Palace of Olite, Olite, Spain

The Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite was one of the seats of the Court of the Kingdom of Navarre, since the reign of Charles III 'the Noble' until its conquest by Castile (1512). The fortification is both castle and palace, although it was built more like a courtier building to fulfill a military function.

On an ancient Roman fortification was built during the reign of Sancho VII of Navarre (13th century) and extended by his successors Theobald I and Theobald II, which the latter was is installed in the palace in 1269 and there he signed the consent letter for the wedding of Blanche of Artois with his brother Henry I of Navarre, who in turn, Henry I since 1271 used the palace as a temporary residence. This ancient area is known as the Old Palace.

Then the palace was housing the Navarrese court from the 14th until 16th centuries, Since the annexation (integration) of the kingdom of Navarre for the Crown of Castile in 1512 began the decline of the castle and therefore its practically neglect and deterioration. At that time it was an official residence for the Viceroys of Navarre.

In 1813 Navarrese guerrilla fighter Espoz y Mina during the Napoleonic French Invasion burned the palace with the aim to French could not make forts in it, which almost brought in ruin. It is since 1937 when architects José and Javier Yarnoz Larrosa began the rehabilitation (except the non-damaged church) for the castle palace, giving it back its original appearance and see today. The restoration work was completed in 1967 and was paid by the Foral Government of Navarre.

References:

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User Reviews

Laurent Pommier (4 years ago)
Very interesting visit. The map to do the visit is very clear. Need around 1 hour and 15 minutes to do it. Nice village around. Nice views from the castle

Mercedes Sanfrutos (4 years ago)
Very nice place, you go back to another past time as you walk the streets. The castle is amazing and huge. You should go.

J Suk (4 years ago)
Really nice castle! Amazing views, really well preserved. At this moment audio guide is not avaliable, so maybe it's better to reserve upfront the guided visit. We have tried walking on our own and its doable. Used the small map to read the story behind every corner.

Alexa F (4 years ago)
Stunning castle and so well maintained! The architecture is beautiful ? you will amazed... spectacular views of the surrounding landscape from the top floor areas. A fairy tail castle, one of the most beautiful in Europe, don’t miss it!

Marc Agea (5 years ago)
Although it's been refurbished it doesn't look fake. Can't recommend more taking a guided visit through the castle to learn the multiple kings and queens that used to loved there back in the middle ages when Olite used to be the capital city of Navarra

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