The castle of La Asomada is an old fortification that is located in a strategic place near the district of El Palmar. The slopes of the mountain where the Arab fortress is located are covered by a green blanket of Aleppo pine, the product of a repopulation carried out in the 1960s. Several trails mark the forest up to its top, being frequented by hikers who take advantage of the panoramic view over the Segura valley that can be seen from the watchtower.
The building of Arab origin was built around the 12th century, the period of maximum splendor of the Taifa of Murcia. It was designed as a strategic building for the control of space and communications between the coast and the interior. Although the building was never finished, the fortress was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1985.
The castle has a rectangular plan that is perfectly adapted to the top of the mountain and its walls are flanked by towers (three on each side) and turrets at the corners. Archaeologists attribute its construction to the Emir Muhammad ibn Mardanis, known to Christians as the Wolf King.
Different archaeological investigations have identified this unfinished castle as the possible pantheon of the Murcian emirs, although it has not yet been possible to determine the internal structure of the pantheon, and no remains of burial sites have been found in the walled enclosure.
What we do know for sure is that through the centuries these walls have constituted an important lookout point from the Mediterranean coast towards the city of Murcia and that today it continues to be a representative symbol of the capital of the Region.
References:Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.
The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.