Jumilla Castle

Jumilla, Spain

The hill where the Jumilla castle is built was inhabited by people from the Bronze Age. In a later era, this was occupied by people when Iberian civilizations were present in large part of Iberian Peninsula, and specifically in the current municipality. In Roman Iberian Peninsula period, people also leveraged this hill. The last era in regards to this hill before the construction of the current castle is the one when large part of Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim peoples rule. They built a fortress in the 8th century, but they used unstable materials.

In 1241 Jumilla Castle was conquered by troops of Ferdinand III of Castile. Around 1290 the area passed to the Kingdom of Aragon. In 1357 the castle was taken by Ferdinand of Aragon, who had sided with Peter of Castile. Shortly after, Ferdinand again pledged his obedience to his brother, Peter IV of Aragon. Thus the castle returned to the Aragonese crown. In 1358 the castle was again taken for the Castilian crown by Fadrique Alonso, Lord of Haro and Master of the Order of Santiago.

The current castle was built in the year 1461 and its architectural style is gothic.

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Address

Jumilla, Spain
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Details

Founded: 1461
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

More Information

www.castles.nl

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Peter Byrne (7 months ago)
Great and informative visit. ? €2.50
Dimitri (9 months ago)
Well worth a visit. Climbing up is doable, unless one has limited mobility. All information at the exposition inside the tower is in English and Spanish. A mini history lesson. I really enjoyed the visit. And the views are amazing. The entry is free.
Mark Auchincloss (14 months ago)
"The fortress of Jumilla plays a key role in the historical development of the area. Throughout history it has occupied a vital strategic position at the crossroads of routes between the Vinalopó valley, the plains of La Mancha, the area of Valencia and the valley of the River Segura. The first known settlement on what is known as the castle hill dates back to the Bronze Age approximately 3,500 years ago. Later, during the Iron Age, the Iberian built a large fortified "Oppidum", and the remains of some of the walls, consisting of large "adobe" mudbricks, can still be seen. Later still, the Romans fortified the entire hill by building part of the wall which stands today, as well as various homes and water tanks dug into the rock: some of the "opus signinum" concrete which lined these tanks is still in place. In the 11th century the Moors built an Islamic "hisn" in the form of a rectangular "alcázar" (fortress and palace) measuring 11 by 25 metres. Later, in the mid-15th century, the first Marquess of Villena, Juan Fernández Pacheco, built the keep and remodelled the whole structure. In the 19th century the castle was used as a prison and it was not until the late 20th century and the first years of the 21 st that it took on the appearance and characteristics we see today: a keep and a first perimeter wall of approximately 130 metres, boasting four towers and containing two water storage tanks. These structures are then surrounded by a second wall, which includes the former "alcázar" and old town area."
yvonne burnell (15 months ago)
Great views but at over 700 ft , it's a steep climb
Rosemary Yang (2 years ago)
It is not difficult, good for hiking at weekend.
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