Lopera Castle is a big castle in the city center made up of irregular masonry. It has an irregular pentagonal base. The castle is defended by five towers, some of the towers are cylindrical and some others are prismatic. It has machicolated balconies, a defensive device to better guard entrances and some of the fortified towers.
There were Romans and Visigoth settlements until Lopera was conquered by the Muslims at the beginning of the 8th century. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the population moved to the current town where a small Muslim farmstead was created. During the 11th century, the farmstead was fortified as a defence against Castilian attacks.
Once Lopera was conquered by the Christians, King Ferdinand III relinquished it to the Order of Calatrava. The Order of Calatrava built the castle that exists today. This castle guaranteed an escape to river Guadalquivir.
In 1856, the castle was acquired by Alonso Valenzuela who turned it into public property.
References:Trenčín Castle is relatively large renovated castle, towering on a steep limestone cliff directly above the city of Trenčín. It is a dominant feature not only of Trenčín, but also of the entire Považie region. The castle is a national monument.
History of the castle cliff dates back to the Roman Empire, what is proved by the inscription on the castle cliff proclaiming the victory of Roman legion against Germans in the year 179.
Today’s castle was probably built on the hill-fort. The first proven building on the hill was the Great Moravian rotunda from the 9th century and later there was a stone residential tower, which served to protect the Kingdom of Hungary and the western border. In the late 13th century the castle became a property of Palatine Matúš Csák, who became Mr. of Váh and Tatras.
Matúš Csák of Trenčín built a tower, still known as Matthew’s, which is a dominant determinant of the whole building.