Cofrentes Castle, Cofrentes, Spain

The ruins of the Cofrentes castle are perched atop Cerro de Agras, an extinct volcano. The castle was founded by the Arabs and was key to defending the valley and transportations up the river that were taking place from the 12th century.

Architecturally, the fortress has three different parts: the lower section, the middle section and the upper section, or the bastion, which is accessed through the courtyard and which housed the noble parts of the castle. The fortress was adapted in each period and rebuilt following the damage suffered during the War of Succession, the Peninsular War and the Carlist Wars.

The Torre del Homenaje, or Keep, is a defining feature of the castle. Nowadays it has been converted into a viewing point from where you can breathe in extraordinary views.

Tickets to Cofrentes castle include entrance to the newly opened museum, which will take you back through the history of the fortress and the settlement that was there before it. One of the most important items on display is the Reloj de la Torre del Castillo, a mechanical clock that is thought to be the oldest in the Region of Valencia.

References:

comunitatvalenciana.com

Address

Cofrentes, Spain

See all sites in Cofrentes

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Chirel Castle (6,8 km)
Jalance Castle (4,5 km)

Ayora Castle (19,2 km)
Chulilla Castle (49,4 km)
San Miguel Royal Monastery (59 km)

User Reviews

Jose Gregorio Lepervanche Valencia (7 months ago)
This is the second time we try to visit this amazing castle combining it with a fluvial cruise. Guide tours are only from 11 to 14 hrs. In both opportunities we went with a group that booked the 11am river cruise. We had to settle to walk around the castle and the narrow ancient streets. If you want to do both the same day, try the last cruise. We enjoyed the views of both rivers, the nuclear plant and had a great lunch at El Asador outside Teresa de Cofrentes. #abuelosmoxhileros_rivers

Patricia Allen (2 years ago)
Lovely trip on the river boat didn't see any animals or birds that they said lived there but it was relaxing.

Diarmaid Hurley (3 years ago)
Amazing views from the top, very interesting tour, museum and town

Enrico Engelmann (4 years ago)
Actually nobody is talking about the nuclear power plant there..... However you still need no photoshop for the right angle ;) A beautiful village and an incredible place for a nuclear plant/castle !

Jonathan Charles Derham (5 years ago)
Castle was closed when we passed by but it looked well worth a visit if it had been open.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright itmpa

Historic Site of the week

Dryburgh Abbey

Dryburgh Abbey on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders was founded in 1150 in an agreement between Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, and the Premonstratensian canons regular from Alnwick Abbey in Northumberland. The arrival of the canons along with their first abbot, Roger, took place in 1152.

It was burned by English troops in 1322, after which it was restored only to be again burned by Richard II in 1385, but it flourished in the fifteenth century. It was finally destroyed in 1544, briefly surviving until the Scottish Reformation, when it was given to the Earl of Mar by James VI of Scotland. It is now a designated scheduled monument and the surrounding landscape is included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

David Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan bought the land in 1786. Sir Walter Scott and Douglas Haig are buried in its grounds.

Cofrentes Castle