Medieval Walls of Avila

Ávila, Spain

The city walls of Avila were built in the 11th century to protect the citizens from the Moors. They have been well maintained throughout the centuries and are now a major tourist attraction as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can walk around about half of the length of the walls.

The layout of the city is an even quadrilateral with a perimeter of 2,516 m. Its walls, which consist in part of stones already used in earlier constructions, have an average thickness of 3 m. Access to the city is afforded by nine gates of different periods; twin 20 m high towers, linked by a semi-circular arch, flank the oldest ones, Puerta de San Vicente and Puerta del Alcázar.

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Calle Tostado 4, Ávila, Spain
See all sites in Ávila

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

More Information

en.m.wikipedia.org
www.avilaturismo.com
www.worldwidewriter.co.uk

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Ávila Cathedral (0,1 km)
San Vicente Basilica (0,2 km)
Santo Tomé el Viejo Church (0,2 km)
San Pedro Church (0,3 km)
St. Teresa Church (0,5 km)
San Segundo Church (0,9 km)
Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás (1 km)
San Martín Church (0,5 km)
Convento de San José (0,5 km)


Castle of Don Álvaro de Luna (59,9 km)
Adrada Castle (40,1 km)
Arévalo Castle (45,9 km)
Magalia Castle (31,9 km)
Coracera Castle (41,2 km)
Mombeltran Castle (52,1 km)
Aunqueospese Castle (18,1 km)
Villaviciosa Castle (21,8 km)
Narros de Saldueña Castle (28,1 km)

User Reviews

Arnette Round The World Girl (10 months ago)
Loved the wall. Came from Madrid as a day trip by bus and was definitely worth it and interesting. There are barely an tourists compared to say Segovia and Toledo so it was nice to explore a UNESCO site in peace.
George Jor (10 months ago)
If you visit Madrid, don’t forget to spend half day here in Avila for the city wall. It speaks its own history. You can seldom see a complete one like this.
Andrew Haas (10 months ago)
Really nice and well maintained walled city. The outer wall has amazing regular protrusions that add to the walls defense but also give it a nice scale and aesthetic. They close access to the wall about 30 minutes before closing.
Shawn T. (10 months ago)
This place is just pheromonal. It was really cool as we walked in the town behind the walls. It was cool to experience with our local guide of its history. As we walked around we saw many cool and amazing things like the ancient sculptures, churches, gates, and etc... also it is an amazing sight to take pictures with friends and family and just to walk around get some coffee and enjoy. I would totally recommend to come to this place.
black Joh (10 months ago)
It is a beautiful place to go. Avila castle is quite calm and has special hystorical stories.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-See Historic Places in Córdoba
Photo from Flickr, copyright Miroslav Vajdić

Historic Site of the week

Medvedgrad

Medvedgrad is a medieval fortified town located on the south slopes of Medvednica mountain, approximately halfway from the Croatian capital Zagreb to the mountain top Sljeme. For defensive purposes it was built on a hill, Mali Plazur, that is a spur of the main ridge of the mountain that overlooks the city. On a clear day the castle can be seen from far away, especially the high main tower. Below the main tower of the castle is Oltar Domovine (Altar of the homeland) which is dedicated to Croatian soldiers killed in the Croatian War of Independence.

In 1242, Mongols invaded Zagreb. The city was destroyed and burned to the ground. This prompted the building of Medvedgrad. Encouraged by Pope Innocent IV, Philip Türje, bishop of Zagreb, built the fortress between 1249 and 1254. It was later owned by bans of Slavonia. Notable Croatian and Hungarian poet and ban of Slavonia Janus Pannonius (Ivan Česmički) died in the Medvedgrad castle on March 27, 1472.

The last Medvedgrad owners and inhabitants was the Gregorijanec family, who gained possession of Medvedgrad in 1562. In 1574, the walls of Medvedgrad were reinforced, but after the 1590 Neulengbach earthquake, the fortress was heavily damaged and ultimately abandoned. It remained in ruins until the late 20th century, when it was partly restored and now offers a panoramic view of the city from an altitude of over 500 meters.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.