Fuentidueña de Tajo Castle, Fuentidueña de Tajo, Spain

Fuentidueña de Tajo Castle is a large, irregular building standing on a hill which dominates the Town and the Tagus River. It is believed to have been built during the 12th century and has been extended and rebuilt later on in the 14th century. It is related to the Kings, Alfonso VI and Alfonso VIII.

It still has a wall and part of the cylindrical towers on the sides. The two sections composing it are separated by an interior moat. It is still possible to see the Homage Tower opposite the Town.This castle was the Headquarters of the Kingdom in the time of Da Urraca, wife of Alfonso I the Warrior; legend has it that at night she used to walk through the hidden corridors to visit the Moors.

The provincial Governor, Pedro Manrique, was imprisoned in this Castle by order of Juan II. Álvaro de Luna, Marquis of Villena, was also made prisoner for his discrepancies with the Order of Santiago; he later became the proprietor of the Castle.

User Reviews

Angel García Delgado (4 months ago)
Beautiful viewpoint. If you have a drone, it is a permitted flight zone.

Bernadette Trinidad (6 months ago)
It's a ruin of an old castle...there's nothing much to see. But I picked up some quartz along the pathway...

Егор Володин (8 months ago)
Castle ruins glisten with quartz rock

Sonia Martinez (8 months ago)
It is the town where my father was born and it brings back many memories. And in the castle he lived

Maria Ordosgoiti (2 years ago)
I put 4 stars cause it is small and fast place of interest, it will take you about half an hour to walk around, see the ruins of the castle and enjoy the view of Fuentidueña from the observation point near the castle. It is pretty scenery, probably it was nice castle built century 12. Now it is only one wall and some ruins left. Good place to get some rest if you go from Madrid to Valencia, not far from the road, and you can go to a small town Fuentidueña and grab a bite/drink coffee, use toilet in one of the restaurants in the center.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright twiga-swala

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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