Ledesma Castle, Ledesma, Spain - SpottingHistory.com

Ledesma still has most of the granite wall which historically has surrounded the town. A large part of what is still standing was built in times of Fernando II of Leon, in the 12th century, but in the 15th century several parts of it were rebuilt with well-carved masonry. Many stone mason marks can be seen among these stones. Out of the eight doors it once had, the only one that is still preserved is the one called Puerta de los Mártires, de San Nicolás or Caldereros (Martyrs’, San Nicolás or Boilermakers’ door). Formed by two camber arches, it is flanked on either side by two cylinder towers.

The bailey of this castle-fortress was built on the south-west end of the walled area between the 13th and 14th centuries. Set on an irregular trapezoidal plan, it has two doors: one on the north, which features the town’s coat of arms, and one on the south, flanked by two large towers.

References:

Ledesma Tourism

User Reviews

Susana Herreros (2 years ago)
No está mal, tardas 5 minutos en verla. La llave la pides en los bares aledaños. Lo pone en la puerta de la fortaleza. Es una castillo fortaleza reconstruido que si estás por Ledesma merece la pena. Muy buenas vistas y entrada es gratuita.

Javier Diaz (2 years ago)
Pueblo pequeño pero muy muy bonito. Gente del lugar muy agradable

Leonardo Pedroso (2 years ago)
Vale a ida . Um dia vê tudo é muito histórico

Julia Valle (2 years ago)
Bastante bien conservado. Con unas vistas buenísimas de toda la zona. Me ha hecho gracia el cartel de pedir la llave en la cafetería de la plaza. Se puede subir y dar la vuelta a toda la estructura del castillo. No hacía un día excepcional pero ha valido la pena subir.

Joaquin Saturio (2 years ago)
El castillo está bien, pero es la villa, incluido este, lo que es una joya. Pueblo muy bonito y bastante bien conservado. El centro de interpretación te da una visión bastante correcta de la historia de este importante enclave.

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German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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