Villanueva de Cañedo Castle, Topas, Spain

The castle of Villanueva del Cañedo (also known as the castle of Buen Amor) was built on the remains of a previous castle of the 11th century, and of which the basement is still preserved. In 1477 the castle became property of Alonso Ulloa de Fonseca Quijada, Bishop of Ávila. Fonseca reconstructed the castle turning it into a Renaissance palace.

Between 1958 and 1960 the castle was restored by its current owners who converted it into a hotel.

User Reviews

Lindsey Mink (6 months ago)
The castle grounds were beautiful and quiet. The hotel staff were the best I've ever experienced, there was food and drink available all day, and the room was lovely. 10/10 would stay again.

Sarah James (2 years ago)
Amazing place to stay. Not much around so go to enjoy the unique experience of staying in a castle. Rooms were lovely, bed very comfy and air conditioning was good. Breakfast was great and the restaurant in the evening also worth a visit.

Pierre Lechat (2 years ago)
Really nice hotel. Incredible setting, super friendly staff, great rooms (super comfort bed) and good food. Our kids loved the hotel and especially the little goodie bag they found on their bed.

Alfredo Catalina (2 years ago)
Beautiful castle restored as a hotel. Very nice. Guided tours offered.

Shannon Lewis (2 years ago)
Such an interesting experience! Beautiful grounds! The restaurant was totally empty in off season so perhaps make plans to dine elsewhere.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright nikonaft

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Cesis Castle

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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