Montuenga Castle

Montuenga de Soria, Spain

Montuenga Castle in Soria, Spain forms part of the defensive line of the Jalón River set in a natural passage between the plateau and strategic basin of the Ebro. The area was subject to disputes, notable during the Castilian Civil War.

The castle is perched on a high hill, steep and long, from which it dominates the town of Montuenga de Soria. The remains of the building, two polygonal towers at each end, are joined by walls.

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Address

Calle Castillo 255, Montuenga de Soria, Spain
See all sites in Montuenga de Soria

Details

Founded: Middle ages
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Monastery of Santa María de Huerta (4,9 km)
Arcos de Jalón Castle (5,6 km)


Medinaceli Castle (19,9 km)
Monteagudo de las Vicarías Castle (16,1 km)
Almenar Castle (50,7 km)
Ciria Castle (48,4 km)
Serón de Nágima Castle (29,9 km)
Las Cuevas de Soria Roman Villa (60 km)

User Reviews

Evolución Natural (6 months ago)
Traces of our medieval history.
Dory Bueno Lazaro (11 months ago)
It's very good, it's worth seeing.
andre richardson (2 years ago)
This stop was EXACTLY the reason we chose to do a road trip through Spain. The wonderful little old towns and so many of these old lookout structures everywhere! We stopped at Montuenga because it seemed more accessible and closer than others we had passed. It wasn't preserved as well as some others we saw from a distance but the experience was worth it all the same. You can't be afraid to get out a do a little trekking if you want to experience life so bring some good shoes!
Oriella Innamorato (2 years ago)
It's an amazing view for a small stop on the motorway. Recommended.
Pedro Carchenilla (2 years ago)
The truth that impresses to see it up close as it is on top of a cliff and the town of Montuenga is at your feet that is where you look. You see a medieval castle built with walls three meters thick half demolished, with two towers on the sides and so high because the truth that you feel very small. It can be seen from the A-2 motorway at 3 kilometers from Montuenga. You can enter and the village is very quiet and hot in summer.
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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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