Urueña Castle, Urueña, Spain - SpottingHistory.com

The Urueña castle was built around the year 1060 by the Castilian monarch Fernando I el Magno (the Great). It is built on the remains of a Roman fort. Overlooking the Tierra de Campos it has always been a strategically important place. Urueña was on the border between the two kingdoms Castilla and León. After many battles the kingdom of Castilla reconquered the castle in the year 1281.

The Queen Doña Urraca lived in this castle. Also Doña María de Padilla, mistress of King Pedro I of Castilla, lived here. Later the castle was used as a prison: Doña Beatriz Princess of Portugal was held here as one of the prisoners. From the 19th century it was used as a cemetery. Today only the exterior walls of the castle remain.

User Reviews

Pedro Francisco (3 months ago)
Experiencia agradable, muy apto para niños aunque los mayores también disfrutan. Gran exposición

MIGUEL A SÁNCHEZ (4 months ago)
Bonito pueblo Urueña, conocido como el pueblo del libro. Fue un acierto incluirlo en la ruta por Castilla y León, merece la pena desviarse y conocerlo, para poder perderse entre sus murallas. El castillo estaba cerrado y no ponía ningún horario de apertura, una pena esa falta de información.

Jorge Sanz (4 months ago)
Castillo en bastantes buenas condiciones. Ubicado en Urueña, un pueblo inscrito en los “pueblos más bonitos de España”, de forma merecida. Sus iglesias, corros (plazas), su muralla en muy buenas condiciones o su título desde hace 11 años como primera villa del libro de España. Sus murallas de una altura remarcable llama la atención especialmente.

Andrea ea (4 months ago)
La villa del libro de Urueña es un pueblo precioso, merece la pena visitarlo, no solo por sus librerías para los amantes de la lectura, sino por las vistas de los campos de Castilla que rodean al pueblo. Es un lugar único en el que merece la pena parar aunque sea para una visita rápida.

jesus manuel sancho (5 months ago)
Un pueblo muy bonito , las librerías merecen la pena , la muralla impresionante; el entorno es nuestra "ANCHA ES CASTILLA" conviene reservar para comer esta vez nos toco en la barra por falta de previsión. pero sin problemas ,

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Château de Fougères

The Château de Fougères is an impressive castle with curtain wall and 13 towers. It had three different enclosures, first for defensive purposes, second for day to day usages in peacetime and for safety of the surrounding populations in times of siege, the last enclosure was where the keep was situated.

The first wooden fort was built by the House of Amboise in the 11th century. It was destroyed in 1166 after it was besieged and taken by King Henry II of England. It was immediately rebuilt by Raoul II Baron de Fougères. Fougères was not involved in the Hundred Years' War until 1449 when the castle was taken by surprise by an English mercenary. In 1488 the French troops won the castle back after a siege and the castle lost its military role.

In the late 18th century the castle was turned into a prison. The owner in this period was the Baron Pommereul. In the 19th century the outer ward became an immense landscaped garden. A museum was established in the Mélusine Tower. During the Industrial Revolution, a shoe factory set up shop in the castle grounds.

The City of Fougères took ownership of the Château in 1892. It had been a listed Historical Monument since 1862. A major campaign was launched to clean up the castle walls. While the castle had retained many of its original features, some of the curtain walls needed to be cleared and certain sections required major repairs. The changes made in the 18th century were "reversed," and the castle was finally open to visitors. The first campaign of archaeological excavations, conducted in 1925, unearthed the ruins of the manor house.

Since then, the Château de Fougères has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors every year. The castle's excellent state of conservation, and the historical interest of its architecture, make Fougères an invaluable window onto the Middle Ages. From great lords to simple builders, generations of inhabitants have left their mark on these walls.

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