Sanlúcar de Guadiana Castle, Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Spain

Sanlúcar de Guadiana castle dates back to the seventeenth century, around 1642 or so, when Jerónimo Ró decided to strengthen the village from the Portuguese troops. In 1666, the fort fell into Portuguese hands. In 1741, Ignacio Sala reformed the west crescent. Entirely constructed of stone and different finishes depending on times of renovation.

Castles and fortifications in Spain

Address

Extramuros Diseminados 2, Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Spain

See all sites in Sanlúcar de Guadiana

Details

Founded: c. 1642
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Castle of Los Zúñiga (34,5 km)

User Reviews

Fran Barbosa (2 years ago)
The Castillo de San Marcos is now part of the Andalusian Historical Heritage, declared WELL OF CULTURAL INTEREST under the category of MONUMENT. Historically, it would have been conceived since its genesis, at the end of the Middle Ages, for the defense of a territory destined to be for centuries the "River Frontier" of Lower Guadiana. Archeology has revealed its secrets. The Restoration of the Castle of San Marcos de Sanlúcar de Guadiana now offers us the opportunity to carry out, from a professional perspective of the Heritage, given our trajectory, the development of an entire General Project of Cultural Management of a Restored Patrimonial Property.

Felix Amez (2 years ago)
Muy bien restaurado y cuidado. Con buena iluminación y carteles explicativos. Algunos faltan pero parece que está de reforma por dentro y los acabarán poniendo. Vistas impresionantes. Muy recomendable

Jose Enrique Santos (2 years ago)
Es un castillo fronterizo que podría ser un lugar precioso pero que sufrió una terrible restauración que le ha dado un color excesivamente claro. Se diría que ha perdido toda su antigüedad. De todas formas vale la pena subir por las vistas que desde allí se contemplan.

Gonzalo Mariz (2 years ago)
Las vistas desde el mismo bien merecen por si mismas una visita, el acceso por carretera es fácil y hay un tramo final de pista, que bien podían asfaltada también...., cuando fui estaba cerrado por lo que no puedo opinar del interior, pero el exterior me parece descuidado....vegetación sin limpiar, pintura deteriorada, etc. Una pena que se cuide poco el patrimonio. Desde la orilla portuguesa su vista es impresionante, pero de cerca defrauda un poco.

camper van (2 years ago)
Supervue

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

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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Sanlúcar de Guadiana Castle