All EOS blogs All Spain blogs  Start your own blog Start your own blog 

Spain's Best

Simple...a series of lists declaring Spain's "best" in anything and everything...they may be lists compiled by independent reviewers or by myself....whichever, I hope you find them useful :-)

SPAIN'S TOP 10 - Castles
Thursday, March 13, 2014 @ 5:02 PM

Castles in Spain were built mainly for defensive purposes. During the Middle Ages, northern Christian kingdoms had to secure their borders with their Muslim southern neighbours, thus forcing both Christian and Muslim kings to grant border fiefs to their liege noblemen so as to keep and maintain defensive fortresses. When the Reconquista advanced, those border castles lost their initial purpose, and, as in the rest of medieval Europe, they were used as noble residences and fief-keeps.

However, due to sporadic threats of war, they kept their military purposes, for enemy invasions were common. In some locations, such as the Basque country, fiefdoms did not exist as such, and noble families could not afford nor did they need huge fortresses, giving rise to many tower houses. On the other hand, in Muslim Spain many castle-palaces were built: the petty taifa kingdoms that arose after the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba were militarily weak but culturally rich, and every emir or king liked magnificent palaces, of which the Alhambra of Granada is an example.

During the late Middle Ages, Christian kingdoms had secured and enriched themselves well enough to support a more courtly lifestyle, so more residential castles were built, such as the Alcázar of Segovia, which was used as the main residence of the kings of Castile, whereas the Castle of Olite, built in a luxurious gothic style, was the seat of the Kingdom of Navarre's royal court. After the Conquest of Granada in 1492, the Catholic monarchs ordered all the castles in their realms to be handed over to the Crown. Although the order was not completely carried out, the War of the Germanias, a rebellion against king Charles V in the early 16th century, forced the new Spanish Habsburg dynasty to continue the process, and many castles were demolished as well. Most of castles in Spain were successively abandoned and dismantled, Spanish kings fearing noble and peasant revolts, especially in the newly conquered lands.

Accordingly, most of them are nowadays in a state of decay, and although some restoration work has been done, the number of former castles is so large that the Spanish government lacks both the resources and the will to restore them all. Nowadays in Spain there are well over 2000 castles, but here are 10 of the Best restored castles in the country …

 

1. Alhambra Palace (Alcazar)

http://www.alhambra-patronato.es

 

 

2.Alcazar de Segovia

http://www.alcazardesegovia.com

 

 

3.Castillo de Olite

http://guiartenavarra.com/index.php?m=4&subm=25&id=1

 

 

 

4. Castillo de Coca

http://www.castillodecoca.com

 

 

5. Castillo de Ponferrada

http://www.ponferrada.org/turismo/es/monumentos/castillo-templarios

 

 

6. Castillo de la Mota

http://www.castillodelamota.es

 

 

7. Castillo de Loarre

http://www.castillodeloarre.es/vistas/01.aspx?id=12

 

 

8. Castillo de Almodóvar

http://castillodealmodovar.com

 

 

9. Castillo de Manzanares (Mendoza)

http://www.turismomadrid.es/mas-guias/10799-el-castillo-de-manzanares-el-real

 

 

10. Castillo Butrón

http://turismo.euskadi.net/es/patrimonio-cultural/castillo-de-butron/x65-12375/es/

 



Like 0




7 Comments


gallygirl said:
Saturday, March 15, 2014 @ 7:06 AM

So perfect they look like they've been designed by Disney! I had no idea these existed. Thanks.


eggcup said:
Monday, March 17, 2014 @ 8:23 PM

Yes, beautiful castles and I don't know most of them either.


James_10 said:
Thursday, March 20, 2014 @ 3:59 PM

Thanks for taking the time to comment! They are beautiful!


Pat Dean said:
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 @ 8:52 PM

10. Castillo Butrón is my fairytail castle. Thank you for sharing them wit us.


Luis said:
Sunday, March 19, 2017 @ 10:23 PM

El mapa del castillo de la mota no es correcto.Lo sitúa en San Sebastián cuando en realidad está en la provincia de Valladolid.


Aitor said:
Monday, July 31, 2017 @ 10:59 PM

Olite is NOT a spanish castle, its one of the most important and one of the last castles that still remains standing of the old and brave KINGDOM OF NABARRE(Basqueland) before it was conquered by blood and fire by the infamous kingdom of spain and his mercenary army, more than 100 castles that defended our independent country were demolished after the conquest (official date in 1512).
Freedom for Nabarre!
Gora Euskal Herria askatuta, Gora Nafarroa askatuta!


eggcup said:
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 @ 12:19 AM

Aitor: Ah, but do a majority of people in Navarre agree with you? Would you really want independence? How would that work? I think after 500 years you might want to 'let it go.' I speak as a Welsh person.


Leave a comment

You don't have to be registered to leave a comment but it's quicker and easier if you are (and you also can get notified by email when others comment on the post). Please Sign In or Register now.

Name *
Spam protection: 
 
Your comment * (HTML not allowed)

(Items marked * are required)



 

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More information here. x