Spain from an English perspective

Castles, forts, walled towns and cities, watchtowers… Spain and Portugal are strewn with mediaeval and later military buildings and structures. The fall of the Roman Empire was followed by centuries of warfare: barbarian invasions; the regicidal reigns of the Visigoths and Suevs; the Moorish occupation of Spain and Portugal; tension and feuding between the bickering Moorish kingdoms and principalities; waves of furious, fundamentalist invasions from North Africa; squabbling, cattle-stealing and land appropriation as the reconquering Christian warlords fought among themselves as well as against the Moors — altogether, over a thousand years of bloody strife have left their mark on the landscape.

Peñafiel Castle

Nowadays, ‘castles in Spain’ means something splendid but non-existent. “Fashionable adventurers in France used to impose on the credulous and get money and social advantages out of them by telling tales of their ‘castles in Spain’, which, needless to say, they did not possess,” is the explanation of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. In fact, far from being unreal, there are over 2,500 castles in Spain, more than 500 being in good condition. Of these, many are in private or institutional (e.g., military) hands and can only be seen from the outside, but some 165 are open to visitors. And as well as castles, fortified structures in Spain include towers, atalayas or Moorish watchtowers, walled towns and cities and fortified churches, palaces and manor houses.

Gormaz Castle

Castles in Castile. The relationship between the words ‘castle’ and ‘Castile’ is easy to see, and the two Castiles — old and new — are littered with fortified buildings (Old Castile corresponds almost exactly to the modern Castile-León, New Castile to Castile-La Mancha). Most of the castles in Spain were built either by the invading Moors (711 onwards) or during the Christian reconquista (completed in 1492, to all intents and purposes), so they were made for real warfare. In many cases, their architectural styles are mixed, reflecting changes in ownership. For example, the largest and oldest (965) castle in Europe is Gormaz in Soria (which gives the nearby village of San Esteban de Gormaz its name), is a Moorish castle later adapted by the (re)conquering Christians for their own use. The very picturesque 15th-century castle at Coca is in the mudéjar (Spanish Muslim) style, its striking red-brick construction creating an oddly Disneylandish effect. In contrast, Peñafiel Castle in Valladolid is an impressive, entirely Christian, fourteenth-century building which looks like a gigantic, stranded ship, built as it is along the length of a high ridge. (Peñafiel has the added attraction of a wine museum and any number of asadores, most good, some excellent, serving typical Castilian roast meats, especially roast lamb).

Castle near Rio Lobos, Soria 

Routes. In many autonomous regions and provinces (Extremadura, Valladolid…), the local tourist boards suggest a Ruta de los Castillos, which can sometimes be done in a single day, or two or three days without a car, while other rutas will need the better part of a week. Such routes often have the advantage of taking you to parts of the country you might not otherwise see, such as Soria, a little known, unspoilt province with a tremendous heritage, which allows itself the luxury of no fewer than thirteen castle routes.

The Walls of Ávila

Walled towns. The most imposing city walls in Spain are probably those around the city of Ávila, which you can walk all the way around the top of, if you have time and restoration work permitting. (Apart from its walls, Ávila is famous for its mystics, especially Saint Theresa, its cathedral and its yemas, sweets made from egg-yolks.)

Another especially noteworthy walled town is Peñíscola in Castellón, once the stronghold of antipope Benedict XIII, Pedro de Luna, Papa Luna. Peñiscola is where Charlton Heston played El Cid defending Valencia. Although the locations of this 1961 epic included other places in Spain, Italy and even England, it was in Peñiscola that “El Cid” left a lasting impression. Indeed, here it could be considered one of those films which changed the history of the place where it was made. Much sorely needed money was spent in the area, the walled town was “restored,” and many locals were given work, some even as extras. No wonder then that it is still remembered in fading photos on bar walls. Peñiscola is now an appealing resort, with sun worshippers occupying the sand where Heston as the dead Cid strapped to his horse routed the terrified, superstitious Moors.

Washington Irving was here. The famous Alhambra in Granada is worth a series of articles of its own. Together with the adjacent Generalife gardens, it is understandably the most popular attraction in Spain (remember to book tickets in advance as the queues can be immense, and be prepared to be rushed round). Castle lovers tend to overlook the Alhambra because it is usually classified as a palace rather than a fort, but there is no doubt that its great towers and sheer walls were designed to withstand the most serious attack that could have been mounted at the time (fourteenth century and following). As was so often the case, the reconquering Christians preferred to use the Alhambra themselves rather than pull it down or leave it to fall apart, which explains its generally good state of conservation.

Alcázares.

Provincial capitals (e.g., Segovia, Toledo) often boast a splendid Alcázar (Moorish fortified palace) or other fortification. The Alcázar in Toledo is designated to be the new location for the Spanish Army Museum, and is a controversial choice. Apart from the fact that this would leave Madrid without a military museum of any kind, the Spanish Civil War siege of the Toledo Alcázar was one of the fascists’ proudest victories. It was also the setting for one of their most cherished war stories, in which the protagonist is the rebel (i.e. insurgent nationalist/fascist) Colonel Moscardó, leader of the troops occupying the Alcázar. The tale is that the republicans threatened to shoot his son Luis by firing squad if the nationalists did not surrender. Moscardó was said to have spoken to his son, telling him to commend his soul to God and die bravely, and to have heard the shot that killed Luis. It is a most unlikely account. It seems that Luis did not die until a month later (though, in effect, shot by firing squad). Even more suspiciously, the story is nearly word-for-word the same as another nationalist-beloved myth, the tale of Guzman el Bueno, said to have thrown down his dagger to those threatening to kill his hostage son at the siege of Tarifa in the thirteenth century, with the words, “I did not beget a son to be made use of against my country…” Whatever, the undeniable truth is that the Alcázar was nearly destroyed during the siege, but was relieved in time by fascist troops diverted from the attack on Madrid.

I have read that “the castle in the Magic Kingdom at Disneyland is modeled after” the Segovia Alcázar. I do not know enough about magic kingdoms or Disneyland to confirm this, but this Alcázar undoubtedly has a sugary, fairy-tale look about it. But it was a real, working castle, built in the 12th century or earlier, and makes a most satisfying visit, if of more interest to people who enjoy stately homes and the like than to castle buffs. Segovia has many sights, but if you have seen the Roman aqueduct and eaten in Candido, and you have time after visiting the Alcázar, a short walk takes you over the river to the extremely curious, esoteric Vera Cruz church, built by the strange holy order of the Knights Templar.

The Alcazaba, Málaga

Looking out to sea. Many castles were built to defend from threats from the sea — indeed, some coastal towns owe their location to the existence of a high point nearby from which an approaching enemy fleet could be seen. El Peñon, Gibraltar, exists as a settlement because it dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean, and one of its touristic highlights is its Moorish castle perched on the top of the Rock, from where you can see all the way across the Strait to Morocco. On the adjacent Costa del Sol, the city of Málaga has its alcazaba, Moorish fortress, an enormous affair with a Roman theatre thrown in for good measure. Further east, on the Costa Tropical in the province of Granada, the fishing village of Salobreña has a splendid looking castle, which must have been restored in the last decade or so. When I was last there, though, nearly twenty years ago, it was still in use as a rather neglected, vandalized cemetery. Niches were open, human remains were visible and bones, even skulls were strewn around. Further east and northwards, Mojacar, in the province of Almería, is a hilltop fortress town overlooking the sea, conserving the twisting mediaeval Arab layout of the streets and whitewashed houses. And the extremely provincial capital city of Almería has a tremendous alcazaba, capable of housing 20,000 men in wartime.

Santa Barbara Castle, Alicante

Alicante has many natural advantages making it a rich prize: a fabulous harbour, rich fishing grounds, fertile farmland. So Santa Barbara Castle, on top of a mountain overlooking the town like a huge big brother, must have provided much needed protection from invaders and raiders. Now, recently restored, with parts of it turned into pleasant garden areas, during the day it has tremendous views over the city, the sea and inland, while at night it is lit up and offers the eye an attractive alternative to the glitter of the port below.

Enough — I have to stop somewhere. With sufficient time, an enthusiast could castle-hop all the way up the Levante to Catalonia, where even popular resorts like Lloret and Tossa de Mar have their castles, and places like Peralada are appreciated by castle connoisseurs. The Pyrenees and Navarre have their place in military history, too, of course, which would lead you to the Basque Country and the rest of the north of Spain, from where you would be drawn towards Portugal, worthy of a whole book of its own in terms of castles. And if we step outside the mediaeval timeframe of this article, there is much more for the studious and enthusiasts alike: Roman and pre-Roman remains, works from the Napoleonic wars, traces of the Spanish Civil War…

The Castle-Parador, Sigüenza 

Castle Hotels. To end the day, if your budget allows, it is a special thrill to sleep in a castle (especially in a four-poster bed) and many Spanish paradors (Olite, Zafra…) are converted palaces or castles. The parador at Sigüenza is one of my favourites, a hugely imposing building which was, in fact, pretty well destroyed during the Civil War. It was rebuilt in the fifties with tremendous diligence and authenticity, but in many ways it is a new building. Looking at this benevolently, it means a stay there gives you a more authentic impression (flush toilets and central heating aside) of what living there would really have been like — they were not ruins when people lived in them. And at the Sigüenza parador, as in many others, an added attraction is that its restaurant is a real living museum of regional cuisine, offering traditional local dishes which can simply no longer be found elsewhere.

Source: Spain for visitors