The architectural heritage of our country is extensive. From north to south or from east to west, Spain has an artistic and cultural wealth that places us at the forefront of tourist destinations, both for foreign and national visitors. Among these architectural gems are a multitude of castles and palaces, up to 10,200 according to the Spanish Association of Friends of Castles. The Royal Palace, La Granja or the Alcázar de Segovia are probably some of the best known. However, there are many others who have nothing to envy to those mentioned above and who You have to visit at least once in your life.
For this reason, Yescapa, a leading motorhome and camper van rental company, proposes a route with a selection of the castles with more charming and less known of Spain perfect to visit this summer:
–Castle of Granadilla (Caceres): Visiting the Castle of Granadilla is a mandatory stop if one decides to visit this town in the province of Cáceres. Declared a Historic-Artistic Site, Granadilla is undoubtedly one of the abandoned towns that, due to its medieval past and the beauty of its natural surroundings, must be visited. Built in the 15th century by order of García Álvarez de Toledo, the first Duke of Alba, the Granadilla Castle is a defensive building. Built on an old Moorish citadel, the castle has a central tower and four semicircular towers. Of this castle stands out its slenderness, the perfect symmetry of forms, as well as the careful masonry factory with which it was built.
–Butrón Castle (Vizcaya): Neo-Gothic in style, when you visit this fortress of medieval origin you feel transported back to the Middle Ages. Located on a hill and surrounded by a century-old forest, the Castle of Butrón was for many years the scene of fights between two families of nobles, the Gamboinos, who were the owners of the castle, and the Oñacinos. In these centuries, the Castle of Butrón has undergone various renovations. Its current appearance responds to the remodeling carried out in the 19th century by the Marquis of Cubas, who wanted it to evoke a typical fairytale castle. For this he was inspired by old buildings and 19th century Bavarian castles. In fact, its homage tower is similar to that of the Alcazar of Segovia.
–Templar Castle (Leon): Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) and National Monument since 1924, the Castle of the Templars of Ponferrada is the most important in the northwest of Spain. With an extension of 8,000 square meters, this castle is more than a fortress. In this sense, thanks to the rehabilitation work carried out, a large part of the architectural richness of this castle built by the Knights Templar in 1178 has been revealed.
–Castle of Peracense (Teruel): This castle, located in Peracense in the Calamocha region, is one of the most beautiful and unknown in Aragon. Located in a unique natural environment, its builders took advantage of the original topography of the land to build a first-rate defensive enclave, as it sits on a strongly steep rocky extension of rodeno. The castle, which can be visited throughout the year, is full of unique aspects, such as the fact, for example, that in the fifteenth century, according to some sources, there was a mint in the castle where false money was minted or the discovery of the remains of a quarry inside the outer enclosure.
–Castillo de Santa Cruz (Oleiros-La Coruña): Nestled on an islet in the La Coruña estuary that is accessed by a wooden pedestrian walkway, the Castle of Santa Cruz in Oleiros has been recognized as an Asset of Cultural Interest due to its high historical interest. This fact added to its natural beauty and landscape, make it a unique enclave. This fortress, whose construction works began around the year 1595, served to defend the Ría de La Coruña on several occasions. Once it lost its strategic value, the castle was abandoned, until José Quiroga Pérez de Deza, husband of Emilia Pardo Bazán, bought it to build a summer residence. Years later, her daughter, Blanca Quiroga, donated it to be used as a house for summer camps for war orphans and it worked like this until 1978. Since the end of the 20th century, its owner has been the Olerios Town Hall, which has dedicated it to environmental education.
–Mota Castle (Medina del Campo): In this town of pre-Roman origin is the Castillo de la Mota, an enclave in whose walls one of the daughters of the Catholic Monarchs, Juana la Loca, was locked up in 1503 and 1504. It was the kings Juan II and Enrique IV of Castile, who began the construction of this fortress in the mid-15th century, and the Catholic Monarchs culminated with the construction of a moat and an underground shooting gallery, which stands out for being an authentic and amazing engineering work. In addition to the free visit that can be made to the castle, the Castillo de la Mota offers other types of visits such as dramatized visits that undoubtedly take visitors to another era.