Guadamur Castle
The castle Guadamur is located in the area of the same name Spanish community Guadamur about 15 kilometers west of Toledo .
description
Guadamur is a good example of the late medieval Spanish style of castle building . The complex was built in several construction phases between 1470 and 1520 and already shows features of the modern fortress construction . The core of the complex is enclosed by a circular wall with an approximately square floor plan, the corners are reinforced with rondelles , while the sides each have acute-angled, bastion-like projections in the middle . This scheme is repeated in the outer wall ring that surrounds the entire complex. The upper part of the inner circular wall is offset from the base a little to the rear and shows a straight course of the wall. The top of the wall is provided with battlements and small turrets ( tourelles ). As is usual with Western European castles, the complex is dominated by a large defense and residential tower ( donjon ), which is called torre del homenaje in Spanish . Here it has a rectangular floor plan and connects to a corner of the inner curtain wall, while its front faces the gate. The gateway that runs between the two sections of the wall is angled around the torre del homenaje .
The inner courtyard in the center of the complex is divided into three smaller courtyards. The living rooms and ballrooms are connected by two rows of arcades. Psalms and Latin prayer texts are engraved in the friezes and cornices of the larger rooms.
Thanks to an extensive restoration in the 19th century, parts of the wall reliefs from the 15th century have been preserved.
Torre del Homenaje
The Donjon of Guadamur is equipped with small tourelles at the corners and in the middle of the wall. The platform on the tower and the tourelles themselves are provided with maschikulis , which, however, hardly have any real defense function during the construction period of the facility, which is dominated by firearms, but rather (similar to, for example, the Coca Castle ) serve primarily to To give the complex a stately, defensive appearance. The stones of the wall as well as both sides of the main entrance bear reliefs with lions and inclined beams of heraldic shields.
literature
- Chris Gravett: Atlas of Castles. The most beautiful castles and palaces . Tosa, Vienna 2001, p. 105, ISBN 3-85492-470-4 .
Web links
Coordinates: 39 ° 48 ′ 38 " N , 4 ° 8 ′ 46" W.