Castillo de Castilnovo
The imposing medieval castle Castillo de Castilnovo in the Spanish province of Segovia may still have Moorish origins.
location
The castle is about 1000 meters above sea level. d. M. on a natural rock about two kilometers west of the place Condado de Castilnovo about 13 kilometers (driving distance) south of the small town Sepúlveda or about 52 kilometers northeast of Segovia .
history
Some researchers trace the castle's origins back to the time of Abd ar-Rahman I (r. 756–788); others attribute their founding to the time of Almansor (r. 978–1002). The oldest traces that have been archaeologically proven to date, however, date from the 12th and 13th centuries, i.e. the time after the Christian reconquest ( reconquista ) and repopulation ( repoblación ) of the area between the Duero rivers in the north and the Tagus River in the south. All six towers of the castle are even younger (14th / 15th centuries), other parts only date from the Renaissance , when it was in the hands of the Counts of Velasco. It changed hands several times until it came into the possession of José Galofres in the 19th century , the secretary of Queen Isabella II , who had the medieval building restored - and partly reconstructed.
architecture
The imposing complex consists of six towers with curtains in between . While the towers appear rather defensive due to the lack of windows, parts of the walls are opened to the surrounding landscape through windows or wooden half-timbered balconies. In the towers there are a few twin windows ( ajimez ), elsewhere rectangular frames of window arches ( alfiz ), which, in addition to the layers of stone alternating between brick layers and house stones , has led to speculations about Moorish influences - but much could go back to the restoration measures of the 19th century .
Present function
In the first half of the 20th century it belonged to the Marqueses de Quintanar , who sold it to a Spanish-Mexican company ( Castilnovo SA ), which converted the entire complex into a hotel with an attached restaurant.
Web links
- Hotel restaurant website - photos + info (Spanish)
Coordinates: 41 ° 14 ′ 17 " N , 3 ° 45 ′ 35" W.