Escalona Castle

Escalona Castle, locally known as Castillo de Escalona, lies in the town by the same name, in the province of Toledo in Spain.

The fortified town of Escalona sits on a 25 meters high elevation of the land, next to the Alberche river. The town was, in origin, a Moorish fortification which was conquered by King Alfonso VI of Castile after a hard battle. He made it his base for attacks on Toledo. It was repopulated by Diego and Domingo Alvarez and was granted privileges by King Alfonso VII in 1130.

By the end of the 13th century the castle was donated to Don Juan Manuel, brother of King Sabio and in the 14th century it participated in the rebellion against count Alvaro Osorio. King Juan II yielded it to Don Alvaro de Luna, who transformed it into a sumptuous palace, which returned to the king after the execution of Don Alvaro.

King Enrique IV yielded it to Don Juan Pacheco, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago and Marquess of Villena, the most powerful lord in the kingdom. Later it came into the hands of the Duke of Arcos. In the 19th century the Duke of Frías repaired the damage which it had suffered during the systematic destruction by the French army of marshal Soult. At present Escalona Castle is private property.

The castle is a large strength of which a lot remains. It has three successive enclosures. The outer one is a low wall, conserved only to the west of the castle. The second is the main enclosure with high curtain walls and 7 large flanking towers, detached from the walls and only connected at the top by an arch, plus a large square tower that could be the original keep. Third is the inner enclosure, partially turned into a palace in the 15th century, where the present keep is.

The castle underwent reconstructions in the 13-14th century, but the most important reconstructions took place in the 15th century. The castle has a perimeter of 420 meters, divided into a courtyard to the north and the residential buildings to the south. The town walls were connected to the castle and the river served as a moat.

Nice castle but too bad it can seldom be visited.

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Escalona Castle

Escalona Castle, locally known as Castillo de Escalona, lies in the town by the same name, in the province of Toledo in Spain.

The fortified town of Escalona sits on a 25 meters high elevation of the land, next to the Alberche river. The town was, in origin, a Moorish fortification which was conquered by King Alfonso VI of Castile after a hard battle. He made it his base for attacks on Toledo. It was repopulated by Diego and Domingo Alvarez and was granted privileges by King Alfonso VII in 1130.

By the end of the 13th century the castle was donated to Don Juan Manuel, brother of King Sabio and in the 14th century it participated in the rebellion against count Alvaro Osorio. King Juan II yielded it to Don Alvaro de Luna, who transformed it into a sumptuous palace, which returned to the king after the execution of Don Alvaro.

King Enrique IV yielded it to Don Juan Pacheco, Grand Master of the Order of Santiago and Marquess of Villena, the most powerful lord in the kingdom. Later it came into the hands of the Duke of Arcos. In the 19th century the Duke of Frías repaired the damage which it had suffered during the systematic destruction by the French army of marshal Soult. At present Escalona Castle is private property.

The castle is a large strength of which a lot remains. It has three successive enclosures. The outer one is a low wall, conserved only to the west of the castle. The second is the main enclosure with high curtain walls and 7 large flanking towers, detached from the walls and only connected at the top by an arch, plus a large square tower that could be the original keep. Third is the inner enclosure, partially turned into a palace in the 15th century, where the present keep is.

The castle underwent reconstructions in the 13-14th century, but the most important reconstructions took place in the 15th century. The castle has a perimeter of 420 meters, divided into a courtyard to the north and the residential buildings to the south. The town walls were connected to the castle and the river served as a moat.

Nice castle but too bad it can seldom be visited.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 7959