MAIN ATTRACTIONS
In the heights of theCerrajónmountain, at more than 700 meters tall, the castle offers spectacular views and the possibility to make outBenaventeandAlarcos.Additionally, from its tower one can see theCastillejo de PorzunaandPicón Viejo.There are hardly any remains of the town that must have existed in front of the castle, now there are only subterranean traces marked the rock and cisterns. But it is equally interesting to visit
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION
It dates to the Islamic period, with examples of pottery from the 9th-10th centuries. Occupied in the middle of the 12th century by the Christians, the Almohads recovered it in 1196 and then it again passed to the knights of Calatrava in 1212, suffering different architectural modifications. It is a castle that adapts to the land on which it sits, with an irregular form and with one tower. The whole wall is preserved. The Calatravan order modified the entryway, adapting it for the use of a portcullis (raised gate). In its surroundings we can find the bridge of the Moors or ofContadero,used by the inhabitants of the castle, and constructed as a retaining wall for the Peralosa stream.
ACCESS
Free visit of the castle all year long.
Leaving fromPiedrabuenaby theArrobaroad, you come upon a narrow, rocky road until crossing a stream (in the winter season it is difficult to access by car, but in the summer it is possible). Continue on this road, with a slight incline, until arriving at the castle, where there is a flat open space where you can park. The route is a bit more than 3 kilometers.
FUN FACTS
During the end of the Middle Ages, many towns constructed on small hills next to castles were moved to the valleys, the cultivating areas in which the inhabitants worked. Such happened to the population of this fortress, who moved down to occupyPiedrabuena. With the unique element that they constructed, additionally, a new castle, that of Mortara, now a bull ring.
