La Iruela Castle, La Iruela, Spain

The castle of La Iruela, small but astonishing, is located on the top of a steep crag in Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park. From the castle, impressive views of the surrounding area and of the town can be enjoyed.

The keep dates from the Christian era. It has a square base and small dimensions and is located at the highest part of the crag.

There are some other enclosures within the tower that create a small alcázar which is difficult to access.

In a lower area of the castle, protected with defensive remains of rammed earth and irregular masonry, is an old Muslim farmstead.

After a recent restoration, an open-air theater has been built on La Iruela castle enclosure. This theater is a tribute to the Greek and Classic Eras and holds various artistic and cultural shows throughout the year.

History

The first traces of human activity in La Iruela area are dated from the Copper Age. An intense occupation continued until the Bronze Age.

Originally, La Iruela (like Cazorla) was a modest farmstead. From the 11th century, a wall and a small fortress were built on the hill to protect the farmers.

Around 1231, don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, Archbishop of Toledo, conquered La Iruela and made it part of the Adelantamiento de Cazorla. Over the Muslim fortress, the current fortress was built.

Once the military use of the fortress ended, it was used as cemetery.

References:

castillosyfortalezasdejaen.com

User Reviews

Lor (2 years ago)
Stunning castle and views- incredible value for €2. It’s a lovely walk from Cazorla to the castle and great that there’s the option to return to Cazorla via a mountain path. As others have said, the steps to the top of the castle are steep, but even if you don’t go to the top, it’s still well worth visiting the grounds of the castle for the amazing views. Staff at the ticket office were really friendly as were the ladies selling local produce at the castle entrance. La Iruela is a lovely place to visit. We were really impressed by the creative Christmas decorations made from recycled tin cans, plastic bottles and the lovely crocheted snowflakes.

Terry H (2 years ago)
Lovely village ,2 euro to go in castle really great value

Mónica Elton B (2 years ago)
Beautiful castles is worth it to visita ??

Rod (2 years ago)
Wonderful views from the old Moor hill top fort. Access to the tower is via a steep wooden staircase. The historic church located adjacent to the castle, is also of exceptional historical value.

Helen Myhill (3 years ago)
Walked up to the Castle 1€ to enter. Lovely place, go up to top of the tower for the Amazing views

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Photo from Flickr, copyright discopalace

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Sigmaringen Castle

Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.

The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.

These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.

La Iruela Castle

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