Lopera Castle

Lopera, Spain

Lopera Castle is a big castle in the city center made up of irregular masonry. It has an irregular pentagonal base. The castle is defended by five towers, some of the towers are cylindrical and some others are prismatic. It has machicolated balconies, a defensive device to better guard entrances and some of the fortified towers.

There were Romans and Visigoth settlements until Lopera was conquered by the Muslims at the beginning of the 8th century. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the population moved to the current town where a small Muslim farmstead was created. During the 11th century, the farmstead was fortified as a defence against Castilian attacks.

Once Lopera was conquered by the Christians, King Ferdinand III relinquished it to the Order of Calatrava. The Order of Calatrava built the castle that exists today. This castle guaranteed an escape to river Guadalquivir.

In 1856, the castle was acquired by Alonso Valenzuela who turned it into public property.

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Address

Calle Cuesta 17, Lopera, Spain
See all sites in Lopera

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Spain

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

María SG (9 months ago)
It is a town with a lot of history. The guide who showed us the castle was very friendly and pleasant and very knowledgeable about the castle and the town. Recommended visit ?
Miguel Angel Fernández Román (2 years ago)
What can I say about my mother's town hahahaha, it is incredible to walk where my mother, my grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. also walked and played. My grandparents and my mother with their brothers (my uncles), lived in the Lopera inn that was run by their family. They called my grandfather "the blonde from the inn" and his sister, my mother's aunt "Luisa" lived there until she went to live next to the church. A great visit to my mother's town, I'll return as soon as I can.
Antone Vazquez (2 years ago)
Calatravo castle from the 13th century, well restored and preserved. We were not able to see the interior because the times did not coincide with our visit. The outer walled enclosure is imposing and of considerable size. It is on flat land, in the heart of the town.
Manuel Chamorro Luque (3 years ago)
An amazing visit. When I booked I did not imagine that I would find such a well-preserved castle and such a professional guide to make a visit an entertaining history lesson. I definitely recommend making the visit, I will do it again with more companions to learn about the history of Lopera
Emilio Eugenio De Arriba Escolá (4 years ago)
Imposing castle of 3,500 square meters in length and that since 1240 when Fernando III the Saint ceded the land to the Order of Calatrava has been located in this town of Lopera. It has two towers, that of Santa Maria and that of San Miguel. The castle had various uses such as a tobacco dryer, cinema, theater, olive pickles, wine cellars and wedding celebrations. Excellent explanation from the person in charge of tourism who reveals all the secrets of the castle and the riches of the town. His great interest in promoting his town is to be admired, which he will surely achieve with the passion he puts into it. The truth is that we loved the visit and we did not leave without buying its famous wine at the Herruzo winery. Our anecdote was that we parked our motorhome in front of the castle to spend the night and it turns out that it was prohibited, we did not see the signs and they were new. We saw the local police taking our photo of the infraction and we went to the town hall to show our faces. The understanding of the policeman and his excellent attention exempted us from the fine, without processing, and allowed us to spend a magnificent day in this wonderful town. We encourage the council to install a motorhome area, which is sure to be successful and attracts quality tourism to the town that consumes and visits tourist sites, particularly its castle.
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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.