Moclín Castle, Moclín, Spain

Moclín Castle was built in the mid-13th century to help defend the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. It is also known as the Hins Al-Muqlin, (literally the fortress of the two pupils). It was built to mark the frontier between the kingdoms of Granada and Castile. The Castillo de Moclín was continuously besieged during the Hispano-Moorish settlement, falling into the hands of the Catholic Kings in 1486.

The castle is divided into two distinct parts. The first part is defined by the outer walls, which are at their thinnest towards the west and the south, getting lower as they get nearer Tajos de la Hoz. At some points it is the rock not the wall that is used to defend. The entrance to the castle is typical of its time – an entrance gate with a pointed arc, connected to a corridor, running from west to east. Within this first part the “albacar” is also located, interior space between the alcazaba and the outer wall.

The second area of the castle, the alcazaba, can be reached along the Camino Real (the Royal Road) that still exists today. You enter this part of the castle through a more simply decorated gateway, also typical of the time. Here, the Torre de Homenaje tower stands out higher than the others. It is located in the north-eastern part of the enclosure, with views over Alcala La Real. Within the alcazaba, in the upper part, there is also an interesting and very large water cistern, which played an important role during the siege of the castle.

References:

turgranada.es

User Reviews

Pascal Bleckmann (2 years ago)
Making money out of everything :( it's a shame... You can not visit without paying. Only open Saturday and Sunday morning. But when it is open it is butifull

Pierre Swanepoel (5 years ago)
We read om the council site they have daily tours at 5 so we drove for more than a hour to be there just to stand around outside with some other people who did the same to no avail. We phoned the number there and no answer. The ayuntamiento of this town could at least post somewhere online that it will be closed, it's the year 2020 for goodness sake. We will definitely not go back or recommend it to anyone.

nancy van erp (6 years ago)
Old fasion and sightseeing beautiful. Only one shop one pub

J (6 years ago)
Open Saturday and Sunday. 11am. But sometimes not open when published did have a nice snooze for a few hours and children had no WiFi so had to try to entertain themselves. Amazing views and drive there

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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.

Moclín Castle

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