Castle sights in Castilla Y León
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A
Alcázar
Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches’ hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairy-tale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney’s vision of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (fortress). It was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative, over-the-top reconstruction of the original.
Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, with its ceiling of 392 pineapple-shaped ‘stalactites’, and the Sala de Reyes, featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings…
reviewed
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B
Castillo de Burgos
Crowning the leafy hilltop Parque de Castillo are the massive fortifications of the rebuilt Castillo de Burgos. Dating from the 9th century, the castle has witnessed a turbulent history, suffering a fire in 1736 before finally being blown up by Napoleon's retreating troops in 1813. There's a small museum here covering the history of the town and, thanks to recent excavations, some of the original foundations of the castle are on view. Just south of the car park is a mirador (lookout), which offers terrific views over the town.
reviewed
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Coca Castle
A typically dusty, inward-looking Castilian village, 50km northwest of Segovia, Coca is presided over by a stunning all-brick castle, a virtuoso piece of Gothic-Mudéjar architecture.
reviewed
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C
Casa de Botines
Antoni Gaudí's contribution to León's skyline is the castle-like neo-Gothic Casa de Botines (1893); the zany architect of Barcelona fame seems to have been subdued by more sober León.
reviewed
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Castillo de Pedraza
At the far end of town stands the lonely Castillo de Pedraza, unusual for its intact outer wall.
reviewed
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D
Alcázar
Rapunzel towers, turrets topped with slate witches' hats and a deep moat at its base make the Alcázar a prototype fairy-tale castle, so much so that its design inspired Walt Disney's vision of Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Fortified since Roman days, the site takes its name from the Arabic al-qasr (fortress). It was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th and 14th centuries, but the whole lot burned down in 1862. What you see today is an evocative, over-the-top reconstruction of the original. Highlights include the Sala de las Piñas, with its ceiling of 392 pineapple-shaped 'stalactites', and the Sala de Reyes, featuring a three-dimensional frieze of 52 sculptures of kings who…
reviewed