Castle of Puebla de Sanabria, Medieval fortress in Puebla de Sanabria, Spain.
The Castle of Puebla de Sanabria is a medieval fortress that rises on a hilltop above the town, surrounded by sturdy granite walls and imposing towers. Inside, the structure follows a square layout with a large central courtyard dominated by the main tower known as El Macho, which stands at the heart of the fortification.
The fortress was built in the 15th century by Count Alonso Pimentel Enríquez, replacing an earlier fortification that already stood at this location before 1132. This reconstruction was driven by the need to reinforce border defenses and maintain control over this strategically important area.
The castle shapes the town's character with its solid stone walls that dominate the skyline and its courtyards where local life unfolds. Visitors can walk through spaces that once housed the ruling family and understand how they influenced the region.
The fortress is accessible during daylight hours and can be explored on foot through relatively straightforward paths within the structure. Visitors enter from the town below and climb toward the main entrance, where they can move through the different sections of the interior at their own pace.
Its position near the border made this fortress a contested stronghold that changed control multiple times throughout history. This turbulent past shaped the structure and turned it into a testimony of the regional conflicts that marked the area.
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