Castle of Maella, Spanish castle

The Castle of Maella, also called the Castle of the Count of Aranda, stands in ruins on the upper part of the town of Maella, in the Bajo Aragón-Caspe region of Zaragoza province. Its remaining palace is a square building about twenty metres on each side, with two storeys and a central courtyard. It keeps late Gothic doorways with arches of different types, and outside there are remains of a wall with semicircular towers.

The castle is of medieval origin and belonged to the Order of Calatrava from the 13th to the 15th century. In the 16th century it was converted into a palace, and the remains visible today date from that period. It later passed to the Abarca de Bolea family, who held the title of Counts of Aranda and gave the building its alternative name. It was destroyed during the Carlist Wars.

The castle is owned by the town council of Maella and is open to visitors at no cost, with access via a ramp on the east side. The walk is straightforward and the hilltop location provides views of the surrounding valley and the Matarraña river area.

The castle appears on Spain's Red List of Endangered Heritage because of its poor state of conservation. The palace that survives today is a square building about twenty metres on each side, with two floors and a central courtyard, and it keeps late Gothic doorways with arches of different types.