RUTAS TEMÁTICAS

Route of the Castles

SOBRE LA Route of the Castles

We will take you on a route that will take you back in time to the Middle Ages, the period of maximum splendour of the castles.

During medieval times, these fortifications not only served military purposes but also served as residences for the nobility or the kings themselves, but with the decline of feudalism, at the end of the 16th century, they were abandoned and replaced by palatial mansions in the court, becoming obsolete in their military function and losing interest.

Our Route of the Castles, some of which have been declared Sites of Cultural Interest or Monuments in other cases, formed part of the border axis of the Duero between the Christian and Muslim kingdoms during the Reconquest.

CONOCE TODO SOBRE LA RUTA

The strategic location of the Castle of San Esteban de Gormaz, on the top of a hill, allowed control of the bridge that spanned the Duero River. Despite its ruinous state, the castle of San Esteban de Gormaz is of great importance, and part of its wall, other remains of walls and a cistern are still preserved.

We continue with the Castle of Peñaranda de Duero, a robust and sober fortress, which has a striking “keep” due to its size and its good state of conservation. Inside this tower there is a Castle Interpretation Centre.

The town of Peñafiel can be seen from afar thanks to the presence of its imposing and regal castle, home to the Provincial Wine Museum of Valladolid since 1999 and one of the greatest emblems of wine tourism on the Ribera del Duero Wine Route. Its unique architecture adapts to the configuration of the hill of Peñafiel along more than 210 metres long and 33 metres wide, giving it the appearance of a gigantic ship, being known as “The Ship of Castile”.

The castle of Curiel de Duero is said to be the oldest castle in Valladolid and also the highest inhabited point in the province. It was owned by seven Castilian kings and among its anecdotes it is said that Diego de Castilla y Sandoval was imprisoned in the fortress for 54 years.

Langa de Duero Castle was built in the 14th or 15th centuries. Legend has it that the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, half-brother of Queen Leonor of Castile, was imprisoned in its tower, managing to escape thanks to a rope provided by the villagers themselves. It is known by the locals as “Cubo” and the Catholic Monarchs themselves stayed in this castle in 1506. The only part of the castle that remains intact is its tower, which has been restored and opened to the public.

The municipality of Haza is one of the “balconies” of the Ribera del Duero par excellence, with extraordinary views of the fertile lowlands of the river Riaza. Of its 10th century castle, only its keep and an enormous well are barely preserved.

The Castle of Castillejo de Robledo was built by the Order of the Temple in the 12th century on the site of an earlier Muslim fortification and is in a state of near ruin.

And we end our tour with the Torreón de los Guzmán, in Caleruega, a four-storey rectangular tower, 17 metres high and implacable in appearance, reinforced with two-metre thick walls, dating from the 10th century.