Alarcon Castle

Alarcon Castle is an attractive, well preserved medieval fortress which is located in central Spain, in the province of La Mancha. This fortified building rises above the Spanish town of the same name, as it dominates with height of 200 feet the rocky promontory. Under the spectacular towering Alarcon remains the fertile valley of the River Jucar.

The history of Alarcon Castle started somewhere from the 7th or 8th century when the original building there was built by the Moors. In the 12th century the fortress was in possession of King Alfonso VIII. At a later stage of history, Alarcon Castle became the home of the Marquises de Villena. For nearly twelve centuries of its existence the castle survived and took part in many uprisings and besieges.

From the pinnacles of Alarcon Castle there is an interesting view of the whole castle and the main tower (Torre del Homenaje). The triple defensive wall is a real link back to the Middle Ages. Despite the massive defensive system, the main defense of the castle comes from its location. Alarcon is protected from attack because it is ideologically built on the edge of the river ravine Jukar that has a natural moat on three sides and down into the ravine.

Today Alarcon Castle has become an attractive tourist attraction, the castle’s guests have the opportunity to spend the night in one of the 13 rooms designated for this. All of them are in the great tower, and most are small and keep its former media type having one small window at the bottom.

The Great Hall of Alarcon Castle is now turned into something like a dining room and its walls are decorated with battle armor, medieval weapons and dark pictures. Although a small castle, Alarcon impresses with its absolute authenticity, which is magnetic for hundreds of visitors annually who come to spend a couple days with the spirit of the past.