Torrelbaton Castle

If castles are your weakness, you should see the medieval Torrelobaton castle with its unique architecture. Torrelobaton stands on a small hill, dominates the surrounding plains, near the village of the same name, which in turn is located in the province of Valladolid, part of the central northern Spanish region of Castile and León. Ancient castles in the region, including Torrelobaton have played a fundamental role during the wars between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages.

The small mountain of impressive Torrelobaton is located at the northern end of the same-title Spanish village. The architecture reminds of a powerful military fort as it was in the 15 century when the palace was built by the king and poet Juan 11. Erected on the ruins of an old fortress, castle Torrelobaton’s architectural plan is square with three powerful and stable fortification towers around it.

Towers surrounding the palace fort are eight in number, as at the bottom of the wall has slots for archery, but in its upper part are those which fired a gun. Through the entrance gate of Torrelobaton you enter the courtyard where the building of the soldiers and service personnel should have been. The palace was once reached by descending a bridge, but today there is no sign of it.

Torrelobaton Castle was built on three levels, as today is particularly attractive with its secret passageways and underground tunnels. After building the castle, it was bought by influential Spanish family Enriquez, admirals of Castile, which became Torrelobaton in their home and even put on the façade their own coat of arms.

Notable historical event in the Torrelobaton castle take place in 1521 when the monarchy is trying to establish its authority in the democratic functioning region of Castile. Owners of Torrelobaton strongly supported the monarch, with the result that the castle was besieged and captured by the civilian movement known as comuneros.

Today the castle is not open for public visits because it is used for grain storage. However, every year it is visited by a large amount of tourists.