Castillo de Azagala

En un regard

Le château en bref

Azagala Castle is a long rock-cut fortress built on a ridge of the Sierra de San Pedro, some twelve kilometres east of Alburquerque, overlooking the valleys of the Zapatón and the Albarragena. Erected in the 13th century, it belonged to the frontier defensive network that included Piedrabuena, Mayorga and the castle of Luna. Its layout follows the rock for about 140 metres, in three successive enclosures containing the Tower of the Arms, the keep, the Tower of the Smokes and a distinctive triangular tower. Passing between great lineages, members of the royal family and the Order of Alcántara, it was sold in the 18th century to the Marquis of Portago, became a farm, and then a refuge for maquis fighters after the Civil War. Abandoned since 1992 and looted, it has been on Hispania Nostra's Red List since 2007; it is privately owned.