Spain · Restored
Castillo de Alarcón
The Castle of Alarcón is a medieval fortress in Cuenca, Spain, formed by a broad stone curtain that encloses the town and a distinct castle complex within. The defences include five detached exterior towers placed around the enclosure. It was an active lordly stronghold in the Middle Ages and later converted into a parador hotel in the 20th century.
Its prime
1450
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1450
What Castillo de Alarcón looked like in its prime.
A compact medieval fortress set within a continuous stone curtain wall that encircles the town; inside the wall the castle proper rises as a cluster of stone structures. Five separate exterior towers stand apart from the main curtain, positioned at strategic points. The masonry is coarse-hewn stone with visible mortar joints; the wall creates a clearly defined perimeter enclosing rooftops and service buildings.
Its story
The story of Castillo de Alarcón.
The Castle of Alarcón forms part of the fortifications ringing the town of Alarcón in Cuenca: a walled enclosure holding the heart of the settlement and the castle proper, with five detached towers placed strategically outside it. During its time under Muslim power the castle served as a defensive stronghold amid internal conflicts; later the lordship descended to Fernando Manuel de Villena and then to his granddaughter Blanca.
On 5 June 1863 José María Fernández de Velasco, 15th Duke of Frías, sold the castle and "four or five little towers more" to Rafael Lázaro Álvarez de Torrijos for 20,000 reales. The family held it for a century, until 1963, when the Minister for Information and Tourism, Manuel Fraga Iribarne, expropriated it; the fortress was converted into a parador hotel in the 20th century.
Local legend tells of a lord of the castle who learned that a rejected suitor of his sister, deeply resentful, planned to murder him and kidnap her, so when a stranger arrived one day asking to meet the lord in private, he suspected an assassin and took great care in preparing the meeting.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1450.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Castillo de Alarcón, including 1 interior: prince juan manuel's chamber. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Castillo de Alarcón with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1450, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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Clans who held Castillo de Alarcón.
The families that held Castillo de Alarcón for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Fernández de Velasco
Held by the Fernández de Velasco Dukes of Frías until the 15th Duke sold the castle in 1863.
Álvarez de Torrijos
Held by the Álvarez de Torrijos family from 1863 until expropriated by the state in 1963.
