Castle of the Bishops of Sigüenza

The Castle of the Bishops of Sigüenza stands on the highest point of the ridge above the town, commanding views over the surrounding plateau and the Henares valley. It was built by the bishops of Sigüenza in the 12th century as both a residence and a defence, and remained in ecclesiastical hands for most of its history. The walls and towers follow the contour of the rocky outcrop, giving the building an organic relationship with its setting that is more impressive than any formal architectural plan.

Today the castle operates as a Parador Nacional, the Spanish state hotel chain specialising in historic buildings. You do not need to be a guest to walk up to the exterior and appreciate the building's position over the town; the courtyard and some areas are accessible to non-guests. The combination of the cathedral below and the castle above gives Sigüenza an unusually complete medieval townscape, with the two poles of medieval power — church and fortress — still clearly readable in the landscape.

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A story
During the Spanish Civil War, the castle was the scene of sustained fighting between Republican and Nationalist forces. It changed hands several times, and in 1936 a group of Nationalist officers and their families held out inside for months against Republican siege. The castle was heavily damaged in the fighting and much of the medieval fabric was destroyed or compromised. The reconstruction that followed was completed in the 1970s, turning it into a Parador.

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