Castillo de Zalamea de la Serena: A Medieval Fortress in Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Crown of Castile, Order of Alcántara, Spanish
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page13 sections
History
Castillo de Zalamea de la Serena is a stone fortress in Spain, attributed to an Islamic patronage context and listed as having been constructed in the twelfth century before reconstruction in the thirteenth century under Fernando III. Its present form also reflects later medieval building, including a fifteenth-century palace added beside the castle.
Islamic origins and Christian conquest
When Fernando III, the thirteenth-century king of Castile and León known as “the Saint,” captured Zalamea in 1232 with help from the Order of Alcántara, an Islamic military enclave appears to have already occupied the site. The Order of Alcántara was a military organization involved in Christian conquest and settlement in western and central Iberia. This campaign formed part of the Reconquista, the long medieval expansion of Christian kingdoms into territories ruled by Muslim polities.
The castle was reconstructed in the thirteenth century under Fernando III. The fortress visible in its later form, however, reflects subsequent building phases. Its regular rectangular plan, corner towers, and position within the settlement resemble fortifications constructed during the fifteenth century.
The Zúñiga palace and changing use
In the fifteenth century, Juan de Zúñiga, Master of the Order of Alcántara, built a palace along the western side of the castle. The palace stood beside the fortress and formed part of the later architectural development of the site.
The castle originally contained buildings against all four perimeter walls, arranged around an inner courtyard. These rooms accommodated personnel who carried out the fortress’s administrative functions. The buildings later disappeared, altering the relationship between the courtyard and the surrounding walls.
Abandonment and protection
A cistern was built at the centre of the parade ground during the sixteenth century. Abandonment began later in that century, after which the castle underwent gradual destruction. A cemetery was established within the fortress in 1826. It was later abandoned, and the castle then remained completely abandoned.
Castillo de Zalamea de la Serena has been designated an Asset of Cultural Interest as a Historic Site since 3 September 1991. It is also covered by Spain’s general protection for historic monuments under the Decree of 22 April 1949 and the Spanish Historical Heritage Law of 1985.
Remains
The fortress stands near Zalamea de la Serena in La Serena, in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. Built from stone and rubble masonry at an elevation of approximately 490 metres above sea level, it has a regular rectangular layout with towers at the corners. Four corner towers of the principal fortified enclosure survive, while the western curtain wall is missing. An outer defensive enclosure, known as the old enclosure or barbican, surrounded the main castle. Much of this barrier is ruined, and some of its elements were reused in later construction.
Corner fortifications
The keep
The keep is the largest tower in the castle. Its prismatic form and strongly defensive arrangement distinguish it from the other towers. The entrance is raised several metres above the level of the exterior ground, creating an elevated approach to the principal tower.
Tower of Oscura
The Tower of Oscura occupies the southwestern corner of the fortress. Its defensive interior contains extremely narrow passageways and several narrow flights of stairs. Movement through the tower requires repeated ascent and descent before reaching the terrace and descending again.
Tower of the Higueras
The Tower of the Higueras has a comparable system of narrow upward and downward routes. Its arrangement is simpler than that of the Tower of Oscura, while still forming part of the castle’s defensive corner system.
Tower Mocha
Tower Mocha stands at the northeastern corner. It is the only one of the four principal towers whose lower part is hollow, giving it a distinct internal arrangement within the surviving fortification.
Courtyard and adjoining buildings
Inner courtyard and cistern
The buildings that once lined all four sides of the castle opened onto an interior courtyard and supported the fortress’s administrative activity. They have disappeared, leaving the courtyard more openly defined by the surviving perimeter structures. At its centre, the cistern built in the sixteenth century remains in the parade ground.
Palace of Juan de Zúñiga
The palace built by Juan de Zúñiga in the fifteenth century stood alongside the western flank of the castle. It formed a separate adjoining element of the complex, while the western curtain wall of the principal fortress is no longer present.
