Cuéllar Castle

Cuéllar Castle or The Castle of the Dukes of Alburquerque is the most emblematic monument in the town of Cuéllar,[1][2] located in the province of Segovia, autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural (Property of Cultural Interest) on 3 June 1931.[3]

View of the walls and the castle.
Cuéllar Castle
Castillo de Cuéllar
Cuéllar Castle
Alternative namesCastle-Palace of the dukes of Albuquerque (Castillo-Palacio de los duques de Alburquerque)
General information
LocationCuéllar
Province of Segovia
Castile and León
Spain
AddressCalle del Palacio, s/n
Coordinates41°24′03″N 4°19′12″W
Current tenantsMinistry of Education of Spain
IES Duque de Alburquerque
Construction started11th century
Completed17th century
Renovated1972
OwnerJuan Miguel Osorio y Bertrán de Lis
XIX Duke of Alburquerque
XVI Marquis of Cuéllar
Height20 m
Technical details
Floor area1.025 m²
Design and construction
ArchitectHanequin of Brussels
Hanequin of Cuéllar
Juan Guas
Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón
Juan Gil de Hontañón
Juan de Álava
Juan Gil de Hontañón “el Mozo”
Hernán González de Lara

The castle is conserved in good condition, and it has been built in different architectural styles between the 13th and 18th century. Much of the castle in the Gothic and Renaissance styles. The military building was extended and transformed in the 16th century, turning it into the palace of the Duke of Alburquerque. During its different building stages, masters such as Juan Guas, Hanequin of Brussels and her son Hanequin de Cuéllar, Juan, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, and Juan Gil de Hontañón "el mozo" or Juan de Álava have worked on the castle.

Among its historical owners, stands out Álvaro de Luna and Beltrán de la Cueva, as well as the successive Dukes of Alburquerque. Distinguished guests on it were some Castilian monarchs, as Juan I and his wife the Queen Leonor de Aragón y de Sicilia, that died on it, or María de Molina, that took refuge on this castle when her Kingdom was rejecting her. Also stands out figures as the painter Francisco Javier Parcerisa, or the writer José de Espronceda, the generals Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo and Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who set his garrison barracks in this castle during the Spanish War of Independence.

Courtyard

The Dukes of Alburquerque lived in this castle for centuries until they moved to Madrid to be close to the court. Thereafter they used the castle for leisure and holidays, abandoning the building slowly. In the late 19th century the castle was almost completely abandoned, and was the victim of robberies. In 1938 a political prison was created within the castle, and later a sanatorium for prisoners affected by tuberculosis. It was used as a prison until 1966.

In 1972, the Department of Fine Arts carried out an intensive restoration, and made it the home of a Vocational Education school, which continues to this day.

References
  1. Escuela Internacional S. L. "Ciudades españolas: Cuéllar y Peñafiel" (in Spanish). Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  2. VELASCO BAYÓN, Balbino (2008). Mediterráneo - Meral (ed.). Pueblos de España: Cuéllar (Segovia). Photo by Álvaro Viloria. Boadilla del Monte (Madrid). p. 28. ISBN 978-84-935685-4-2.
  3. VELASCO BAYÓN, Balbino (1996). Historia de Cuéllar (4th ed.). Segovia. p. 322. ISBN 84-500-4620-3.
    Can be looked up online on the data base of protected buildings of the Ministry of Culture by writing in the field "Bien" the name of this monument.
Homage Tower, door, foss with the falsabraga (curtain wall) and the entrance.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.