Spain - a land of castles

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Spain - a land of castles and fortresses

      For anyone planning a trip that takes  in a visit to some fabulous mediaeval or Renaissance castles, Spain is the country to go to.
        Centuries of conflict between Christians and Muslims in Spain have given the country a very rich heritage of litterally thousands of castles and fortresses, some huge, some big, some small, some fine and intact, many in ruins.
   While the southern parts of Spain abound with "Arab" fortresses, the northern half is home to large numbers of "Christian" castles, built during the time of the Reconquest, often by building onto existing defensive positions built by the Moors - who were great military architects.
    Castles were such a common feature in early mediaeval Spain, that they became the defining characteristic of the central part of the country which became known as Castile – Castilla in Spanish – the land of  castles.
     Spain is the kind of country where, driving along a rural byway, one suddenly finds oneself face to face with an impressive mediaeval keep, or massive fortress perched atop a rock in the middle of nowhere.... and not even mentioned in any general guidebook. In rural locations such sites may well be deserted, and the visitor is free to wander round the ruins which may or may not have information boards.    After the reunification of Spain, defensive castles no loger served much purpose. Many fell into ruin, many more were deliberately demolished or part-demolished, to discourage local power bases or insurgency against the crown..
   Then from the Renaissance onwards, Spanish kings, princes, bishops and other grandees built or rebuilt their own castles, now serving as stately residences rather than fortresses, with baroque exuberence or neoclassical refinement – and sometimes both together.
   The choice below lists just a tiny fraction of all the castles in Spain: it does not include some of the finest Moorish castles, - Granada's Alhambra, the Alcazar at Malaga - that are included in the list of best Moorish monuments in Spain
   
   
A few of the most impressive and significant castles in Spain: an ecelectic selection.
This list just scratches the surface; Spain has so many castles, that some are only listed on detailed maps, or strictly local guidebooks and brochures. Travellers wandering off the beaten track through Spain may well chance upon a fine old fortress, partly or largely in ruins, but freely accessible on foot to those who like to muse on their own round old ruins

More information:
Wikipedia :  incomplete but extensive list of castles in Spain