Castelo de Monterrei

Monterrei, Spain, Spain

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Castelo de Monterrei is Galicia's largest and best-preserved medieval fortress, strategically positioned on a hilltop in Monterrei near Verín, Ourense province, Spain, overlooking the Portuguese border along the Támega River valley.

Construction began in the 12th century under Alfonso Henriques, Portugal's first king, with triple defensive enclosures expanded through the 15th-17th centuries by the Counts of Monterrey, featuring the imposing 22.5-meter Torre del Homenaje keep with 3-meter-thick walls, Renaissance Palacio de los Condes arcades, Torre de las Damas, Gothic Santa María de Gracia church, and a 14-meter well.

Key to Iberian border conflicts including 1366 Castilian royal talks and pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela, it later became a monastery, barracks, and printing birthplace with the 1494 Misal Auriense before restoration as a Parador luxury hotel since 2015.