Castillo de Almaláff

Hortezuela de Océn, Spain, Spain

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The Castillo de Almaláff is a ruined medieval fortress in Hortezuela de Océn, Guadalajara province, Spain, perched on a high rocky plateau overlooking a valley toward the Tajuña River.

It originated as a Muslim watchtower from stone masonry, likely with a small surrounding wall, built atop an ancient Celtiberian site called Santa María de Almaláff, and was reconstructed around the early 12th century by Manrique de Lara, first lord of Molina, as a frontier outpost on the western edge of the Señorío de Molina.

Today, only scant remnants remain, including foundation stones, a pointed-arch doorway, rubble, and a partial wall near the Sanctuary of Santa María or Nuestra Señora de Océn with its Romanesque apse, and it remains freely accessible despite progressive ruin.