Castillo de Los Sotomayor Zuñiga Y Madroñiz

Spain, Spain

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Castillo de Los Sotomayor Zuñiga y Madroñiz, also known as Castillo de Belalcázar, is a 15th-century Gothic-military fortress in Belalcázar, Córdoba province, Spain, built starting around 1450 when King Juan II granted the lands to Gutierre de Sotomayor, Grand Master of the Order of Alcántara, as a residence and defense for the Sotomayor, Zuñiga, and Madroñiz noble families. Constructed atop earlier Muslim fortifications from the ancient town of Gafiq—including a meander-protected irregular wall with square towers—it features Andalusia's tallest keep, robust battlements, a Renaissance residential extension, and suffered severe damage during the 1810 Peninsular War siege by French forces against Wellington's troops. Recently consolidated by Andalusia's regional government between 2018-2020 after decades of decay and looting, this imposing landmark offers sweeping views over olive groves and rolling hills, symbolizing feudal power in Los Pedroches during the late Reconquista era.