Castillo de Riba de Santiuste

Spain, Spain

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The Castillo de Riba de Santiuste is a narrow, elongated 12th-13th century fortress dramatically perched on a steep hill near Sigüenza in Guadalajara province, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, first mentioned when Alfonso VI donated it and the nearby villa of la Ripa to Bishop Bernardo de Agén.

Stretching 90 meters long by 14 meters wide with defensive turrets guarding a difficult access path, parade ground, multiple towers including a pentagonal northern one, stables, and restored battlements, it repelled attackers by forcing sieges at the hill base rather than the impregnable walls.

Captured by storm in the 15th century by Navarrese forces then retaken after a five-month siege by Dean López de Madrid—who briefly declared himself bishop—it was later mined by French troops in the 19th-century War of Independence, surviving today in excellent condition as a protected cultural monument with free access.