Royal Palace of Olite

Olite, Spain, Spain

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The Royal Palace of Olite is a stunning Gothic castle-palace in the town of Olite, Navarre, northern Spain, built primarily between 1402 and 1424 under King Charles III the Noble, who transformed it into one of Europe's most luxurious medieval residences rivaling French châteaux.

Constructed over a 13th-century Roman fortress known as the Old Palace now partly a parador hotel the New Palace features massive stone walls, numerous slate-roofed towers like the Torre del Homenaje and Tres Coronas, hanging galleries, and opulent interiors once adorned with tapestries, gilded ceilings, and stained glass.

Partially destroyed by fire in 1813 and meticulously restored in the 1930s to its original splendor, it was declared a National Monument in 1925 and now serves as a museum attracting visitors to explore its royal history amid Navarre's rolling countryside.