Torres do Oeste

Spain, Spain

---

Torres do Oeste, also known as the Towers of the West, are the evocative ruins of a medieval fortress in Catoira, Galicia, Spain, at the head of the Ría de Arousa estuary along the Ulla River.

Originating from a pre-Roman castro settlement in the 2nd-1st centuries BC and later fortified by Romans as Castellum Honesti, it was rebuilt in the 9th century by King Alfonso III of León to repel Viking raids, then donated to the Archbishopric of Santiago de Compostela by Alfonso V, with major 12th-century expansions by bishops like Diego Gelmírez featuring seven towers, defensive marshes, and a chapel to Saint James.

Once a vital gateway protecting Compostela from Norman and Saracen attacks while controlling river trade, the site declined after the 15th century, earning Historic-Artistic Monument status and now hosting the annual Romaría Vikinga festival reenacting its Viking defenses amid scenic coastal marshes.