Castle of Molina de Aragón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castle of Molina de Aragón |
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| Native name Spanish: Castillo de Molina de Aragón |
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| Location | Molina de Aragón, Spain |
| Official name: Castillo de Molina de Aragón | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 1931 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0000614 |
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The Castle of Molina de Aragón is a really old and strong castle in Molina de Aragón, a town in Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It's also known as an alcázar or alcazaba, which are types of fortified palaces or strongholds. In 1931, it was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural, meaning it's a very important historical site that needs to be protected.
This amazing castle sits high up on a hill. From there, it can watch over the whole valley around it. It's made up of two main parts: a big outer wall with four gates and many towers, and an inner fortress. This inner part has six towers, and four of them are still in good shape today! Long ago, there was even a small village inside the outer walls.
The Castle of Molina de Aragón
What is it?
The Castle of Molina de Aragón is a large and impressive fortress. It was built to protect the people and the land around it. Castles like this were super important in the past. They served as homes for powerful leaders and as strong defenses against enemies.
The castle's design is very clever. The outer walls were the first line of defense. If attackers got past those, they would still have to face the strong inner fortress. This made the castle very hard to capture.
A Long History
The story of the Castle of Molina de Aragón goes back a very long time. It started as a Moorish fortress between the 10th and 11th centuries. The Moors were people from North Africa who ruled parts of Spain for many hundreds of years. They built their fortress on top of an even older castle that belonged to the Celtiberians. The Celtiberians were ancient people who lived in Spain before the Romans arrived.
For a while, the castle was the home of the lords of the taifa of Molina. A taifa was a small kingdom in Spain during the time of Moorish rule. A famous Spanish hero, El Cid, even stayed here when he was sent away from the Kingdom of Castile.
In 1129, a Christian king named Alfonso I of Aragon took the castle from the Moors. He then gave it to a powerful noble family called the Lara family. This shows how important the castle was, as different rulers fought over it for centuries. It has seen many changes and played a big part in Spanish history.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Molina de Aragón para niños
