Castle of Belmonte
Calle de Eugenia Montijo, s/n 16640 Belmonte – Cuenca
Cultural Visit
The Marquis of Villena, Don Juan Pacheco, ordered it built in Mudejar Gothic style in 1456. He was trusted man of King Henry IV of Castile, and the most powerful lord in the kingdom at the time.
The star-shaped layout of the castle is one-of-a-kind, and its palatial interior decorated with luxurious Mudejar roofs in the halls and galleries, as well as the "medieval bestiary" sculpted in stone, are nonpareil in Spain. All this undeniably makes for one of the most emblematic castles in our country.
The castle has been perfectly preserved thanks to the efforts of its owners over the centuries, completed with the latest restoration. On this occasion, the Ducal House of Peñaranda and Montijo, descendants of the Marquis of Villena and owners of the Castle, have been supported by public institutions.
The Castle of Belmonte reopened its doors to the public in July 2010, offering the visitor a cultural tour throughout the history of this emblematic monument, all the way from the 15th century to the present. The cultural tour provides an audio guide in 4 languages (Spanish, English, French and Italian), an audio-visual room with a large-screen 12-minute projection as an introduction to the tour, and light and sound technology that make visitors travel to a different time.
Moreover, since August 2018, the largest historic-thematic park with real-scale siege machines in the world, Trebuchet Park, has been located at the foot of the fortress.
Throughout the tour, visitors can observe 40 siege machines in four different thematic areas: the Christian world, the Muslim world, the Eastern world and the Renaissance. Regarding the timeline, the artefacts in the first three spaces are from the 5th and 14th centuries, and the Renaissance area set in the 15th–16th century.
All of the machines have been tested and they work just as they did at the time, reconstructed with the same period materials. Historically rigorous, they used available documentation (miniatures, engravings, period texts, iconographic depictions and archaeological remains)
The Marquis of Villena, Don Juan Pacheco, ordered it built in Mudejar Gothic style in 1456. He was trusted man of King Henry IV of Castile, and the most powerful lord in the kingdom at the time.
The star-shaped layout of the castle is one-of-a-kind, and its palatial interior decorated with luxurious Mudejar roofs in the halls and galleries, as well as the "medieval bestiary" sculpted in stone, are nonpareil in Spain. All this undeniably makes for one of the most emblematic castles in our country.
The castle has been perfectly preserved thanks to the efforts of its owners over the centuries, completed with the latest restoration. On this occasion, the Ducal House of Peñaranda and Montijo, descendants of the Marquis of Villena and owners of the Castle, have been supported by public institutions.
The Castle of Belmonte reopened its doors to the public in July 2010, offering the visitor a cultural tour throughout the history of this emblematic monument, all the way from the 15th century to the present. The cultural tour provides an audio guide in 4 languages (Spanish, English, French and Italian), an audio-visual room with a large-screen 12-minute projection as an introduction to the tour, and light and sound technology that make visitors travel to a different time.
Moreover, since August 2018, the largest historic-thematic park with real-scale siege machines in the world, Trebuchet Park, has been located at the foot of the fortress.
Throughout the tour, visitors can observe 40 siege machines in four different thematic areas: the Christian world, the Muslim world, the Eastern world and the Renaissance. Regarding the timeline, the artefacts in the first three spaces are from the 5th and 14th centuries, and the Renaissance area set in the 15th–16th century.
All of the machines have been tested and they work just as they did at the time, reconstructed with the same period materials. Historically rigorous, they used available documentation (miniatures, engravings, period texts, iconographic depictions and archaeological remains)
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Recommended Activities
Schedule
TIMETABLE
From January 7th to February 28th 2021
- From Tuesday to Friday- Mornings from 11h to 14h Afternoons CLOSE
- Weekends - Mornings from 10h to 14h Afternoons from 15:30h to 18:30h
From March 2th to April 25th
-
Mornings de 10h a 14h
- Afternoons de 16h a 19h
From April 27th to September 26th
-
Mornings de 10h a 14h
- Afternoons de 16:30h a 20:30h
From September 28th to January 9th 2022
-
Mornings de 10h a 14h
- Afternoons de 16h a 19h
** CLOSED:
- Closed on Mondays: Except Spain Banks Holidays – all Monday of AUGUST are OPEN.
- Closed on December 24th in the AFTERNOON (Open in the morning from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
- Closed on December 25 (2021) and January 1st (2022)
Location
Eugenia Montijo St., nn, 16640 Belmonte – Cuenca
From Madrid (90 minutes)
Via the Valencia Motorway (145 kms): Motorway A-3 in the direction of Valencia. Take exit 104 (Saelices-Segobriga). Follow signs for BELMONTE (going through La Puebla de Almenara, Tresjuncos and Osa de la Vega).
Via the Andalucía Motorway (175 kms): Take the A-4 to Ocaña, then AP-36 towards ALBACETE, until reaching the Mota del Cuervo exit. Go through Mota and continue towards Belmonte.
From Valencia (two and a half hours) - 240 kms.
Motorway A-3 in the direction of Madrid. Take exit 154 at La Almarcha (N-420/Mota del Cuervo sign), go through Villagordo del Marquesado and Villaescusa de Haro
