Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

Castle in Córdoba

Castillo De Almodovar Del Rio — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Rabe!

Castillo de Almodóvar del Río or Almodóvar Castle is is a castle of Muslim origin in the town of Almodóvar del Río, Province of Córdoba, Spain. It is located 22 kilometers from the capital, Córdoba, and sits above the municipality of Almodóvar del Río. The castle was of vital importance, since its strategic location guaranteed the safety of the Cordovan capital. Its proximity to the Guadalquivir river allowed it to control river traffic at a time when the river was navigable to Córdoba. The castle, which is still privately-owned runs a host of activities such as medieval reenactment, murder mystery nights and combat training. See their website for more details.

History of the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

The origins of the fortress date back to Roman and Visigoth times. The current structure is of Arab origin, from the year 760 when the Moors built a fortress called Al-Mudawwar, named after the town. The town of Almodovar del Rio and its castle, played an extremely important role in the Córdoba’s defense owing to its strategic location on a hill next to the Guadalquivir river, which at that time was navigable for small vessels.

During the Middle Ages, in 1240, during the reign of Ferdinand III – The Saint, it passed into Christian hands. During the reigns of Pedro I and Enrique II, it was converted into a royal residence.

In 1629 Felipe IV agreed to the sale of Almodóvar del Río to Francisco del Corral y Guzmán, Knight of the Order of Santiago.

Between 1901 and 1936, it was restored by the owner Raphael Desmaissiers, 12th Count of Torravala, under the technical direction of the architect Adolfo Fernández Casanova. The most important towers are the Cuadrada, the Redonda, and the Homenaje. In 1903 some restoration tasks were undertaken, carried out by the Count of Torralva, owner of the castle, which lasted until 1936.

What can you see in the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

Of this imposing defensive construction with nine towers of which the Cuadrada or Square tower, Redonda or Round Tower and Homenaje or Homage tower. But these are not the only elements that we can see in the fortress: the parade ground, the walls and even the cisterns are worth mentioning individually. In short, your visit is like a journey through time.

Visiting the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

This castle can be visited every day of the year except December 25 and January 1. On weekends and holidays the hours are continuous. On Wednesday afternoon admission is free for citizens of the European Community. Its rooms are also used to celebrate events, company meals and presentations.

Game of Thrones and the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

Fans of the HBO Game of Thrones series should not miss the visit to the Almodóvar Castle since part of the seventh season was filmed inside the castle. It was the location in November 2016 for filming Highgarden, the ancestral home of House Tyrell and also the dungeon of the fortress was Casterly Rock. There is a small exhibitions of the costumes of the characters from the film and photographs from the filming.

The Castillo de Almodóvar del Río appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Córdoba!

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