Almodóvar del Río Castle

Anyone approaching Almodóvar del Río sees it from afar: the castle crowns the hill known as El Redondo and towers over the town with a silhouette of towers and walls that seems to belong to another age. It is also known as the Castillo de la Floresta, and it is one of the most recognisable Andalusi fortresses in the province of Córdoba.

The site's history goes back a long way. Before the present fortress existed, a Roman fort stood on this hill, proof that its strategic position was already prized in Antiquity. The building you can explore today, however, is Arab in origin and dates from 760, in the early days of al-Andalus. Throughout the Middle Ages it underwent various alterations and rebuildings, each leaving its mark on the structure.

Much of its current appearance is owed to a restoration as ambitious as it was lengthy. Between 1901 and 1936, its owner, Rafael Desmaissieres y Farina, 12th Count of Torralva, undertook the works under the technical direction of the architect Adolfo Fernández Casanova. Thanks to those three and a half decades of work, the castle today stands complete and in good condition, something rarely seen in fortifications of such age.

During your visit, it is worth taking a close look at its main towers, each with a character of its own: the Square Tower, the Round Tower and the Keep, the latter traditionally the defensive heart of any fortress. From the top, moreover, it becomes clear why the Romans and the Andalusis chose this hill. Small wonder the castle draws ever more curious visitors: in 2025 it passed 104,000 visitors for the first time, its best figure to date.