Sigüenza Castle

Today it is possible to sleep within the walls where the bishops of Sigüenza lived for centuries. The castle that crowns this town in the province of Guadalajara has operated as a Parador Nacional de Turismo since 1972, so visitors can not only admire it from the outside but also experience it from within – something few monuments of such age allow.

Its history begins long before the bishops. A Muslim fortress already stood on this very spot in the early 8th century, and the present castle was built on top of it during the first quarter of the 12th century. From then on, the building had a dual nature that can still be sensed today: that of a defensive fortress and that of a palace, as it was the usual residence of the bishops of Sigüenza until the mid-19th century.

A building with such a long life could hardly remain unchanged. Throughout the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th centuries, one renovation followed another, each adapting the complex to the needs and tastes of its time. But history also had far less kind episodes in store for it: in 1811 the French invasion caused considerable damage, which was repeated during the Carlist Wars and, in the 20th century, during the Spanish Civil War.

So much accumulated damage made an almost complete restoration of the building necessary. What is interesting is that it was not done on a whim, but by following the old plans and documents, with the aim of restoring its historical appearance. The result is the castle that dominates Sigüenza today, a visit that sums up in stone much of the town's history, from the days of al-Andalus to the present.