Segovia - Alcázar

The Alcázar, built on a steep-sided crag between the valleys of the Eresma and the Clamores, which join here, is a magnificent example of the military architecture of Old Castile, originally dating from the 11th century. It was rebuilt by Alfonso the Wise in the 13th Century and enlarged and embellished in the 15th and 16th centuries. The marriage of Philip II and Anne of Austria was celebrated here. The Alcázar was badly damaged by fire in 1862 but was subsequently restored.

The castle is entered through the Torre de Juan II, which is ringed by ten semicircular turrets (cubos). This tower and the round helm-roofed Torre del Homenaje at the opposite end of the Alcázar both date from the 14th Century. The laborious climb up the Torre de Juan II - laborious because of the cramped conditions - is rewarded by superb views of the town, the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Meseta. A tour of the castle gives some idea of the life-style of the high nobility in the 15th and 16th centuries. Visitors are shown eleven rooms built round two inner courtyards. The first notable room on the tour is the Sala del Trono (Throne Room), with a magnificent gilded ceiling. Beyond this is the Sala de la Galera, with arched windows from which there are fine views of the river valley. Then follow a number of rooms furnished in period style, with tapestries, arms and armor, and the chapel. From the small courtyard below the Torre de Homenaje the tour turns back, passing through three rooms containing a museum of military history.