{"id":1989,"date":"2014-10-27T09:28:29","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T09:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2026-10-09T13:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T13:32:01","slug":"the-city-of-oropesa-and-its-castles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/articles\/the-city-of-oropesa-and-its-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"The City of Oropesa and Its Castles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two Spanish towns are called Oropesa, and both have a castle. Oropesa in the province of Toledo is an inland town with a medieval fortress and a counts’ palace. Oropesa del Mar, in the province of Castell\u00f3n, is a seaside resort with the remains of a Muslim castle and a line of coastal watchtowers. This post describes the castles of both towns, with visiting details for 2026, so that the two are not confused.<\/p>\n

Oropesa (Toledo): the old and the new castle<\/h2>\n

Oropesa stands on a hill between the rivers Tagus and Ti\u00e9tar, in the area known as Campo Ara\u00f1uelo. According to the town council, the Romans built a castellum<\/em> here to control the road between Toledo and M\u00e9rida, and under the Caliphate a fortress was raised on its remains. After Alfonso VI took Toledo in 1085 the town passed to the Crown, and Alfonso X granted its first privilege on 25 August 1274. A new fortification followed, and the walled enclosure was enlarged in 1321.<\/p>\n

In 1366 Henry II of Castile gave the lordship of Oropesa to Garc\u00eda \u00c1lvarez de Toledo. His son Fernando and Fernando’s wife, Elvira de Ayala, began rebuilding the old palace and the new castle, and the family lived in Oropesa until the 19th century. Spain’s official tourism site describes a four-sided stone castle with four circular towers, of which two are still standing. It forms part of the counts’ palace complex, which today houses a Parador hotel.<\/p>\n

Visiting the castle in 2026<\/h3>\n

The town council<\/a> publishes this timetable, in force since September 2026:<\/p>\n