Castillo de Cornatel perches dramatically above Villavieja in El Bierzo, León, on a rocky promontory surrounded by 180-meter ravines carved by the Rioferreiros stream. Possibly originating as the Roman Castelo de Ulver, which defended gold operations at nearby Las Médulas, the fortress was likely rebuilt by the Knights Templar following Alfonso IX's 1211 donation. After the order's suppression in 1312, the castle became Crown property and eventually passed to the Marqués de Villafranca del Bierzo in 1486. Government restoration began in 2002, and today the castle contains a museum showcasing its construction phases and a display of medieval polearms belonging to the local Knights of Ulver association.
