CASTLES ARABA / ÁLAVA

The Tower of Mendoza is a 13th-century fortified tower in the village of Mendoza near Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, built as a residence of the powerful House of Mendoza. Rising five stories with civil Gothic architectural elements, the tower stands surrounded by a defensive wall featuring four corner cubes, exemplifying medieval military design. The Mendoza family's prominence in Castilian service began during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312-1350), establishing their regional influence. After serving the family for centuries, the tower was later used as a prison before being restored in 1963. Declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1984, the tower housed the Álava Heraldry Museum until 2007, preserving material evidence of the noble family's heritage and regional significance.

The Castle of Guevara-Gebara occupies a strategic hilltop position in Barrundia Municipality, Álava, overlooking the Zadorra river valley. Built during the 15th century by the Ladrón de Guevara family, the fortress was designed following the model of Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo to control crucial routes between Álava and Guipúzcoa during the regional conflicts of the War of the Bands. The fortification features thick stone walls measuring one-and-a-half meters, arrow slits for defense, and vaulted galleries running beneath protective walls. Destroyed during the First Carlist War in 1839 using substantial quantities of gunpowder, the castle remains designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural and holds recognized heritage status with the Basque government as a testament to the region's medieval power struggles.

Torre de Nograro is a Gothic-style tower house located in Valdegovía, Álava, built in the late 14th century by the Salazar family over earlier foundations. Standing 17 meters high with ashlar masonry, this defensive residence exemplifies Basque tower-house architecture with its four-story structure: ground floor for storage, main hall for multiple functions, residential chambers, and an upper level equipped with defensive features including machicolations and battlements. The complex originally included surrounding walls and a chapel dedicated to Santiago Apóstol, making it a significant example of late-medieval noble residential fortifications in the Basque region.

Mendietako Dorrea, or Mendieta Tower, is a 15th-century watchtower located in the medieval municipality of Artziniega in Álava's Ayala Valley. This fortified tower features distinctive embrasures and cannon holes that reflect its defensive purpose. The tower stands as part of Artziniega's rich medieval heritage and remains accessible to visitors as part of a scenic hiking route that connects the town's three historic towers through the natural landscape. Its elevated position offers panoramic views across the Ayala Valley, maintaining its original strategic viewpoint over the surrounding terrain.

Castillo de Marutegui in Asparrena, Araba/Álava in the Basque Country, stands as a ruin atop a strategically significant peak in northern Spain. Founded in the 8th century by García Iñiguez of Navarra for frontier defense, the castle rose 863 meters above the Llanada Alavesa with commanding views of the eastern plains and passages into Navarra. Its impregnable tower perched on a cliff with a walled enclosure below exemplified medieval military architecture. A pivotal stronghold in the medieval conflicts between Navarra and Castilla, the castle remained intact through numerous wars until abandonment in the 19th century, now standing as ruins that testify to Basque Country's complex feudal history.

Palacio de Egino represents a significant example of Basque architectural heritage, combining medieval fortification with aristocratic refinement. As part of the noble Álava family's legacy in Araba province, the structure reflects the region's transition from feudal military power to civilian governance. The palace demonstrates characteristic features of Basque tower-houses and seignorial residences that dominated the landscape during the late medieval and early modern periods. These fortified dwellings served dual purposes as both defensive structures and family seats for regional nobility, preserving in their design the martial necessities of their era while displaying the refined tastes of their elite occupants.

Castillo de Villamonte commands a dramatic position atop a cliff at 980 meters elevation near Peñacerrada in Álava, overlooking the historical routes connecting the Ebro valley to the highlands. This medieval military fortress occupies a rocky peak with access via the Ribas mountain pass. Documentary evidence from the 17th century confirms the castle's standing at that time, along with references to the nearby settlement of Uribarri. Protected under Spanish heritage law through both a 1949 decree and the 1985 Spanish Historical Heritage Law, Villamonte survives today in ruins and vestiges, offering hikers commanding views across the surrounding mountainous terrain and a tangible reminder of medieval highland defense systems.

Palacio de los Condes de Oñate occupies a prominent position in the main plaza of Salinillas de Burandón-Gatzaga Buradón in Álava province, also known as Torre de Salinillas or Palacio de los Ayala y Guevara. This isolated building presents a quadrangular floor plan comprising a ground floor and single upper story, with its east-facing main facade featuring five axes of openings. Built with meticulously cut stone reserved for the base, corner details, and window surrounds, the palace maintains clean, unadorned lines characteristic of its period. Though today only the four primary walls remain standing, the structure preserves the proud bearing of medieval aristocratic architecture and testifies to the region's noble families' long-standing influence over Álava's territories.