CASTLES BRIHUEGA

The Puerta de la Cadena in Brihuega, Guadalajara, stands as one of five historic gates once securing the town's walls, notable for its semicircular arch with battlements. This northern gateway commemorates the fierce assault of 1710 during the War of Spanish Succession through inscribed plaques marking the Battle of Brihuega-Villaviciosa. Above these historical markers, a sculptural niche honors the Immaculate Conception, symbolizing the spiritual dimension of the town's defense. Known in older documents as the Puerta de Valdeatienza for the road to Atienza it controlled, the gate represents both medieval military engineering and the region's turbulent early modern history.

Castillo de Fuentes de la Alcarria sits at the entrance to the town of Fuentes de la Alcarria near Brihuega in Guadalajara province. Positioned on a rocky outcrop surrounded by a dramatic curve of the Ungría River, the castle formed a natural fortress accessible only by a narrow strip of land. Built with thick stone walls and mortar, it consisted of a substantial tower with an adjoining courtyard of arms. In 1579, García de Barrionuevo acquired the fortified town, exercising full jurisdictional authority including collection of taxes from merchants utilizing its strategic river crossing. Today, remnants of its fortified gateway and partial walls remain testament to its defensive past.