CASTLES ZARZA DE GRANADILLA

Castillo de Granadilla stands in the abandoned medieval village of Granadilla in Zarza de Granadilla, Cáceres province, featuring a distinctive square enclosure with semicircular towers attached to its faces. Built in the second half of the 15th century, likely under the direction of the first Grand Duke of Alba and constructed by master builders with Italian architectural influence, the castle incorporates earlier Almohad walls and possibly older Muslim fortifications. The village was evacuated in the mid-20th century when the Gabriel and Galán reservoir construction flooded the area. In 1980, the villa was declared a historic-artistic ensemble and was selected for the Program for Recovery of Abandoned Villages, making it a unique site where medieval architecture coexists with the landscape.

Castillo de Granadilla preserves a remarkable medieval fortress within the abandoned but beautifully maintained village of Granadilla in northwestern Cáceres province, Extremadura. The castle's origins trace to the 9th century when Muslim settlers constructed an alcazaba, later conquered by Ferdinand II of León in 1160 and subsequently modified by Christians who added fortified town walls. The current fortress, commissioned by Don García Álvarez de Toledo, the first Duke of Alba, in the 15th century, showcases Italian architectural influence through its distinctive design featuring a central tower surrounded by four semicircular towers with polylobular floor plans across four stories. Though originally designated a flood zone when the Gabriel y Galán reservoir was constructed, the village and castle remarkably remain dry and well-preserved, having earned designation as a Historical-Artistic Site in 1980 and selection for inclusion in Spain's Program for the Recovery of Abandoned Towns.