The Mudejar Brickwork of Coca Castle

On the outskirts of the town of Coca, about 45 kilometers north of Segovia, stands the Castle of Coca. Unlike many Spanish castles built on hilltops, this structure was built at the edge of a plain, overlooking a meander of the River Voltoya. Constructed in the 15th century, it is considered one of the best examples of Spanish Mudejar brickwork, which incorporates Moorish Muslim design and construction with Gothic architecture.

The castle was owned by the House of Alba de Tormes until 1954, when it was handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture. It is a Spanish National Monument with a rectangular ground plan and a three-tiered defense system. This includes wall circuits enclosed within a wide moat and a central keep known as the Tower of Homage. The inner curtain wall features cylindrical towers and a talus constructed all the way down to the moat, while the battlements were built with jutting crests for both ornament and defense.

Coca has been inhabited since the second century BC when the Arevaci settled there. The town was first established during Roman rule as Cauca, and it was the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. While the castle fell into disrepair in the 18th century and suffered further damage during the Peninsular War and the sale of materials in 1828, it underwent state-sponsored restoration between 1954 and 1958 under the supervision of architect Miguel de los Santos Nicolás.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons