The castle of Vispieres, as it is commonly known, is in reality a 11x12 meter enclosure, built on the remains of a Roman fortress that served as a lookout over the Via de Agrippa. The Roman fortification may have been built on the site of a Cántabro castle mentioned by Plinio el Viejo in his Natural History.
The medieval fortification belonged to the royalty until Alfonso XI de Castilla bequeathed it to his son Tello. It was later the property of the marquesses of Santillana, who were owners of other titles including the duke of Infantado. The tower probably was abandoned in the 16th century.
Only the walls of the castle, which are the remains of the medieval construction, are still standing today, according to the Diccionario geográfico-estadístico de España y Portugal of 1827.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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