Castillo de El Barco de Ávila dominates the Tormes river

Perched on a hill, the Castillo de El Barco de Ávila, also known as Castillo de Valdecorneja, offers a stunning view of the valley below. Constructed on a site destroyed by the Romans and built in the 12th century, the fortress was reconstructed in the 14th century. At the beginning of the 14th century, Enrique II de Trastamara donated these lands to the house of Alba in the person of Don García Álvarez de Toledo. The house of Alba took charge of building the castle, and the grand duke Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo had his second residence here.

During the War of Independence, the building suffered significant deterioration because its stones were used to build private houses. The ancient interior archery was dismantled and reassembled to provide porticos for the municipal building in the Plaza Mayor. Between 1851 and 1904, the interior of the castle enclosure was used as a municipal cemetery, which increased its decay. Today, the exterior is in perfect condition after restorations carried out in 1985 and 2004, respecting its original perimeter.

The main door is an arched entrance with large voussoirs. To the right of the door stands the keep, a square tower from which the battlements and towers are accessed. These dominate the entire valley and surrounding mountains. Inside, there was originally an arms courtyard with a fountain and a gallery of Romanesque arches and columns. In the noble part of the castle were the dressing room, chapel, dining rooms, and the great hall of meetings and audiences. A small escape door also leads to a hilly area that descends to the river.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons