The 16th-century artillery castle built without royal approval

Hernando de Vega did not wait for official permission before building his private stronghold. In the early 1500s, this man of wealth hired Lorenzo de Aldonza to create a military construction on the remains of a 10th-century castle. By the time official approval arrived in 1521, the construction was already complete. The result was the Castillo de Grajal de Campos, considered the first artillery castle.

The building is a square of 73 metres on each side with four corner towers designed to house large-caliber cannons. It is built on a steep slope and remains in an excellent state of preservation despite having never been restored. While it was once isolated by a moat and a drawbridge, these features are currently buried, and their exact location has not been found. An 18th-century manuscript indicates they were located on the southern side of the complex.

Entry to the fortress is made through a small gate that leads to a spiral staircase, while the stairs in the other three towers remain unused. The interior of the fortress is entirely made of earth. Though it has been a Monumento Nacional since 1931, it stands as a preserved example of 16th-century military architecture that served as a residence for the counts of Grajal until the beginning of the 18th century.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons