Why does legend say that Doña Urraca was imprisoned in a stone tower? Local lore suggests she was held there as the daughter of a local count. The tower, known as the Torreón de Doña Urraca, serves as a historic landmark in the town of Covarrubias.
Does the architecture look strange to you? The walls exhibit an irregular construction where the masonry varies with height. The lower part is made of large unworked stones, while the middle section uses thin masonry rows that do not cover the full width. It stands in Covarrubias as a Mozarabic pyramid-shaped tower. For centuries, access was restricted, as a mobile ladder served as the entry point on the south face, allowing the tower to be prepared for defense.
Is it still as intimidating today? Visitors can now reach the interior via a stone staircase perpendicular to the tower, with the last section consisting of cantilevered wooden steps. This was installed because a staircase from a later reform, which ran through the center of the base, was removed during the last restoration. You can observe the three-meter-thick walls and the barrel vault that divides the interior into two parts. It was declared a historic monument and remains a protected site of cultural interest.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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