Castle Map

Castle

Castle of Clavijo

Spain · 11th century

Founded
c. 1050
Heritage status
bien de interés cultural
Location
Clavijo
Coordinates
42.35047°, -2.4274°
Links
OpenStreetMap · Wikimedia Commons
Open on the map →Wikipedia ↗
Castle of Clavijo in Spain
Photo: BigSus · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

The Castle of Clavijo, one of the most famous in the area of La Rioja, Spain, is located on top of an imposing rock, dominating the surrounding land in the municipality of the same name in La Rioja, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the capital, Logroño.

The first news of the castle appears in 960, the year in which Fernán González was imprisoned within its walls. Sancho el Mayor de Navarra ceded the fortress to the Albelda monastery. In 1177, Clavijo belonged to the Crown. Don Diego López de Zúñiga was its owner in the 14th century and gave it to his son as a wedding gift.

The primary material used is stone, arranged in masonry around the entire building. The stone is barely worked and has been sourced from nearby rocks.

The castle's layout is elongated, conforming to the shape of the hill on which it stands. It provided protection through a wall that extended across the entire rocky formation, surrounding the village of Clavijo. Access is available via a steep path on the side of the rock facing the village. Next to the entrance to the fortification, topped with a horseshoe arch, stands the keep, which is in a very deteriorated condition. Near the tower, the other rooms were distributed, including a courtyard and a small chamber.

Currently, the castle is owned by the Government of La Rioja.

Text adapted from “Castle of Clavijo” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

Castle of Clavijo ranks #8,572 of 9,902 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #455 of the 646 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 1050, it is older than 89% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 458 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Vitoria-Gasteiz, 59 km away. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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