The fort is protected by the state since 1904, first as a national monument, and later as a place of cultural interest. The castle itself was rebuilt in the 20th century. It was built of red bricks which is typical for that area.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by MANUEL ZALDÍVAR

Castillo de la Mota has two main parts, its own citadel of three massive stone towers guarding the original Muslim town, and the dilapidated abbey of Santa Maria Mayor. Here we find the Gothic church of Iglesia San Miguel with a Renaissance facade and painting by El Greco and a mosque rebuilt in 1341 to the Church of Santo Domingo de Silos. If a hot weather is not a problem for you, you could climb to the tower of the fort where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the whole neighbourhood and the ancient town walls.

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Castillo de Coca is preserved example of medieval architecture in Spain. It is located above the river Voltoya and is protected by a broad and deep moat, which has a length of approximately 560 meters. It was built by Don Alonso de Fonseca, Archbishop of Seville in the 15th century. Besides its advanced defensive system, Castillo de Coca has also very nice interior decoration. Here you find Gothic ribbed vault mosaics and various geometric motifs.

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Castillo de Coca belonged together with castles of Cuéllar, Arévalo and Olmedo to a strategic fortification system. Thanks to the cleverly formed defence the castle was first occupied in 1808 by Napoleon’s army. In recent years, the castle was used as a forestry high school, but it is publicly accessible. Its main attraction is the decoration of the interiors and museum.

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Photo: karaco1971

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