Castles and Forts of Spain - Castle of Atienza and village in Guadalajara

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he Celtiberians were the first civilisation to inhabit Atienza in Guadalajara, Spain, where the Muslims later discovered its defensive potential. In fact, the Arabs turned it into a walled square protected by a strong castle that resisted Christian assaults until the 11th century, when the troops of Alfonso VI took the place.

During the Reconquest, Atienza was disputed by Christians and Arabs, and the dominion of Atienza passed from hand to hand: first the Arabs held Atienza, and in 870-874 it was conquered by Christians. In 967 it passed into Arab hands, but the Christians recovered it, and again, the Arabs (Almanzor), recovered it and destroyed it. It was taken from Almanzor by Sancho García, who lost it again. In 1085 it was finally reconquered by Alfonso VI and was incorporated into the Crown of Castile.

The valour of Atienza was recorded in the "Cantar del Mío Cid" (In the 11th and 12th centuries, minstrels orally disseminated the cantares de gesta, such as the "Cantar del Mío Cid". A written version from around 1200 is preserved), where it is described as a "very strong rock", which is why Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, the Cid Campeador, did not want to pass in front of it in daylight. Atienza became the head of an extensive region (131 villages and some 2,500 km² in area) Común de Villa y Tierra, which came to have more than ten thousand inhabitants after the fuero (privileges granted by a king to a territory) granted by Alfonso VII.

In the 19th century Atienza suffered unfortunate episodes due to the War of Independence: the French dismantled the castle and part of the town so that it would not serve as a refuge for Juan Martín, "el Empecinado". This resulted in the disappearance of more than sixty houses. The Church of San Salvador, the Hospitals and San Francisco also suffered significant damage.

In 1962, the town of Atienza was declared a historic-artistic site.

Atienza is but a shadow of a splendid past; it once had fourteen churches and six thousand inhabitants; today it only has 452 inhabitants (National Institute of Statistics 2017) and of many old noble houses only corrals remain today.

Of the fourteen parish churches that Atienza possessed, only five still have Romanesque remains, and surprisingly they are very heterogeneous, probably because they were built at different dates in the 12th and 13th centuries, receiving different influences. We are referring to the ancient churches of Santísima Trinidad, San Gil, Santa María del Rey, San Bartolomé and Santa María del Val.

Today, the castle enclosure is no more than a large platform surrounded by the remains of the wall that served as a rampart, without the need for this, given the natural defence of the fortress, to be very high. The wall to which the buildings that served for the use and habitation of the inhabitants of the fortress must have been attached, and of whose existence there is apparently not the slightest trace left. Except for the so-called Torre del Homenaje (Homage Tower), of great constructive consistency as its walls are almost two metres thick. In the courtyard we find two cisterns carved into the rock, one of them with part of the brick vault that covered it.

All that remains is a small village dominated by the remains of its fortress. Perched on a rough, rocky hill, the castle of Atienza maintains, despite its ruin, a proud presence. Its appearance is undoubtedly imposing: a mighty tower of greyish rock rises on the most inaccessible end of an already difficult hill.
 
I can't say anything but WoW!
Very picturesque country and beautiful light.
You've made very good synchronization with the music.
Best regards!
 
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I can't say anything but WoW!
Very picturesque country and beautiful light.
You've made very good synchronization with the music.
Best regards!

The truth is that I am fortunate to have so many beautiful places close by to visit, film and enjoy.

Regarding the light, it was a bit of a nightmare, it's not easy to shoot in those conditions so I had to go a few times to get enough material to be able to shoot a video.

Thank you very much for your nice comments!
 

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