Castle · Molina de Aragón
Castle of Molina de Aragón: 12th-century fortress and Torre de Aragón
The castle of Molina de Aragón was the seat of the Señorío de Molina. It comprises two parts: a 12th-century walled fortress built by Manrique de Lara, first lord of Molina, and the Torre de Aragón, erected over an Arab castle which had in turn occupied a Celtiberian hillfort. Its bailey was large enough to contain an entire neighbourhood in the 13th century.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the territory
These readings connect Castle of Molina de Aragón: 12th-century fortress and Torre de Aragón with the history, work, and villages around it.
This place across time
Which eras you can read here
A single place can preserve traces from different eras. These layers connect what you see with the stories in the atlas.
- Municipality
- Molina de Aragón
- Province
- Guadalajara
- Altitude
- 1,137 m
- 12th century
- Torre de Aragón
- Puerta del Reloj
- Medieval quarter within enclosure
A city within ramparts
Entry is made through the Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), set within the outer curtain wall with its projecting watchtowers. Within lies an extensive enclosure, large enough to contain a medieval township, and by design: in the 13th century, during the rule of Lady Blanca Alfonso, Lady of Molina, it housed an entire residential quarter. Preserved within are the archaeological remains of the Romanesque church of Santa María del Collado. This outer bailey, or albacara, also features a natural swallow hole known as the Cueva de la Mora.
The fortress of Don Manrique
Access to the inner fortress itself is gained via a pointed-arch gate. Its towers rise across three storeys, featuring large pointed-arch windows and ribbed stone vaults, containing fragments of decorative plasterwork and graffiti left by garrison soldiers across different centuries.
The Torre de Aragón
Standing separately on the ridge above the main fortress, the Torre de Aragón was built upon the remains of an earlier Arab fortress, which had itself been established over a pre-existing Celtiberian hillfort. Three successive cultures defended this identical rocky ridge across more than two thousand years. Read more in Molina de Aragón.
Frequently asked questions
Can the castle of Molina de Aragón be visited?
Yes. Check opening hours and admission fees at the Molina de Aragón tourist office, as schedules vary by season.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Reference villages: Molina de Aragón · Castilnuevo · Rillo de Gallo · Corduente.
Open the full map and historical layers →More castles and fortresses nearby
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Nearby routes
All routes →
GR-160, Camino del Cid, through the Señorío de Molina
The Camino de los Tratantes: from Molina de Aragón to Motos
