Almodóvar del Río
 Our
hotel in Córdoba had a rack of brochures for various attractions in the area.
One of them was for this 14th C. castle in the nearby town of Almodóvar del Río.
It sits on a rocky knob that rises beside the Guadalquivir River in a wide
fertile plain. There is evidence that the Iberian people had a fort here
in the 1st C. The Moors built a fort here during their reign but it was
conquered by King Fernando III in 1240. The current fortress was built in
the 14th C. and was sold (complete with the village and its people) by King
Phillip IV to Don Francisco Corral y Guzmán, an ancestor of the current owners,
in order to finance his government. From then on the castle decayed until
1900 when its current owner, the Count of Torralva, decided to rebuild it.
Eight hundred villagers worked for 36 years to rebuild it to its 14th C. glory.
Inside the castle are several displays of life in the 14th C. using manikins and
reproductions of the clothing, tools and weaponry of the time. Also is a
display of pictures taken in 1901 as reconstruction started and again in 1921 as
work was progressing. What they started with and what they created is
impressive. The castle is true to its 14th C. plan with the exception of
the large permanent tent in the main courtyard. They serve traditional
14th C. meals in it.
The pictures of the reconstruction picture
are at an angle to prevent the camera flash from reflecting off the glass.
As you can see they did a lot of work to convert those ruins into a livable
castle.
Today the castle has electricity and running water, restrooms, a restaurant and
a tavern. It also has life size displays of castle life.
A knight gives homage to his lord in which he promises to help defend the king,
if needed, in exchange for land and peasants he can rule.
Then there is the dungeon with its residents. Below this room was another
with the only access through a 3' diameter hole in the middle of this room's
floor, and it was a 20' drop to the floor of that room. No way out without
help from above. In 1360 King Pedro I lived here and imprisoned several
people including the Duke of Benevente who died in the room below. I guess
the Duke's homage wasn't acceptable to the king.
 After lunch in
the tavern we headed homeward, its only a couple of hours to home.
On the way home we decide to ride through the town of Écija, its biggest claim
to fame is as la sartenilla de Andalucía. This translates as "the
frying pan of Andalucía". It was right on the direct route home but we
didn't stop although it was one of the warmest places on our trip, over 60 F.
Now we can say we have been in the frying pan! I just hope we stay out of
the fire!!
Bad news next. Fire!
|
