Fortresses that are so tall you can almost touch the stars

Due to the strategic location, in the highest peaks are the fortresses and castles, whose walls keep great secrets and legends of everything that happened there throughout history.

A hidden city in the La Mota Fortress

In Alcalá la Real, we invite you to discover one of the most spectacular fortresses in Andalusia: the La Mota Fortress. Its strategic location marked the frontier between the Kingdoms of Castile and Granada for over 150 years, and inside you can let your imagination go wild and go back to those times of conquest.

The guides will tell you the stories and legends of the conquest of the fortress and what life was like in the fortress before and after the Christian conquest by Alfonso XI of Castile, which gavethe name to the town of Alcalá, which means "fortified town”.

We start our adventure towards a hidden city, which was recently discovered, where you can explore the fortress through tunnels and secret galleries that forged the history of the conquest.

These galleries hide the great secret of the entire fortress, the cistern. Without water, we can't live, can we? Therefore, the troops of AlfonsoXI found out the location of the cistern and poisoned it, thus forcing the people to surrender.

On leaving the gallery of tunnels, we came to the surface at the top of the fortress, with views that reach the city of Alcalá la Real.

You will get a full 360º view from any of its towers… you will feel like authentic defenders of the fortress, observing the most distant points.

The abbatial church, the Torre del Homenaje, the military area, and grandeur of the wall that surrounds the entire La Mota hill… amazing!

There's a great surprise inside...

There are inhabitants, defenders and conquerors from this area.

and you will learn the names of each part of their heavy suits of armour with which they were protected during tough battles.

But don't be scared, luckily they're not real!

And we're sure that you'll love seeing an authentic catapult and its large and heavy balls with which they defended themselves. I bet you've never seen one up close before, have you?

The Segura de la Sierra castle, a medieval village

In the Nature Reserve of Las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas, you must visit the Segura de la Sierra Castle, perfectly preserved, it will tell you new stories during your visit.

Like real ghosts, you will come across the Order of Santiago in its church, which continues defending its castle today.

In the Bailey, you can learn what life was like in this castle in medieval times, with the arts and trades from those times.

They worked with iron and wrought iron, they tanned skins to keep themselves warm in harsh winters and they made containers and bowls from mud to eat with.

In the Tower of Tribute, among other things, you can learn interesting facts such as the origins of chess in a soft and mysterious atmosphere.

The legends and stories are ever-present throughout the castle and your guide will reveal a few.

When walking up the tower, you will come across poet Jorge Manrique, from Segura de la Sierra, thinking about his next poem.

Every corner of the castle has small surprises that delight young ones, such as this beautiful model of the castle.

If we continue on up the Tower of Tribute, we reach the highest view from the castle.

The spectacular views of the extensive olive groves that surround the Sierra de Segura will not leave you indifferent.

Not far from Segura de la Sierra is a castle that has been converted for a very special use… keep reading!

The secret of the stars inside a castle

In Hornos de Segura, the castle has become an authentic Cosmolarium. An interesting astronomy centre that will answer to many of your questions about the Universe and the Planets.

Just as if you were inside a spaceship, its rooms full of light, constellations and orbits will take you closer towards the exciting world of science and astronomy.

Do you want to compare the size of planet Earth with the other planets? You will see it here in scale, seeing how small it is in comparison with Jupiter and Saturn.

You can also take a look at the children's activities and workshops calendar where you can have fun testing your knowledge after your visit. The planetarium is also a must. An enjoyable experience where you can see the Universe in 3D in a cinema where the screen is in the ceiling.

Finally, the top of the castle, as in the other fortresses, is the ideal place for nocturnal stargazing and discovering some of our neighbouring planets, or seeing a Perseidas shower, a genuine feast for the senses.