Andalusia - La Calahorra Castle

The ‘Calahorra Castle’ (Castillo de La Calahorra) is located on the top of a hill above to the village La Calahorra and the plateau of the Marquesado in the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The first fortification at this site was an imposing medieval fortress of Moorish origin. In 1490 the ‘Catholic Monarchs’ gave the fortress to Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza in reward for his important role in the Christian conquest of Granada.
Don Rodrigo, an illegitimate son of the cardinal, inherited La Calahorra Castle in the year of 1495.

This first Marquis of Zenete travelled a lot to Italy and loved the Italian architecture. La Cahorra Castle became the first Italian renaissance castles outside Italy and the first in Andalusia displaying these architectural features. The castle was rebuilt between 1509 and 1512 on the site of the former Moorish fortification.

Nowadays the castle can be visited, although its opening hours are quite limited.