Peñaranda de Duero Castle (Spain)

Peñaranda Castle is a fortress overlooking the village clearly. Although the first Peñaranda defenses could be raised simultaneously with its repopulation, most of the currently retained to be attributed to the first Count of Miranda, in mid to late fifteenth century. It presents a great similarity with other castles in the waterfront area, such as Peñafiel and Gormaz, and also repeats the advantageous location between a mountain and a river, as seen in Burgos, Frias or Castrojeriz. Its elongated and broken plant adapts perfectly to the steep crag on which sits the famous Peña de Aranda, occupying roughly the western half of it. The entrance door is to the east, separated from the rest by a pit dug into the rock.

It is believed that this place could be the primitive castle, among other reasons because, with cubes that defend the entrance, is a smaller and attached to the South with a very clear role not solid. Formerly, the moat was saved by a drawbridge and passed inside through a small door ogee.

In the fortified complex, it highlights the central and solid Donjon, from the late fifteenth century. It consists of ground floor and three floors. Currently, access is by the East through a pointed arch located on the first floor, which is reached by a metal staircase recent bill. The walls are blind, except the canvas looking Peñaranda, in which a mullioned window, two on the second floor and a vain little in the last appears in height. The tower is topped with battlements. Strength, slenderness ratio and it's become one of the most balanced and graceful in the province of Burgos. Throughout predominantly masonry construction, except for the angles and crown of the tower and the segments of the doors, which are of good ashlar.

In the seventeenth century, the fortress was to be uninhabited and practically unusable, which advised its owner, Count de Miranda, the use of the palace that owned the villa as a store of weapons. Despite this possible abandonment, its monumentality and quality construction allowed him to reach the twentieth century with sufficient vigor and presence to be considered one of the most impressive castles in the province of Burgos, which earned him the declaration of historical monument artistic in 1931.