Castle of Belmonte



Belmonte is one of Spain's finest castles and was conceived from the beginning as a palace. Its plan is an extraordinary creation. The court of arms, or patio of honor, is a perfect pentagon. Two sides of the pentagon have palatial galleries and facing them is the principal tower, which protects the entrance gate. The major rooms of the palace extend behind the two arcades. The castle is surrounded by a curtain wall with distinct and original battlements. Don Juan Pacheco, marquis of Villena, began building the castle in 1456, and the luxury of its rooms must have been extraordinary. It was partially restored by Don Vicente Lamperez under the aegis of Empress Eugenie, but it was afterwards abandoned and its decay began anew.


http://www.castles.org/castles/Europ...enca/index.htm