39:
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436:. Its purchaser was Don Antonio Sanz Polo (1913ā2008), a descendant of Don Juan de Hombrados Malo and a distinguished educator. His family had kept Don Juan's documents of wardenship for over 400 years, passing them down the generations. By this time the castle was completely ruined. Sanz Polo spent the next 30 years and most of his fortune on rebuilding the castle, hiring cranes, architects and historians to assist him. He was recognised for his efforts by the award of the Medal of Merit from the National Association of Friends of Castles.
714:
62:
384:. When Fernando's army marched on Molina, Don Gonzalo fled to the castle with his family, court and retainers. The royal army was unable to storm it, and after several weeks of siege the two sides negotiated a resolution. Under the Agreement of Zafra, the SeƱorĆo de Molina would be inherited on Don Gonzalo's death by his daughter DoƱa Mafalda, who would marry Fernando's son Prince
287:
the outcrop, which runs in a north-east to south-west alignment. A wall encloses the top of the outcrop, linking the entrance tower at the south-west end to the main buildings at the north-east end. Traces of buildings ā possibly part of an outer enclosure that might have incorporated structures such as stables or supply stores ā can be seen in the meadow surrounding the castle.
291:
which is occupied by the Tower of Homage, the castle's keep which housed the lord's chambers and kitchens. Two floors are within, connected via a spiral staircase to the castle's upper terrace and broad views over the surrounding countryside. The castle is thought to have been capable of accommodating as many as 500 people.
375:
The present castle was constructed some time between the latter half of the 12th century and the first years of the 13th as the de Lara family sought to consolidate their hold on the territory of the Real SeƱorĆo de Molina. Its defences were put to the test in 1222 when Don
Gonzalo Perez de Lara, the
286:
The castle stands on a large rock in the Vega de Zafra at an altitude of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the Sierra de
Caldereros. The upland area is characterised by sloping meadows interspersed with heavily-eroded sandstone outcrops, one of which is occupied by the castle. It occupies the whole of
306:
The entrance of the castle was once reachable via a route said to be of "great ingenuity and appearance" but this disappeared long ago. Visitors today have to reach the entrance by climbing a ladder installed by the owner. According to
Antonio Herrera Casado, visitors can expect to be "surprised at
290:
There are four principal areas within the wall. At the far south-west end is the entrance tower, after which is an open courtyard. This in turn leads to the enclosed Place of Arms, a troop assembly area within which were the castle's cisterns. This gave access to the highest point of the outcrop,
331:
have been found in rock cavities and in the vicinity of the castle. The Romans may have occupied the rock on which the castle now stands, as the remains of structures from the classical era have been found in the castle's grounds. The earliest known fortress on the site is believed to have been
423:
of the unified kingdoms of
Castile and Aragon in 1479. Don Juan was rewarded with the hereditary wardenship of the castle, which his family retained for many years thereafter. The reconquest of the Iberian peninsula and the merger of the two kingdoms deprived the castle of its former strategic
380:. Don Gonzalo had committed a series of excesses in territories adjoining his fief, including attacks on villages held by neighbouring lords. Other Castilian lords began to raid royal territories in an apparent attempt to overthrow King Fernando and in support of King
231:
at the end of the 15th century ended its military significance. Although it fell into ruin in the following centuries, since 1971 it has progressively been restored by its private owners. It can be visited with permission from the owners.
453:
at the castle. According to its present owner, Daniel
Antonio Sanz, the producers were "looking for a remote site and away from any building". The castle stands in for the Tower of Joy in three episodes of the season,
294:
The castle is privately owned; its two main towers have been substantially restored. Its exterior is freely visible, but visits to its interior require the permission of the owners, the family of
Antonio Sanz Polo of
407:
to rule them. The castle was fought over and was eventually bestowed upon Peter's vassal Ximeno Perez de Vera. It eventually passed back to
Castile by marriage, but in the 15th century
299:. It is some way from the nearest paved road but can be reached on foot in a day-long hike or in a sufficiently rugged motor vehicle via a dirt road leading up from the village of
739:
216:
fortification that fell into
Christian hands in 1129. It had considerable strategic importance as a virtually impregnable defensive work on the border between Christian and
419:, the famous Don Juan de Hombrados Malo, managed to see off all opponents and maintained the crown's control of the castle until it finally passed into the hands of the
657:
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the beauty of the scene, the ferocity of the rocks and walls, the battlements, and especially the valiant towers visible to the astonished audience."
718:
85:
684:
38:
250:, but there is some disagreement about the precise origins of the word and its significance in Spanish. In Spanish speaking countries the word
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208:, Spain. Built in the late 12th or early 13th century on a sandstone outcrop in the Sierra de Caldereros, it stands on the site of a former
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took it over to serve as a key defensive position in the south of its territory, to guard the newly created community of town and land (
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463:
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The
Moorish fortress changed hands in 1129 when the Christian kingdoms of the north reconquered Zafra as part of the
367:, to be one of the most important of his dominions in the Charter of Molina de AragĆ³n that was proclaimed in 1154.
282:
View of the castle from the south. The entrance tower is on the left; the keep stands on the right of the picture.
661:
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The Castle of Zafra and the surrounding area have a long history of habitation. Pottery fragments from the
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The castle remained the property of the
Spanish state until 1971, when it was sold at auction for 30,000
658:"El titular del castillo de Zafra donde se grabarĆ” 'Juego de Tronos' reconoce que no sigue la serie"
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246:, is a somewhat contested term linguistically. It is accepted that the word entered Spanish from
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Castillos y fortalezas de Castilla-La Mancha: una guĆa para conocerlos y visitarlos
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provoked another rebellion when he bestowed the castle and town on his favourite
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prior to around 720. The Moors had a fortification there which was used by the
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importance, and from the 16th century onwards it began to fall into ruin.
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The castle was never conquered and was successfully defended against the
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bestowed the castle and lordship of Molina on his French mercenary ally
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filmed outdoor scenes for season 6 of its fantasy television series
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meaning "harvest time", while others believe the term derives from
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refers to the late summer or early autumn harvest of crops such as
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363:. It was proclaimed by the area's semi-independent ruler, Don
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660:(in Spanish). Nueva Alcarria. 13 July 2015. Archived from
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388:, thus bringing the territory under the Crown's control.
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Buildings and structures in the Province of Guadalajara
685:"Game of Thrones: How to visit the real Tower of Joy"
466:", during flashback scenes that reveal a secret from
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third ruler of Molina, aroused the hostility of King
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established by the Visigoths during the time of the
200:) is a 12th-century castle in the municipality of
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575:. AACHE Ediciones de Guadalajara. p. 183.
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227:in the 13th century. The completion of the
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43:Exterior view of the Castle of Zafra
599:Casado, Herrera (24 October 2008).
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545:(in Spanish). GuadaQuƩ. 1 May 2015
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141:Partly restored, otherwise ruined
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569:Casado, Antonio Herrera (2002).
543:"Inexpugnable castillo de Zafra"
427:
60:
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37:
719:Castillo de Zafra (Guadalajara)
516:. Maderuelo.com. Archived from
154:Late 12th or early 13th century
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1:
735:Castles in CastillaāLa Mancha
683:Smith, Oliver (10 May 2016).
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172:12th or 13th ā 16th centuries
240:The namesake of the castle,
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16:Castle in Guadalajara, Spain
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357:comunidad de villa y tierra
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601:"Sanz Polo, alma de Zafra"
319:One of the castle's towers
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270:meaning "gathering time".
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378:Fernando III of Castile
371:12th to 16th centuries
365:Manrique PĆ©rez de Lara
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218:Muslim-ruled territory
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395:of the 14th century,
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281:
721:at Wikimedia Commons
488:"Toponimos de Zafra"
401:Bertrand du Guesclin
101:40.83472Ā°N 1.70639Ā°W
464:The Winds of Winter
413:BeltrƔn de la Cueva
409:Henry IV of Castile
397:Henry II of Castile
393:Castilian Civil War
97: /
405:Peter IV of Aragon
382:Alfonso IX of Leon
334:Visigothic Kingdom
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202:Campillo de DueƱas
106:40.83472; -1.70639
29:Campillo de DueƱas
717:Media related to
582:978-84-95179-87-6
460:Blood of My Blood
421:Catholic Monarchs
353:Kingdom of Aragon
349:Iberian Peninsula
198:Castillo de Zafra
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163:Kingdom of Aragon
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125:Site information
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450:Game of Thrones
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434:Spanish pesetas
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338:Taifa of Toledo
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225:King of Castile
190:Castle of Zafra
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146:Site history
514:"Arabismos"
456:Oathbreaker
391:During the
345:Reconquista
274:Description
229:Reconquista
206:Guadalajara
169:In use
104: /
80:Coordinates
729:Categories
474:References
210:Visigothic
92:01Ā°42ā²23ā³W
89:40Ā°50ā²05ā³N
524:31 August
470:'s past.
468:Ned Stark
417:castellan
329:Iron Ages
301:Hombrados
256:sugarcane
236:Etymology
181:Sandstone
177:Materials
138:Condition
264:zafariya
31:, Spain
668:18 July
606:17 July
549:18 July
498:28 June
462:" and "
386:Alfonso
347:of the
311:History
268:saŹ¼ifah
214:Moorish
194:Spanish
133:Private
694:11 May
579:
415:. Its
361:Daroca
351:. The
325:Bronze
248:Arabic
359:) of
260:zÄfar
252:zafra
243:zafra
204:, in
151:Built
130:Owner
696:2016
670:2015
608:2015
577:ISBN
551:2015
526:2017
500:2016
458:", "
327:and
212:and
188:The
117:Type
445:HBO
262:or
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640:^
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559:^
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192:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
