Castillo de Caudete

Castillo de Caudete stands on a hill above the town of Caudete, in the province of Albacete, right on the eastern edge of Castilla-La Mancha where it borders the region of Valencia.

Where did the fortress come from?

The first structure on this site was raised by the Almohads in the 12th century, likely on top of an earlier building from the Second Taifas period. What survives today, however, dates mostly from the Christian era, when the castle served less as a purely military outpost and more as the residence of the lords of Caudete and the administrative seat of the local lordship.

How did the castle change hands?

Troops of James I of Aragon captured the fortress in 1240, bringing Caudete under Christian control. In 1304, the Treaty of Torrellas-Elche formally placed the town within the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Valencia. That border position proved costly: during the Castilian-Aragonese conflict of 1360, Castilian forces razed the castle. It was rebuilt afterward on a polygonal plan, with two solid towers guarding the entrance to the enclosure.

What can you see today?

The fortress originally had several towers linked by a defensive walkway — sources differ on the exact count, citing either three or four — but most of them have not survived to the present day. What remains is chiefly the main tower along with sections of the perimeter walls, still enough to trace the outline of the old defensive layout and to appreciate why this hilltop mattered strategically for centuries. The site took an unusual turn in the 18th century: after falling into gradual ruin — its poor state was already confirmed in 1569 — the grounds were repurposed in 1740 as the parish cemetery for the nearby church of Santa Catalina, a role it kept until 1870. That episode explains why traces of burial use can still be found within what was once the castle's inner enclosure.

How to get there and what to expect

The castle sits on high ground directly above the center of Caudete, reached by a marked walking path from town — the climb takes only a few minutes on foot. Entry to the grounds around the walls is free, but the interior of the building is closed to visitors, meaning the castle is best experienced from the outside. That makes it a natural stop to combine with a stroll through Caudete's old town and its lookout point, which opens onto views of the surrounding vineyards and the historic borderland between the old kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times to visit, when the light picks out the stone walls well and the heat is more bearable — summers in this part of Albacete can be intense.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the castle? No — only the exterior can currently be visited. The interior and courtyard remain closed to the public, though you can freely walk around the grounds surrounding the walls.

Is admission free? Yes, access to the area around the castle is free of charge.

How many times did the fortress change hands or get rebuilt? The castle went through several transformations: built in the 12th century, captured in 1240, formally annexed to the Crown of Aragon in 1304, then destroyed in 1360 and rebuilt on a new polygonal layout.

Why was there a cemetery on the castle grounds? After centuries of abandonment and advancing ruin, the site was converted in 1740 into the parish cemetery for the nearby church of Santa Catalina, a use that continued until 1870.