Onda Castle

Castillo de Onda stands on a hilltop above the town of Onda, in Spain's Castellón province, in the Valencian Community. Locals call it the "castle of three hundred towers," a nickname that has stuck for centuries and still draws visitors curious about the region's Moorish past.

Where does the "three hundred towers" name come from?

The first stronghold went up in the 10th century, during the Caliphate period, built over even older Iberian and Roman remains. Over the following centuries it grew into a genuine fortress-city covering roughly 25,500 square meters, perched 284 meters above sea level. That sheer scale is what sparked the legend: medieval chronicler Ramon Muntaner recorded that the castle and town of Onda had "as many towers as there are days in the year." The count was never meant literally — it was shorthand for an unusually large fortification — but the name outlived the exaggeration.

What is there to see today?

A visit means walking the surviving walls, towers, and courtyards, with views stretching over Onda's rooftops and the hills of the Plana Baixa district. Inside the grounds sits the Museu d'Arqueologia i Història d'Onda (Museum of Archaeology and History of Onda), whose standout exhibit is a set of Muslim plasterwork decorations (yeserías) recovered from an early 13th-century palatial residence — a rare survival of this kind of craftsmanship in the region. Information panels along the route are bilingual in Spanish and English, making it easy to explore independently.

What history lies behind the walls?

The fortress played a pivotal role in the region's past. In April 1238, Zayan, the last Moorish ruler of Valencia, surrendered Onda to the Catalan-Aragonese king James I the Conqueror. A decade later, in 1248, the town was granted its Carta de Puebla, a founding charter that gave residents certain privileges and formally allowed Christians, Muslims, and Jews to coexist within its walls. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Onda ranked among the most important defensive positions north of Moorish Valencia. Today both the castle and the town's historic centre hold official recognition as sites of historic and artistic interest (Bien de Interés Cultural).

When to visit and how to get there?

Onda sits inland in Castellón province, within easy reach of the Costa del Azahar coastline. Because the castle occupies an exposed hilltop, spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons to visit, with milder temperatures than summer and clearer views from the ramparts. It's worth timing a visit to combine a walk along the fortifications with a stop at the museum inside — that way you get both the defensive architecture and a glimpse of everyday life from the site's past.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Onda Castle called the "castle of three hundred towers"? The name traces back to a medieval account by chronicler Ramon Muntaner, who compared the number of towers to the number of days in a year — a way of emphasizing the fortress's huge size rather than a literal count.

Who built Onda Castle? Muslims raised the first fortification in the 10th century, during the Caliphate era, on top of earlier Iberian and Roman settlements. It was expanded over the following centuries.

What can you see inside the castle? Defensive walls, towers, and courtyards, along with the Museum of Archaeology and History of Onda, home to a collection of Muslim plasterwork from a 13th-century palatial residence.

What historical event is linked to the castle? In 1238, Zayan, the last Moorish ruler of Valencia, surrendered Onda to King James I the Conqueror, and in 1248 the town received a charter allowing the coexistence of three religions.