Alcázar of Segovia

Listen first. Below you, far down the rock, water runs over stones. Two small rivers, the Eresma and the Clamores, meet at the foot of this cliff. Above them, the walls of the Alcázar rise straight out of the living rock. The stone is pale gold in the sun. The roofs are grey slate, sharp and pointed. Stand still for a moment and feel the wind. Up here it always seems to blow a little harder than it does in the streets behind you.

Look at the shape of the whole building. From the valley below, the Alcázar looks like the bow of a great ship. Its narrow point faces west, toward the meeting of the rivers. The old town of Segovia trails behind it like the rest of the vessel. This is no accident of design. The builders used the natural rock as their foundation. Cliffs protect three sides, so the only easy approach is the one you just walked.

People have used this spot as a stronghold for a very long time. Archaeologists believe the site was fortified in Roman times. Later, under Muslim rule, a fortress stood here. The word alcázar itself comes from Arabic and simply means a fortified palace. After Castilian Christian kings took Segovia in the late eleventh century, the fortress became theirs. Over the next centuries, each generation added towers, halls and walls.

By the later Middle Ages, this was one of the favourite homes of the kings and queens of Castile. Castile was the largest of the medieval Spanish kingdoms, and its court moved often. Segovia sat in a useful place, close to the mountains and their hunting grounds. The monarchs kept treasure here. They held councils here. The castle was a palace and a vault as much as it was a fort.

Now look at the great square tower in front of you, near the entrance. This is the Tower of John the Second, built in the fifteenth century. Look closely at its walls. They are covered with small round shapes, like rows of stone pebbles set into the surface. This kind of decoration is typical of Segovia. You will see similar patterns on house fronts all over the old town. The tower is the tallest part of the Alcázar, and it was built to impress.

Here is a moment that changed Spanish history. In December 1474, a young woman named Isabella left this castle and went into the town's main square. There she was proclaimed Queen of Castile. With her husband Ferdinand of Aragon, she later united much of Spain under one crown. The same Isabella would go on to support Christopher Columbus on his voyage of 1492. Her story is linked to this building at its very beginning.

The sharp slate spires you see today came later. In the sixteenth century, King Philip the Second ordered new roofs in a northern European style. He had seen this kind of steep, pointed roof in Flanders, the region of modern Belgium. The spires gave the Alcázar its fairy-tale outline. Philip also married his fourth wife, Anne of Austria, here in 1570. So the castle you see is a Moorish and medieval fortress wearing a Renaissance hat.

And here is a surprise. In 1862, a great fire swept through the Alcázar. The roofs burned and many of the interiors were destroyed. What you walk through today is largely the result of a long restoration in the late nineteenth century. The restorers worked from old drawings and descriptions. This does not make the castle less real. It means you are looking at layers — medieval walls, Renaissance shapes, and nineteenth century craftsmanship working together.

Before the fire, the building had already changed its role. In the eighteenth century, King Charles the Third founded a Royal College of Artillery here. Young officers studied mathematics, chemistry and the science of cannon inside these walls. Even today, the Spanish army keeps a connection to the Alcázar. A large military archive is housed in the building. Soldiers' records from centuries past are stored quietly behind the walls you are touching.

Inside, look up as you move from room to room. Many ceilings are carved and painted wood in the Mudéjar style. Mudéjar means work made by Muslim craftsmen, or in their tradition, for Christian patrons. You will see stars, interlaced lines and gold paint. In one hall, the ceiling looks like the upturned hull of a boat. In the Hall of Kings, a long frieze shows the rulers of Castile and León, seated in a row like a family album carved high on the wall.

The castle also has its darker tales. Legend has it that a nursemaid once let a young prince slip from a window above the cliff. According to the story, she leapt after him in grief. Historians treat this as a legend rather than recorded fact. Still, when you look out of the narrow windows and see the sheer drop to the river, you understand why people told it.

You may also hear that this castle inspired the castles in Walt Disney films. It is a popular claim, and it is easy to see why people make it. The pointed towers and the high rock certainly match the picture in many minds. But the link has never been confirmed in a clear way. Enjoy it as a nice idea rather than a fact.

If you climb the Tower of John the Second, the narrow stairs are steep and tight, but the reward is wide. From the top you can see the cathedral of Segovia rising over the rooftops. To the south, the Guadarrama mountains run along the horizon. Below, across the valley, you can find the small, twelve-sided church of the Vera Cruz. It looks almost like a toy from this height.

As you leave, walk slowly back across the bridge over the dry moat. Turn once and look at the gate behind you. Notice the colour of the stone in the current light, and the sound of the wind against the walls. Kings planned wars here, and students learned to aim cannon here. Now it is your turn to carry a piece of it home. Down below, the two rivers keep meeting, just as they did long before any wall was built.