Segovia is a wonderful Spanish city to visit full of culture, history and treasures of traveling. Segovia is located in north western central Spain, in the autonomous region of Castile and Leon. Segovia has many famous landmarks from the Roman Aqueduct that runs through the city, to the Segovia Cathedral and el Alcázar de Segovia. The Alcazar of Segovia is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but was also one of the European castles that inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle. It is one of the many stunning treasures of traveling to see in the charming Spanish city of Segovia.
El Alcázar de Segovia (The Alcazar of Segovia)
The Alcazar of Segovia has such beautiful fairytale like features with its many turrets, that it has become one of Spain’s most famous castles. It started as a fortress during Roman times to protect Segovia. It was placed on top of a large rock formation that provided a natural defense to the city. The rock formation the castle currently sits on was shaped over time by the waters of Rio Ciguinuela and Rio Eresma. These two rivers converge below the walls of this Segovian palace. The Romans brought many landmarks to Segovia and one of it’s most famous landmarks is the Roman Aqueduct, another site you must see while visiting Segovia. The Alcazar was originally built as a fortress, but has been not only a royal palace, but a state prison, a military academy and is now used as a museum.
Islamic Influence at the Alcazar of Segovia
Spain has a history of Muslims from North Africa ruling as the Moors over parts of Spain. They continued moving north in their conquest of Spain, all the way to the city of Segovia. Islamic warriors built the first wooden fortress where the Alcazar stands today, similar to the Alhambra Palace the Moors built in Granada, Spain. Due to the Islamic fortifications being made of wood, there is little evidence of the fortress from this time, but there is a Moorish influence that can be seen throughout the Alcazar. While inside the Castle all you must do is look up at the ceilings to see the Moorish influence. The word Alcazar actually stems from the arabic word “Al’qasr” which means fortress.
Construction of the Alcazar of Segovia and its many rooms
The Alcazar of Segovia was built over many centuries, but its foundation started as a Roman fort, then a Muslim fort and was then replaced by the stone fortifications we see today over the following centuries. The Alcazar of Segovia is arranged around two main courtyards and visitors are able to visit twelve of the castle rooms that surround these two courtyards. The architecture of each of the rooms have a mixture of Gothic, Roman and Moorish influences.
The Hall of Kings is filled with 52 highly detailed portraits of various Spanish monarchs that encircles the upper part of the room near the ornate Islamic ceiling. This ceiling is actually a replica of the original because it was destroyed in a fire.
The Throne Room Inside el Alcazar de Segovia showcases two thrones used by Alfonso XIII.
Hall of the Galley Inside el Alcazar de Segovia.
Armory room Inside el Alcazar de Segovia is filled with relics and weapons from the medieval period. Even though many of the original pieces of the Armory are now housed in the Royal Armoury of Madrid to conserve them, there is still a lot of weapons, knight armor and other pieces to see during your visit to the Alcazar of Segovia.
Tower of Juan II at the Alcazar of Segovia
At the general entrance of the Alcazar of Segovia, you will see Tower of Juan II standing predominantly as the tallest part of the Castle. It is currently more than 80 meters in height, but it wasn’t always that height. During the 1550s, they increased the height of the tower to strengthen the defences of the Alcazar by doubling its height. You can now climb up the 156 steps to the top of the Tower of Juan II. Once you reach the top, there is a fantastic view of the city of Segovia along with surrounding Spanish countryside.
While looking out away from the town of Segovia over the castle, you will see how rural it actually is. You might even feel like you are the captain of a ship steering the Alcazar of Segovia forward through the Spanish countryside. There is a Spanish tradition called ‘la mujer muerte’, which means ‘the dead woman’ where you can look out over the castle walls to the Spanish countryside and see the silhouette of this dead woman. You will have to use your imagination, but the peaks and valleys of the Sierra de Guadarrama, which stretch across the horizon, supposedly resemble the body of a woman, lying on her back with her knees slightly bent. Do you see ‘la mujer muerte’?
The Fire of the Alcazar of Segovia
In 1862, a huge fire engulfed almost every part of the Alcazar of Segovia destroying many of the turrets and other roofing structures of the castle. Once they started to restore the castle, they actually restored larger towers and created more turrets, resembling Neuschwanstein, the iconic castle in Germany.
The Alcazar of Segovia was an Inspiration for Disney
In the 1960s, many of Disney ‘imagineers’ traveled throughout different parts of Europe looking for fanciful castles to model Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World theme parks. It has never been said specifically that the Alcazar of Segovia was the inspiration, but Disney did admit that Cinderella’s Castle was ‘inspired by the great castles of Europe’. What do you think? Do you think Segovia’s Castle helped to inspire those Disney ‘imagineers’ that visited so many years ago? Do you believe this legend?
Traveling to Segovia
You can travel to Segovia from Madrid in a car, on a bus or by taking the train. I would suggest the train as it is the fastest. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes in a car or bus, but using the high speed train from Madrid to Segovia takes only 28 minutes and costs around 20 Euros for a round trip ticket. It’s a great value and is the quickest way to get to Segovia from Madrid.
Treasures of Traveling: The Alcazar of Segovia
The Alcazar of Segovia is a historical part of the city and really stands out of the Segovia landscape. It has become an important symbol of Segovia and should be at the top of your list of things to see. This is just one of the many treasures of traveling in Segovia that you must visit and I’m sure will inspire you to learn more about the history of our beautiful world.
There are many treasures of traveling to visit in Segovia like the Alcazar, the Aqueduct and the Cathedral. Segovia has many things to offer any tourist and is filled with a few of the amazing treasures that Spain has to offer. There are also many other wonderful Spanish cities to discover like Madrid, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Granada and Seville, just to name a few.
— Luke Keeler
Check out the map below to see where the Alcazar of Segovia is located at!
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