Molina de Aragon Castle

Molina de Aragon holds a large hilltop castle, built by the Muslim rulers of the taifa period and much extended after the Christian conquest in 1129, with a double circuit of walls, several courtyards and an inner castle that once had eight towers, of which four stand in good condition and two as ruins; a separate watchtower, the Torre de Aragon, sits on the ridge above and connects by wall, and the castle has been a protected monument since 1931. The town below on the Gallo river has a Romanesque church, an old bridge and a Jewish quarter. Molina sits at about 1,060 metres in a highland basin and regularly records the lowest temperatures in mainland Spain, well below minus twenty in a hard winter, with a record of minus 28.2 degrees in January 1952, which shapes life there and empties it of visitors from November.

What to look for

• The double walls - a large fortified enclosure with four surviving towers.
• The Torre de Aragon - a separate watchtower on the ridge above.
• The Gallo river town - a Romanesque church and old bridge below.
• The highland basin - a landscape known for extreme winter cold.

When to go

May to October; winter here is genuinely severe, with the coldest recorded temperatures in mainland Spain, and the castle keeps very limited hours then. Summer is warm but the altitude keeps nights cool.

Before you go

Much of the enclosure is empty ground within the walls rather than standing buildings. Opening hours are limited and seasonal. The area is remote with few services and long drives to anywhere.

Nearby

The Alto Tajo park lies southwest; the Aragon border and Albarracin are east.

Key facts