Ponferrada Templar Castle

The Templars were granted Ponferrada in 1178 to protect pilgrims on the road to Santiago, and they built and extended the castle over the following century until the order was suppressed in 1312; it passed through several noble hands afterward and was extended again in the fifteenth century, reaching about eight thousand square metres. It fell into ruin and stone was quarried from it in the nineteenth century, and what stands is substantially a twentieth-century restoration. Inside, the Templar Library holds around 1,400 facsimile reproductions of medieval and early printed manuscripts, an unusual collection assembled specifically for the castle, and a research centre covers the order's history. Ponferrada is a major stop on the Camino Frances.

What you actually see

• The curtain walls - an eight-thousand-square-metre enceinte with towers.
• The Templar Library - around 1,400 facsimile medieval manuscripts.
• The restored interiors - twentieth-century rebuilding of the ruined halls.
• The Camino context - a pilgrim town on the route to Santiago.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the Bierzo valley is hot in summer and cold in winter. The castle closes on Mondays and keeps different hours by season. Pilgrim traffic peaks in summer.

Honest expectations

Much of what visitors see is modern restoration rather than medieval fabric. The library holds facsimiles, not originals, which surprises some. Ponferrada is an industrial town outside the historic centre.

Nearby

Las Medulas lies southwest; Villafranca del Bierzo and the Camino route continue west.