Almanza

The name Almanza comes from the Arabic word for "lookout," which tells you something about why people built a fortified town here in the first place. The site sits high between the mountains and the meseta, making it a natural strategic point, and the medieval town was enclosed by thick walls of lime and stone, with a moat, a castle-palace, and at least one Gothic stone arch that still stands today.

Running through the town was a Roman road called the Calzada del Pando, which connected Cantabria with the Duero valley and served as the main route for mountain people coming down to the meseta for wine and grain. That road later became a secondary branch of the Camino de Santiago, used as an alternative to the Ruta Vadiniense when that route flooded badly in winter. Pilgrims were still using it well into recent centuries. The chapel and hospital of Santa Catalina recorded daily pilgrim traffic heading toward Santiago, with walkers eventually joining the French Way at the Leonese town of Sahagún.

The castle-palace is the most visible remnant of the town's medieval past. It was built on the foundations of an earlier fortification, with corner towers of dressed stone, and it is said to have been the scene of significant battles over the years. It has held the status of a Bien de Interés Cultural — Spain's protected heritage designation — since 22 April 1949. The Gothic arch in the town centre was once one of the gateways through the old walls and remains intact.

Almanza's historic centre has been officially designated a Medieval Historic Ensemble, and several structures within it are worth seeking out.

The Gothic arch is the most immediate piece of the old fortifications you will encounter. Originally one of the entrance gates through the medieval walls, it is now woven into the fabric of the modern town. Built in stone, it has kept its original form completely.

The castle-palace stands with corner towers of rubble masonry and has the feel of a building that has seen real conflict. It was constructed on top of an earlier fortification, and has been a protected cultural monument since 22 April 1949.

The bridge over the Río Cea is a substantial piece of engineering, built across the medieval and early modern periods and restored twice — in 1775 and again in 2001. The 1775 restoration was funded in an unusual way: a levy of 17 maravedíes was charged on every jar of wine sold in the town's taverns and surrounding area over eight and a half years. The bridge is built entirely in dressed stone and has ten barrel vaults, with spans ranging from 8.40 to 11.35 metres. The piers carry triangular cutwaters on the upstream side and rectangular ones downstream. For most of the year the lower parts of the bridge are partly buried or partly submerged. Despite a poor restoration in 2001, the bridge is generally in sound condition, though vegetation grows between the stone joints and water regularly floods the surroundings up to roughly mid-arch height.

The tower, 28 metres tall and designed by the architect Torbado, was built in 1947 during the mayoralty of Miguel Fontecha Ayuela, the building's owner. Local tradition holds that a tunnel runs straight down from the tower to the river, used in sieges to bring up water. The whole town is said to have contributed to its construction.