Chinchón Castle

Chinchón Castle, locally known as Castillo de Chinchón or Castillo de los Condes, lies on a hill next to the town of Chinchón, in the province of Madrid in Spain.

The present castle was preceded by an earlier castle built at the end of the 15th century which was destroyed by commoners in 1521 after a long siege. Chinchón Castle was built on the ruins of this earlier castle, in the late 16th century by the third Earl of Chinchón, Don Diego Fernandez de Cabrera, one of the most powerful men of his time.

Chinchón Castle was built as a Renaissance castle with broad rectangular windows as aspects of a palatial building. Its thick walls with sloping foundations and its moat covered by a drawbridge, made that it still looked like a fortress.

At the beginning of the 18th century, during the War of Spanish Succession, the castle was looted and abandoned. One century later it was burned by a Polish brigade fighting for the French during the War of Independence.

In the last part of the last century, Chinchón Castle was home to a famous bodega. At present the castle stands empty, awaiting repairs and a fitting form of use. It can not be visited.

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