Walls of Cuéllar
Defensive walls that surround the old town of Cuéllar, Segovia, Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Walls of Cuéllar are Romanesque defensive walls that surrounds the old town of the Segovian village of Cuéllar. They represent one of the most important and best preserved walled complexes in the autonomous community of Castile and León (Spain).[1]
Walled enclosure and castle of Cuéllar | |
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General information | |
Type | Monument |
Architectural style | Romanesque, Mudéjar, Gothic |
Location | Cuéllar |
Town or city | Segovia |
Country | Spain |
Coordinates | 41.4°N 4.32°W / 41.4; -4.32 |
Construction started | 11th century |
Construction stopped | 15th century |
The walled complex consists of three distinct enclosures: the city, the citadel and the counter wall. In addition, archaeological remains of a fourth enclosure, now disappeared, have been found. The walls were built in the 11th century and reinforced in the 15th century by Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 2nd Duke of Alburquerque and lord of the town. Initially they had an overall length of more than 2,000 meters (6,600 ft), of which approximately 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) are preserved. They are one and a half meters (4.9 ft) thick and have an average height of more than five meters (16 ft). Seven of the eleven gates that allowed access to different parts of the town are preserved, among them the arch of San Basilio, in the Mudéjar style.
From the 17th century onwards they ceased to be used for defensive purposes, and interest in their conservation began to wane until, in the 19th century, the most deteriorated sections began to be demolished. This, together with the sinking caused by wear and tear and neglect, led to the loss of a quarter of the walls. In the 1970s, this deterioration began to be halted by rehabilitating different parts.
The last restoration was completed in 2011 thanks to a project of the Ministry of Housing, which, with a budget of 3.4 million euros from European funds, enhanced the complex as a tourist attraction, making some sections of the wall accessible.[2]
The walled enclosure, which bears a strong resemblance to Toledo's 14th-century military architecture,[3] was declared a national artistic monument in 1931, along with Cuéllar Castle, a distinction known as a Bien de Interés Cultural.[4]