Castle of La Mota * All PYRENEES · France, Spain, Andorra

The Castle of La Mota (Castillo de La Mota) is a medieval fortress, located in the town of Medina del Campo, province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. It is so named because of its location on an elevated hill, a mota (in Spanish), from where it dominates the town and surrounding land. The adjacent town came to be surrounded by an expanding series of walls in subsequent years, of which little remains.

It was built with the characteristic reddish brick typical of the area, using the stone only for small details, such as embrasures, shields, etc. The building belongs to the model of castles known as the School of Valladolid.

It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (B.I.C.) on November 8, 1904. A scale model of this building can be found in the Mudéjar de Olmedo theme park.

The castle’s main feature is the large outer barbican. The interior castle has a trapezoidal plan, with 4 towers and a square yard. It has a large square keep tower, and an inner curtain wall that was used for archers.