Museo colaborador
El
Alcázar de Segovia.
Segovia, Spain
Segovia´s Alcazar is undoubtedly Spain´s most famous castle and one of the most famous castles in Europe. It stands high on a limestone promontory, at the base of which flow the rivers Clamores and Eresma, and marks the beginning and end of the great wall encircling the city. Its origins lie far in the past. It may well have existed back in Roman times, as appears to be confirmed by the stone wall which can be seen down below, at the level of its foundations. It began to be mentioned in documents at the time of Segovia´s re-population in 1086, firstly as castro, then as castellum and finally as alcázar, which alludes to its dual nature of fortress and palace. During the whole of the Middle Ages, it served as residence for the kings of Castile, and was later used as a prison for many important historical figures, until on 16th May 1764 it opened its doors to the Real Colegio de Artillería (Royal Artillery College), which stayed there until the ill-fated fire of 6th March 1862. Once restored, it was dedicated to the storage of the Archivo Histórico Militar (Historical Military Archive) of Spain. In 1951, a Governing Body (Patronato) was constituted in order to restore and make certain halls accessible to the public. Its current functions include that of the Archive, the museum of the old Mediaeval Palace and the museum of the Real Colegio de Artillería.
