Alcázar of Segovia, Segovia

Standing high on a rocky crag chiseled out by hand, where the Arezma and Clamores rivers meet, facing the harsh Castilian meseta, I am one of the most symbolic buildings in the city of Segovia. A deep, drawbridged moat was dug to isolate me from the city. Construction began around the year 1120, although it was a few years later when they started to call me castle and alcaza, or fortress. They say that if you look at me from the front, I look like the prow of a boat. I'm protected by the first woman in my life, a mountain in the Guadarrama range in the shape of a prostrate lady. Although she's called the mujer muerta, or dead woman, I prefer to think that she's just sleeping and is still with me. From my original military function, I transformed into a symbol of power in the Middle Ages. Since then, a multitude of monarchs and several dynasties have passed through my halls, many of them important for the history of Spain, such as the Trastámara, the Austria, and the Bourbon dynasties. It was during the reign of Alfonso VIII that I passed into royal hands. Alfonso X, the wise king that spent many hours looking up at the stars, convened my first royal courts in 1256. His famous phrase, If God had consulted me, the world would have been a better place, which he dared to utter before the court was the reason that he was reprimanded by a Franciscan friar. The king then repented his blasphemy and built a room adorned with the cord of the Franciscan order, the room of the cord or belt. Alfonso X is also credited with beginning the series of iconography of Spanish kings and queens found in the Sala de Reyes, or Hall of the It was in 1383, during the reign of Juan I, that the Hispanic era calendar was replaced by the one used today. The Hispanic era calendar started in 38 BCE, a date which commemorates the pacification of Spain. My first royal Castilian records were initiated by Juan II and Enrique IV, who commissioned the task of safeguarding historical documentation. These monarchs were also responsible for the first decorative renovations in the spaces that I occupy, and thus I reached the heights in both the political and the cultural. Ah, what times they were! And what of the most important queen of Spain, Isabel the Catholic? On the death of her brother Enrique IV in 1474, she was proclaimed queen of Castile. In the absence of her husband, near here, in the Plaza Mayor of Segovia. Without a doubt, this was one of this country's greatest events. I swear and promise the privileges, liberties, exemptions and permissions, good practices and customs of the city of Segovia and its surroundings. This I swear. Amen. Here, within my walls, this courageous, controversial woman spent many long hours. Isabel was an icon for posterity. Oh, how I remember her! But little by little, she grew distant from me, and when she died, my agony began. I have witnessed clashes, disturbances and conflicts of succession. I have heard secrets and lies, betrayals and infidelities. But I have also seen triumphs and great events, such as the royal wedding of Felipe II to his niece Anna of Austria in 1571. The ceremony began in the Hall of the Kings. The presence of this king, a great lover of architecture, meant changes in my aspect. I was embellished on both the inside and the outside. My tiles were replaced by slate, granite was substituted for the limestone in my courtyards, and I was adorned with blue wall tiles from Talavera. This king's son, Felipe III, was the last monarch to live for any amount of time in my royal apartments. During the 17th century, I was transformed into a prisoner, something which I didn't enjoy a great deal. That said, I had the opportunity to retain within my walls noblemen, politicians and pirates, characters who had fallen foul of the law. Later in 1764, Carlos III restored me to the splendor of a royal palace that became a cultural reference of the highest degree. The Royal College of Artillery was founded. Being located in the center of Spain and the sumptuousness of my interior were decisive factors in this choice. Many teachers and the cream of the military and scientific society of the time then passed through my halls. One of my great privileges was to know the famous chemist Joseph-Louis Proust, to whom we owe the discovery of the law of definite proportions. He himself considered my chemistry school the best laboratory in Europe. My walls have been a castle to defend and protect the city that has given me so much. I'm proud to have written the model history of Spain. Even today, I remain a point of reference for civil architecture around the world. I've also suffered serious incidents, such as the devastating fire of 1862, which had tragic consequences for both my treasures and my structure. Fortunately, I recovered with dignity. First a fortress, then a royal palace, later a state prison, a Royal College of Artillery and a military archive. What more can I ask for? And all this in just 800 years. Currently, I'm a historic artistic monument. The artillery corps looks after me, and since the mid-20th century, a governing body that bears my name, the Board of Trustees of the Alcázar, maintains me. And you know what? My fairy tale silhouette has even served as inspiration for Walt Disney's films. But I am real. So real that the city of Segovia is proud of me. I love having beautiful chambers like the Room of the Kings and the Throne Room, or the Hall of the Galley. Wandering around my rooms and halls is a pleasure for the senses. And what about my extravagant towers and spires? The one that presides over all, the invincible Tower of Juan II, and the one that lends me this slender and magical figure, the Torre del Homenaje, or Homage Tower. I can also boast of being the guardian of the most important military archives in Spain. I am truly a great museum. In fact, I am now the most visited monument in Castile and León, one of the most visited in Spain, and I am known around the whole world. Because with the other two landmarks that keep me company here, the Roman Aqueduct and the Cathedral, the three of us maintain one of the most beautiful cities, Segovia.