Do you want to visit the Coca Castle?

Published the 13 April, 2022
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Coca is located in the natural environment of the Pinar Sea. It rose to fame as a Roman colony. In fact, Theodosius the Great, the Roman emperor, was born here.

When was Coca Castle built and how old is it?

The Coca Castle was built in 1453 by Don Alonso de Fonseca, Archbishop of Seville, with the authority of King Don Juan II of Castile. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1928. A Forestry Training School is currently being built.

The castle is of Gothic-Mudejar architecture and is considered one of the jewels of Spain in this type. Brick is used not only as a building material, but also as a decorative element. Its chambers are staggeringly beautiful, with magnificent Mudejar themes in paint and plaster.

You can explore its interior on your own or with the help of a guide. You can start the tour starting at the Chapel, which is located on the ground floor of the Torre del Homenaje.

Taking advantage of the fact that it has benches, you can sit down and watch a film about the history of the castle, narrated by the "protagonists themselves", to make it more enjoyable and fun. After the movie, you will be able to head to the Weapons Room. It contains a wall decoration, as well as a sample of the original tiles of the castle. Continue ascending and the next room is the Museum Room, which preserves remains of the castle's Renaissance ornamentation.

In the upper gallery of the tower, you can see armor and weapons, as well as images of the castle before and after the restoration from the 1950s.

After admiring the spectacular views from the perspective of the tower (from which the Sea of Pines is clearly visible) and crossing the North Gallery, you can go to the tower of the knight Pedro Mata, from where you ascend to the Sala de los Jarros.

This site includes pottery paintings and plant motifs. Finally you can visit the dungeons, which were surely used as a warehouse.

Address

To get to the Coca Castle from Madrid you have the service of Hnos. Montoya so you can enjoy your adventure comfortably and safely. The best ways are the following: when you see the Arévalo turnoff, take the A6 (or the AP 6 if you want to go faster on the highway) and then the SG 411. Once in San Cristóbal de la Vega, take the SG 351 until you reach Coke.

Exit 108 to join the N601 towards Olmedo Valladolid, then take the SG351 to San Cristóbal de la Vega and continue along this route until you reach Coca.

Coca Castle Hours

Mornings: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – 13:00 p.m.

Afternoons: 16:30 p.m. – 17:30 p.m. – 18:30 p.m.

Appointments must be made at least 48 hours in advance.

The rest of the year:

Weekdays: 10:30 a.m. at 13:00 p.m. and from 16:30 p.m. at 18:00 p.m.

Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: from 11:00 a.m. at 13:00 p.m. and from 16:00 p.m. at 18:00 p.m.

The first Tuesday of each month, December 24 and 31 in the afternoon, December 25 and the entire month of January until the first weekend of February will be closed.

What other places can you visit in Coca?

Coca is an incredible place, that is why you can enjoy different stops on the tour:

1. Medieval Walls

Leaving the castle you can walk along Adolfo Suárez Avenue to reach the old wall. Formerly it covered the entire town, but now there are barely 200 meters of wall and a door, the arch of the town. Two Celtiberian boars stand in front of the arch.

2. Santa Maria la Mayor Gothic Church

Leaving the Plaza del Arco, you can go through Falcón Ruiz and Llorente to the Plaza Mayor. This is the only church in Coca that has remained. It was erected for the Fonseca family as a funerary chapel.

3. Mercy Hospital

Coca once had three hospitals, but today there is only the Hospital de la Merced. Because Coca is located on the Camino de Santiago, which starts from Madrid, it was used to treat pilgrims.

4. Town House and Municipal Kiosk

The Plaza Mayor also houses the contemporary town hall. Andrés Ceballos, the architect, created it in 1930.

The Municipal Kiosk of the Coca Music Band is another of the attractions of the Plaza Mayor.

5. Mudejar Tower of San Nicolas

The Tower of San Nicolás belongs to the Church of San Nicolás. Only one Mudejar tower from the XNUMXth century has been preserved.