Granadilla and its castle
What is so unique about this small abandoned village in the north of Cáceres?
Open map Zarza de Granadilla (Cáceres), España
What is the story behind this small abandoned town?
Every weekend, Granadilla is full of tourists. It is, undoubtedly, a good time to take a trip and visit this old abandoned village declared a historic-artistic site. Ideal to go with the family (adults and children) and walk along its walls and streets (in many cases semi-ruined) and, of course, climb to the top of the castle.
It is a small village, semi-derelict, surrounded in its entirety by a wall that you can go around almost completely and that offers beautiful views of the Gabriel y Galán reservoir (which surrounds most of the village). But for views, the ones you will enjoy when you climb to the top of the castle. The castle imposingly guards the entrance of the wall that gives access to the village. It is very original and not too high, so it is advisable to climb to the top (perhaps not for very old people, because of its steep spiral stairs) as it serves as a viewpoint. The landscape, with the water of the reservoir surrounding the village, is really beautiful.
The route is short and if you walk a lot you will have seen everything in little more than an hour. On the outside, next to the parking lots there are groves of trees and a small area that serves as a picnic area. If we take a snack, we can have a nice time.
Why was Granadilla abandoned?
Everything has to do with the Gabriel y Galán reservoir that surrounds the town. As you may know, during Franco's government a large number of reservoirs were planned and built. Well, in 1955, those responsible for building the Gabriel y Galán reservoir calculated that the waters would end up flooding Granadilla, and, for that reason, they expropriated the entire village and relocated its inhabitants. Well, the calculation was not at all accurate and the water has never reached the village, not even when the reservoir has risen to its maximum capacity. Fate has turned it into a very touristic place worth visiting.
Curiosities
The first thing is the name, where does Granadilla come from? Easy, it is a former lordship of Granada (of feudal origin). It was once a very important town that was originally called Granada.
The castle of Granadilla is unique in Spain (you will not find any similar). With a strong Italian influence, it was built on top of an ancient Arab citadel. In the eleventh century fortifications were common for disputes between Muslims and Christians and this was one of the most important in the northern part of what is now Extremadura.
It was declared a historic-artistic site in 1980 and funds were allocated for its restoration, and to protect the castle from the deterioration of the rains was built a roof on top, of dubious good taste, but that fulfills its purpose (and is already part of the uniqueness of this construction).
The wall has an access that remains closed outside the established visiting hours. Therefore, it is better to find out the schedules, lest after moving to the door, you can not access.
Visiting hours to Granadilla
The entrance to the site and to the Granadilla Castle, to date, is free, but you must take into account that the gates to access and exit the Villa de Granadilla will close 10 minutes before each schedule.
Mondays are closed.
From April to October the opening hours are from 10h to 13:30h and from 16h to 20h.
From November to March the timetable is from 10h to 13:30h and from 16h to 18h .