The name of this town in Córdoba is a compliment, and few know it

The province of Córdoba is a map of fortresses that narrate centuries of history, the footprint of different civilizations. Its towns guard castles that witnessed battles, conquests, and legends. But among them, there is one whose beauty was so remarkable... that it ended up naming the place where it stands. This town of Córdoba takes pride in its castle like no other: through its own name. Four syllables that are a compliment.

Although it suffered the ravages of the War of Independence especially, and the invasion by the French, who used it as a storehouse, this Gothic-style fortification has survived to this day, overcoming centuries of neglect, plunder, and oblivion. It stands tall, among other things thanks to the restoration by the Junta de Andalucía, as an imposing vestige of lordly power.

And this has allowed for a better understanding of its chambers, its architectural secrets, and even the traces of those who inhabited it. From its tribute tower -the highest in Spain- to its halls and walls, the castle has regained part of its original splendor and today is once again the monumental heart of this Córdoba municipality, whose very name is, in itself, a tribute to this fortress.

Atop a hill in the north of the province, in the region of Los Pedroches, this castle breaks the horizon with a vertical and sharp silhouette, an imposing sentinel that was erected in the 15th century when Juan II ceded those lands to Gutierre de Sotomayor in gratitude for his services to the crown.

But beyond its size or history, what has remained etched in collective memory -and in the toponymy- is its beauty. Because the name of this Córdoba town stems from two concepts: beautiful and alcázar. The latter comes from Arabic and means fortress. Together they form the name Belalcázar, which would translate to: the beautiful castle.

And it is not an exaggeration. The castle of the Sotomayor Zúñiga and Madróñiz, where the counts of Belalcázar lived, is one of the most spectacular in Spain, with over 47 meters in height in its tower and a perfectly preserved square plan following its restoration.