During the Middle Ages, battles were part of everyday life and enemy attacks could occur at any time and from all possible flanks.
In the beginning, an army could raze a village unceremoniously and the people had no chance of survival. There was nowhere to hide. Until castles were invented. It was a very effective solution. It was not the usual residence, but they warned that an adversary loaded with bad intentions was approaching and so people ran to protect themselves behind its robust walls.
In Aragon, Spain, it is estimated that more than 700 fortifications of this type were built. The ideal was to build them on high ground and to which it was difficult to access, which improved their surveillance and defense.
Interior of the castle of Loarre, Spain.
If we had to imagine the reality that was lived at that time and the life that was made in those medieval castles, we would recommend making the following trip to the castle of Loarre, in the heart of the Hoya de Huesca region.
Route through the Aragonese castles
In any case, before getting to know the Loarre castle, it is worth visiting the community of Aragón to appreciate the mark left by the harshness of the Middle Ages on its land.
In fact, in that sense, the castles marked borders . There are to the north, south, east and west of Aragon. When an inch of land was advanced, a castle was built to secure it.
In lower Aragón, in Teruel, the castle of Alcañiz stands -today a national parador- where the knights of the order of Calatrava were in charge of protecting this Aragonese border and, finally, also in Teruel, the castle of Daroca, today in ruins, is the largest walled complex in Aragon.
Alcañiz Castle, where today a Parador Nacional operates.
Dominating the Hoya de Huesca
However, today we have set our sights on the province of Huesca and on one of the most beautiful defensive constructions in Spain: the castle of Loarre .
To “conquer” it, it is best to first explore the territory in which we will have to move. La Hoya is a region of Huesca located between the Pyrenees and the plains of the Ebro valley, whose heart is the city of Huesca.
The landscape is wonderful . The contrast between the immense, almost infinite plains, with the silhouette of the jagged mountain ranges that extend like a mirage across the horizon is amazing.
Walking through its many paths, among olive trees, vineyards and almond trees allows you to get away from reality. Its visual simplicity is evocative. You only hear the silence of the blizzard, the flow of the Gállego river in the background and the squawk of some dissatisfied vulture.
Santa Eulalia de Gállego, a discovery
This getaway has a main character: the castle of Loarre. Although, as in any self-respecting story, the secondary characters are also fundamental.
One of the most outstanding discoveries of this getaway is Santa Eulalia de Gállego or Santolaria, an endearing little town located on the banks of the Gállego river whose narrow cobbled streets point to the top of the church.
The castle of Loarre: the most beautiful
From the city of Huesca there are about 35 kilometers to the castle gate, from Zaragoza just over 100, and, if we leave Teruel, less than 280. Wherever it is, the point is to get there. From Ayerbe it will take about 20 minutes by car. You go up a winding road from which it is difficult to see the castle.
The castle of Loarre is on a rock.
When its towers finally appear in the distance, we understand why King Sancho III of Navarre decided on this location. It is impregnable.
You had to be very incautious to decide to assault it. Apart from the effort involved in climbing the slope, then a thick wall awaited you that surrounds it -except in the rocky part- for 172 meters. Of course, just looking at it must have made you want to take a single step forward.
The castle is perched on a rock , 1,070 meters high, like an eagle stalking its next prey. Apart from its functionality, it is one of the most beautiful medieval castles in the world; or, at least, from Spain.
How to conquer it
Today, however, it is easy to penetrate. The only obstacle is paying the five euros that the ticket costs ( if it is a guided tour, seven).
It is very worth it. You have to constantly open and close your eyes. Open them to contemplate reality and close them to mentally visualize how their inhabitants must have lived more than a thousand years ago.
Keep in mind that this fantasy exercise is easier inside this castle, since it is one of the best preserved original Romanesque architecture fortresses on the planet.
It was declared a national monument in 1906 and recently maintenance works have been carried out that have made it a historical treasure of our time . It will be for a reason that year after year it breaks visitor records: in 2019 some 110,000 people crossed its walls.
The castle contains thousands of stories, legends and curiosities. It is advisable to go with a guide to know the small details. It is very interesting.
What kind of life was led in the castle
But the castles not only served as protection and spiritual help, they were also the place where many people lived , including soldiers and religious, whose rooms, by the way, had independent access to the chapel. Once we leave the church, we walk down a passageway to the pavilions, where the canons first lived and, later, the nobles. If we continue going up, we find the dungeons, the cisterns and the weapons room.
