The Alcázar of Segovia is one of the most visited monuments in Spain. It is located in the Old City of Segovia, declared a Unesco World Heritage in 1985.
In its two-thousand-year existence, the Segovian Alcázar has been a Roman fort, medieval fortress, royal palace, custodian of the royal treasure, state prison , Royal College of Artillery and General Military Archive. Thus, the Segovian fortress is a unique case in the history of Spanish and European architecture, castle and royal residence, which its nickname indicates: "alcaçar", with which it is already known in 1135, when Alfonso VII the emperor reigned. The word Alcázar, from the Arabic alqasr, serves to define a fortified royal residence, as the Dictionary of the Castilian Language already indicates to us, in its first edition of 1870: "The palaces of the Kings, and great lords, were formerly called that way, because they were all strong. "
It is one of the most distinctive castles -palace from the end of the Middle Ages , the beginning of the Modern Age, in all of Europe by virtue of its shape of a ship's bow . Its imposing profile rises majestically over the Eresma valley. Its layout reflects better than anything the splendor of the Castilian Court during the Middle Ages, and its walls have witnessed palace intrigues, royal weddings and astonishing events.
Colonel of Artillery Eduardo de Oliver-Copons wrote in 1916 that the Alcázar is “the perfect model of the fantastic castles described in their travel romances by the ingenious troubadours who wandered across all the regions in search of the dignified lady, for their perfections, to occupy his thoughts and make his heart fall in love, to at the foot of the walled enclosure where he was enclosed, sing his trovas and play his zither ». Orson Welles used it in Chimes at Midnight and Walt Disney is said to have inspired Cinderella's castle with its sleek and elegant outline .
The oldest remains found in the place are granite ashlars similar to those of the Roman aqueduct , which suggests that in times of Roman domination of the city there must have been a fort or fortification. On the remains of this, the fortress was erected as a Spanish-Muslim fortress. The first documentary news that remains of the building dates from the year 1122 , shortly after Alfonso VI de León reconquered the city, although it was not until 1155 when it was cited with the name of Alcázar, in a letter kept in the archives of the cathedral .
It was the residence of King Alfonso VIII . In 1258, reigning Alfonso X , the palace collapsed when the king was inside. This oldest nucleus corresponds to the weapons room. It was restored and expanded numerous times, possibly from Alfonso X to Felipe II . Its current appearance is due to the latter, its "silhouette" makes it unique among Spanish castles.
In the Middle Ages , due to its security and the proximity of hunting areas, the Alcázar became one of the favorite residences of the Kings of Castile, especially Alfonso X. It was inhabited many times and became one of the most sumptuous palaces-castles in the 15th century, being a silent witness of key events in the history of Spain such as the proclamation of Isabel la Católica (December 13, 1474) or the mass of vigils between Felipe II and Ana de Austria (14 December November 1570) in his chapel.
King Alfonso X "the Wise" convened Cortes in 1256, the first to take place in the Alcázar. The remodeling, expansion and decoration of the Alcázar, which began with Catherine of Lancaster in 1412 and which would reach its peak during the reign of Henry IV , made it a building admired by all the travelers who came to it.
The Alcázar had gone from its strict military function to being an institutional building where the royal treasure, the archive of the kingdom and the royal armory were kept. This change will take shape in the decoration of various rooms. As regards the archive, it was John II and Henry IV who, in truth, began systematically the task of safeguarding historical documentation. It is clear that, in 1437, Juan II ordered the transfer of various records to the Alcázar “to my archive in the city of Segovia”, which implies the existence of one of the first royal archives of Castile.
It was during the reigns of Juan II (1406-1454) and his son Enrique IV (1454-1474) that the Alcázar reached its peak, both for the role played in the complex political game of those turbulent years and for the active life culture that took place there and its splendid decoration.
Tower of Juan II seen from the square that gives access to the building
The House of Austria (1516-1621) will hardly use the building. However, it will still play an important role in two moments: the War of the Communities (1520-21) and the wedding of Felipe II with Ana de Austria (1570).
In 1762 Carlos III founded the Royal College of Artillery in Segovia , whose first Director was Count Félix Gazzola . The College was installed on May 16, 1764 and remained in the Alcázar, with slight parentheses. This educational center soon became a benchmark, and the best and most perfect example of enlightened military education.
In February 1792, as one more office of the artillery educational center, a large chemistry laboratory was inaugurated in a building very close to the Alcázar (House of Chemistry). The highest paid scientist of the Spanish Enlightenment, the chemist Louis Proust , joined the head of the laboratory , who requested an infrastructure, equipment and means such that he himself, in his opening lesson of the Laboratory, defined it as "the best in Europe" in its genre.
The objective of setting up this laboratory was to complete the Cadets' curriculum with a cabinet that would facilitate the study of natural history and chemistry, especially metallurgy. In this laboratory the French chemist carried out his research, closing the formulation of the Law of Defined Proportions .
In 1862, a fire destroyed the roofs of the noble sumptuous rooms, which could be faithfully reconstructed later, thanks to the existence of prints made by José María Avrial and Flores in 1839.
In 1898, the General Military Archive was installed on the first floor of the building , which today continues in the Alcázar.
By Decree of January 18, 1951, the Board of Trustees of the Alcázar of Segovia was created with the mission of regulating the use of the building and its annexes for the benefit of the cultural heritage; ensure the conservation, entertainment and artistic protection of the monument; and encourage the public to enjoy a "Museum of the Alcázar of Segovia" that is an archive of memories to preserve the memory of its triple aspect of the Alcázar Regio, the Military Enclosure and the Royal College of Artillery.
In 1931 it was declared an artistic historical monument . In 1953 the patronage of the fortress was created, which is responsible for the museum that can be visited inside.
Currently, the Alcázar of Segovia is one of the most interesting monuments in Europe. Its management is a unique example in terms of dissemination and conservation of historical and artistic heritage, with the advantage that visits generate sufficient income to guarantee the maintenance, security and safeguarding of an impressive historical legacy.
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