The Castle of Lopera. Version in English.

          - THE CASTLE OF LOPERA.


          In the same urban center of the villa of Lopera one is nailed the historical Greater Seat or Seat of the Constitution, that has been witness during many centuries of different aconteceres which they have happened in this locality, and that has been surrounded by a magnificent monumental triangle made up of the Castle of the Calatravos of century XIII, the City council or City hall of century XVII and the Parochial Church of the Purest Conception of little century XVI.A meters of this historical seat rises another monument by deep historical roots: the Pósito or Casa of Tercia(siglo XVI).

          The Castle excels on the rest of the urban framework by its great dimensions. Its main nucleus consists of two compact towers of tribute, that receive the name of Santa Maria and San Miguel. Both towers are surrounded by an extensive almenada wall, that is perimeter of the assembly as well, forming an irregular pentagon. The fore door has been located in front of the Greater Seat and their corners are protected by two cylindrical towers, a little more stops than the wall. It has an ample parade ground and the rest of which it was a gothic chapel that served as oratorio the Calatravos. All the Castle is constructed of rubblework in rows and lime mortar.

          Of plant to rentangular they are the two mentioned towers anteriormente.La of San Miguel it has its entrance to level of the first floor and lodges in its interior the rest of which medieval.La was a pigeon house Tower of Santa Maria does not conserve its original form then before counted in its superior part with a species of fronton with bays, where they would go the body of bells, element that disappeared in the middle of last century XX According to think the historians Slavic Juan Galán and Manuel Medina Casado, this strength must be of Christian work of half of century XIII, probably very reconstruída in century XV and after the fight of the Civil War Espa6nola.En the present time the tower of Miguel conserves the damages that the impact of a projectile of the civil war caused on his estructura.La Main directorate of Devastated Regions came in the Forties to its restoration but incomprehensibly it did not act on this zone in concrete of the Castle.

          This majestic building was declared historical monument and of cultural interest in 1991 and at the moment it belongs to property deprived to the being his legitimate owners the heirs of Alfonso well Sotomayor Valenzuela.El Castillo has been used almost always like house by his inhabitants, except in this century that has been serving as warehouse as wine and for only years as hall for banquets of wedding by a well-known hostelera company of the locality.

          February 28, 2000 constituted formally the Civil Platform in Defense of Lopera's Castle with the clear aim(lens) to achieve that this medieval strength(fortress) of the 13th century happens(spends,passes) to be with the passage of time of municipal ownership for enjoyment and possession of all the loperanos. On December 27, 2002 the public writing of dealing was signed before Notary and with the assistance of the contracting parties: the famiilia Sotomayor and Lopera's Town hall. From this date, Lopera's Castle is of municipal property and receives the different cultural acts that normally are organized in the locality throughout the year. More information in the web www.castillodelopera.com .




         



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