Castle of Olmillos de Sasamón (Burgos)

South-west view of the castle

The Cartagena castle is a fortress built in 1446 by Pedro de Cartagena, alderman of Burgos in the town of Olmillos de Sasamón. It was built as a stately palace, consisting of a rectangular floor plan with circular towers at the corners, perfectly maintaining circular machicolations crowning the cubes and gyratories. On its walls you can distinguish blazons with the fleur-de-lis of the coat of arms of the Cartagena family, the most powerful Jewish-convert family in late medieval Spain. Ownership of the castle has passed through the hands of various families and owners (the Valoria lineage, the ducal house of the Gor, the Arteche family). Around 1989 the San José family bought the castle and after restoring it they used it as a hotel.

Main facade on the south wall of the castle

Door to the indoor castle grounds

View of the castle's parade ground, currently the facilities of the 

Señorío de Olmillos hotel

Terrace of the parade ground, now with glass roof

South facade of the upper floor of the residential building

Detail of the double pointed arch windows in the residential building

Checkpoint located on the south-west corner of the residential building

Machicolation that defended the access door in the parade groung

to the residential building

Blazon with the fleur-de-lis of the Cartagena family coat of arms

Terrace of the south-west tower of the castle with circular machicolations

Access to the indoor of the south-west tower of the castle

Staircase leading to the terrace of the south-west tower of the castle

Round path on the south wall of the castle

Upper part of the stable-tower with access to the round path

Round path on the east wall of the castle

Checkpoint located on the south-east corner of the residential building

Detail of the battlements on the south wall of the residential building

Machicolation that protected the main door of the castle

Corbels that bordered the entire castle

South-west tower

West view of the castle

Eastern canvas of the west wall of the castle

Detail of the south-west checkpoint of the castle's residential building

Battlements on the west wall of the castle

Embrasure in the west outer wall of the castle

North-west tower

Detail of the circular machicolations of the corner towers of the castle

North view of the castle

North wall

Battlements on the north wall of the castle