CASTLES OF THE WORLD -MANZANARES EL REALID92930059
The Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre presents a new series of collector coins dedicated to the "Castles of the World". It has been difficult to make the selection, taking into account that in Spain alone there are more than 10,000 castles registered, so we have had the collaboration of the Spanish Association of Friends of the Castles for an appropriate choice of castles to represent.
The collection is made up of sixteen coins, which can be purchased individually, as a complete collection and in sets of four coins each.
The obverse shows a colour reproduction of the castle of Manzanares el Real, located in the province of Madrid. It is the most emblematic and best preserved castle in the Madrid region. Its construction was begun by the 1st Duke of Infantado, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, in the 15th century and completed by his son, Íñigo López de Mendoza, who brought in the architect Juan Guas.
On the reverse (common to all the coins), within a central circular area, the value of the coin 1.5 EURO appears; to its right, the mint mark; at the bottom, the legend CASTLES OF THE WORLD. An allegory of the structure of the castles surrounds the legends in the central area.
| Series | Castles Of The World |
| Year | 2023 |
| Colour | Yes |
| Diameter (mm) | 33 |
| Face Value (Euro) | 1.5 |
| Metal | Cupronickel |
| Weight (g) | 15 |
| Maximum Mintage (units) | 5,000 |
Castle of Manzanares el Real
On a gentle hill, raised over an old Mudéjar shrine (dedicated to Our lady of La Nava, retained as a chapel), at the foot of La Pedriza rock formation and next to the Santillana Reservoir, stands the Castle of Manzanares el Real, or more correctly Real de Manzanares, which was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument on 3 June 1931 and is the most iconic of the castles of the region of Madrid.
It was built at the end of the 15th century, a task largely attributed to the architect Juan Guas, as the archetype of the late Gothic style in Castile. It was built from materials salvaged from the old castle of Manzanares el Real, of which only traces remain, which was located on the other side of the Manzanares River, backing onto the cemetery of this town in the mountains of the Madrid region.
The history of the castle dates back to the 12th century, to the disputes between Madrid and Segovia over the possession of this territory, until King John I of Castile bestowed the land on Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Admiral of Castile, in 1385 as a reward for his assistance in the battle of Aljubarrota against the Portuguese and English troops. It was the influential and powerful Mendoza family, specifically the son of Íñigo López de Mendoza, the illustrious 1st Marquis of Santillana, his grandfather’s namesake, who began the construction of the new castle of Manzanares el Real, using the remains of the earlier fortress.
Given the custom of the nobility to take up residence at the court, the castle was left unfinished, and with scarcely any historical events of importance taking place in the following centuries, the castle was gradually neglected and fell into a state of ruin, until 1914, when it was restored by the architect Vicente Lampérez, with a second refurbishment carried out in 1975–1977 by Juan Manuel González Valcárcel.
It is laid out with a complex rectangular floor plan around the central courtyard, flanked by cylindrical towers at the corners, with a polygonal keep and surrounded by a crenellated curtain wall with a wide parapet. There is no moat. The entrance to the bailey is through a Gothic-style arched gateway, defended by two small circular turrets. Despite being designed as a residence, it has all the typical defences of a medieval Gothic fortress.
Special features of this castle are the smaller circular turrets topping each of the corner towers. These are decorated with balls that were once painted according to the tastes prevalent during the reign of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. And the other architectural detail to point out is the famous gallery, or covered walkway, built on the south parapet and overlooking the reservoir, formed by Gothic-style double-trefoil windows between columns decorated with lozenges. This gallery was used by the ladies to embroider in the sun, to watch jousts and other tournaments, as well as to contemplate the beautiful scenery.
Although the castle is run by the government of the Community of Madrid and is used for cultural activities – with a library and meeting and function rooms – the castle is the property of the Duchy of Infantado, whose first duke was Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1475–1479).