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We do not have an exact date for the construction of this castle, although we can safely say that it was built between the years 1468 and 1492, at the end of the Middle Ages, by Don Enrique Pérez de Guzmán y Fonseca the Magnificent, II Duke of Medina Sidonia. The castle is located in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz.
Its plan is quadrangular, with a barbican and towers distributed around a central parade ground. The style of the work is late Gothic, although it presents some details that point towards the incipient Renaissance style. Since its construction and until 1645, the castle functioned as a ducal fortress and saw the passage of some illustrious people who stopped in Sanlúcar due to its position as a port of departure to the Atlantic: Isabel the Catholic - who is said to have seen the sea for the first time from the castle -, Columbus and Magellan.
The vault that covers the main hall is decorated with old wall paintings, of which some areas are still preserved today in which you can see several segures, emblem of the II Duke.
The keep is the most significant architectural element and has the peculiarity that it has a hexagonal plan. Over the years, the castle was used for different tasks: from a war plaza to a prison for medieval prisoners or barracks for invading troops. In 2003, an editorial services company won the competition for its management and rehabilitation, and the fortress was transferred to it for fifty years.
