Arcos Castle, a privately owned medieval fortress perched on a cliff above an Andalusian town in southern Spain, is on the market for €7.9 million, roughly $9.1 million. Listed by Sotheby’s International Realty, the castle sits at the edge of a 330-foot cliff in Arcos de la Frontera, in the Spanish province of Cádiz, overlooking the Guadalete Valley.
The property has been continuously inhabited since the 11th century, making it one of the oldest occupied residential fortresses in southern Spain. According to local newspaper Diario de Cádiz, Arcos Castle has been owned by the same Spanish aristocratic family since 1922, when Violeta Buck of Jerez, the great-aunt of the current owner, stepped in at a Madrid auction to save it from being dismantled and sold for parts. She paid for the initial restoration out of her own pocket, and the work continued through subsequent generations. The current owner, Santiago de Mora-Figueroa, the Marquis of Tamarón, carried out the most recent renovations. The family has long allowed the public to visit parts of the castle on select days each year, an arrangement that reports suggest could continue under new ownership.
The fortress spans more than 57,000 square feet and has 60 rooms in total, including 12 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, spread across courtyards, gardens, and terraces. The main courtyard is lined with cypress trees and hedges, with a second arcaded courtyard beyond it. A library stretching roughly 82 feet runs along one wing, with bookshelves rising the tops of the vaulted ceilings. Two medieval towers, described in the Sotheby’s listing as the “historic Towers of Homage and Secrecy,” are remnants of the castle’s original defensive design. A terrace of more than 165 feet runs along the edge of the cliff, with views down to the river.
An aerial view of the castle in the distance, surrounded by the village.VW Pics – Getty Images
The castle is also located near the historic center of Arcos de la Frontera, a village in Cádiz that is considered one of the finest examples of a “pueblo blanco,” or white village, in Andalusia, known for their characteristic white-washed walls cascading over the hilltops.
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