Ponferrada Castle

Imposing castle of Ponferrada ... recommended

Beautiful walled castle and the beginning of part of the French Way.

The community, often referred to as the "Order of the Templars" for short, whose full name is "Poor Knights of Christ and of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem", takes us back to the 13th century. Founded in the Holy Land, it spread surprisingly quickly to many countries in Central Europe, and this castle complex in Ponferrada in northern Spain was one of its numerous branches.
The order gained notoriety through the fact that it was dissolved in 1312 by the French king and the pope, and many of its members were burned at the stake as alleged heretics. The main reason for the dissolution, however, was not the human and religious misconduct (heresy) of the members, which was merely a pretext, but the legendary wealth of this order. King Philip IV of France primarily wanted to secure the treasures in order to improve his coffers.