The castle consists of a large polygonal enclosure (more than 8,000 square meters) with double and triple defenses forming barbicans, towers, rooms and a large patio or albacar.
In the Middle Ages it was one of the largest fortresses in northwestern Spain. In 1211 Alfonso IX made peace with the Order of the Temple and donated the town of Ponferrada to it. In the year 1226 the Templars had already fortified the town.
The Templar castle is located in what was probably originally a Celtic castro, in a position similar to that of others in El Bierzo. Later it is believed that it was a Roman and Visigoth site.
It is Romanesque in style.
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