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All Spain Cáceres Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks)

Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks)

The tallest tower in Cáceres's Old Town.

Cáceres, Spain

Added By
Luis Morato
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Tower of the Storks (center).   John Martin PERRY/cc by-sa 3.0
Tower of the Storks (center).   John Martin PERRY/cc by-sa 3.0
The tower as seen from the narrow streets.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
View of the tower.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
A monkey holds the Ovando’s Shield inside the tower.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Tower of the Storks.   elcorrillo.com./cc by-sa 2.5
View of the high tower.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
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About

While wandering around the city of Cáceres, Spain, you may notice that the towers in the Old Town have been stripped of their battlements. All but one, that is.

In 1476, Queen Isabella I of Castille ordered by an edict to remove the battlements from the Old Town. Only the Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks, named for the birds that nest there) was saved and still survives today.

The War of the Castilian Succession (1475 to 1479) saw two women vying for the succession of the Crown of Castile: Joanna, supposed daughter of Henry IV of Castile, and Isabella, the late king’s half-sister. Isabella was ultimately successful, and thus reigned as Isabella I.

During the war, most of the nobles in Cáceres supported Joanna except for Don Diego de Ovando, who remained faithful to Isabella’s cause. In 1476, when it became apparent that Isabella would win, the Catholic queen decided to move the tops and battlements from the Old Town’s towers as a show of power and to weaken the city’s defensive forces. She granted de Ovando, her faithful supporter, permission to save the Tower of the Storks.

Related Tags

Museums Towers Architecture Architectural Oddities Military History Palaces Military

Know Before You Go

The tower is in the heart of the Old Town. It is currently the property of the army. There's a little museum inside it, and entrance is free. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

July 18, 2019

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Sources
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_las_Cig%C3%BCe%C3%B1as
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Castilian_Succession
  • http://www.ocesaronada.net/torres-desmochadas-de-caceres/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile
  • https://cacereshistorica.caceres.es/patrimonio-oculto/el-desmoche/
Torre de las Cigüeñas (Tower of the Storks)
1 Plaza San Pablo
Cáceres, 10003
Spain
39.473073, -6.370797
Visit Website
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