An hour and a half’s drive from Madrid, atop a crag overlooking the walled town of Pedraza (Segovia), stands a 13th-century medieval castlethat today has owners as recognizable as they are unexpected: Santiago Segura, José Mota, and theater producer Luis Álvarez. The fortress, built on top of Roman and Arab ruins, was designated a Site of Cultural Interest in 1983.
Pedraza Castle stands on a rocky outcrop at the highest point of the town, featuring a compact layout, a keep, and walls overlooking the valley. Its origins date back to the 13th century, when the Kingdom of Castile was expanding south of the Duero River and needed fortresses to control territory and trade routes. Over the centuries, it has served many purposes: residence of the Herrera family in the 15th century, a medieval prison —where the sons of Francis I of France were held as hostages by Charles I—palace of the Dukes of Frías, and, in the 20th century, the home and studio of the painter Ignacio Zuloaga.
Zuloaga purchased it in 1925 for 13,000 pesetas, restored it, and converted one of its towers into a painting studio. His descendants maintained it as a residence and private museum until, nearly a century later, they decided to sell it: the fortress was put on the market in early 2024 for about five million euros and the sale was ultimately closed at around 4.8 million.
The Purchase by Segura and Mota: From Private Museum to Cultural Hub
In 2024, the company Teatrópolis (which also owns the former theater at the Estación del Norte, now the Gran Teatro CaixaBank Príncipe Pío) became the castle’s new owner. Behind the company are the three distinguished partners mentioned above.
Their intention has always beento restore the fortress, open it up much more widely to the public, and turn it into a hub for cultural projects.
Architecturally, the castle combines Gothic elements with Mudejar influences in details such as arches and construction techniques, in keeping with medieval Castilian military logic. It has approximately 650–683 square meters of living space, nine bedrooms, living rooms, gardens, a swimming pool, and even a dungeon, in addition to a plot of land measuring about 30,000 square meters.
The most interesting thing for visitors is that they can go inside. The fortress is open to the public for guided tours, with access to courtyards, halls, restored private rooms, and areas that have never been shown to the public before. General admission costs about 6.70 euros.
The town of Pedraza is just over an hour from the capital: the usual route takes you along the A-1 or A-6 and secondary roads in Segovia until you reach the walled town, which can be seen from afar as a stone promontory with the castle dominating the skyline.