We are referring to the Tower-Fortress of La Hoz de la Vieja, a structure rising on a hill at the highest point of this town in Teruel, from where it overlooks both the urban center and the routes into the municipality. Its location was no coincidence: the tower is flanked by a ravine and a steep slope that helped reinforce its defensive character.
The castle was built in 1363, during the conflict known as the War of the Two Peters, which pitted Peter I of Castile, nicknamed the Cruel, against Peter IV of Aragon, the Ceremonious. It was the local residents themselves who decided to build the fortress to avoid paying the levies demanded by the Community for using the nearby castle of Montalbán in the event of danger or a Castilian attack.
Over the centuries, the defensive fortress has preserved much of its original structure. The tower has a rectangular floor plan measuring approximately 8 by 6.5 meters and is notable for its considerable height. It is built of rubble masonry, with ashlar blocks used to reinforce its only two corners, while part of the structure has a rounded shape. Some battlements can still be seen along the top of its walls, as well as arrow slits and loopholes framed with ashlar blocks.
A LONG-OVERDUE INTERVENTION
Its state of preservation led the Tower-Fortress of La Hoz de la Vieja to be added to the Hispania Nostra Heritage Red List on July 24, 2024. At the time, urgent consolidation work was considered necessary to prevent further deterioration in a fortress that benefits from the highest level of state heritage protection: it has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).
The response came through an intervention promoted by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage of the Government of Aragon, which made it possible to address various vulnerable points in the structure. The consolidation work included sealing the upper section to prevent rainwater from causing further damage, as well as reinforcing the surviving battlements. The moat was also cleared of stones, sand and vegetation that had grown inside it, and the original drainage system was restored to facilitate the removal of rainwater and reduce moisture problems in the lower section.
The completion of this work has brought about a major change for the tower-fortress of La Hoz de la Vieja. The monument is now listed on the Hispania Nostra Association’s Heritage Green List, leaving behind the state of risk that led to its inclusion on the Red List. It is a new opportunity for this medieval remnant to remain part of the landscape and history of the Cuencas Mineras region.
