To spot the Palace of the Golfines de Arriba, look straight ahead for a sturdy, rugged stone building with a square, fortified tower jutting high above the street, topped by battlements and decorated with powerful family crests.
Welcome to the Palace of the Golfines de Arriba! Imagine you’re standing in front of a true medieval fortress, built between the 14th and 15th centuries by Isabel de la Cerda and García de Golfín-once the power couple of Cáceres. This wasn’t just a place to hang your sword; it was designed as a “casa fuerte,” or strong house, meant to keep out both uninvited guests and any unfriendly neighbors. Originally, there were four dramatic corner towers, but only three remain today. Those old stones still show off the family’s shields, staring down from above like ancient guards on watch.
Right in the center, you’ll see the impressive keep, a chunky tower added in 1513. Now, here’s the dramatic bit: while other towers in Cáceres were ordered to be cut down by Ferdinand the Catholic, this one survived thanks to a royal decree. Talk about having friends in high places! If you listen closely, maybe you’ll hear the distant clanging of metal armor echoing from the past.
Inside, it’s a maze of grand rooms, more than four thousand square meters in total-so big you might need a map if they ever gave tours. But don’t try to sneak a peek; the palace is privately owned, beautifully preserved, and today is used for high-end hospitality and dining. So unless you’re holding a banquet invitation, you may have to imagine the sumptuous halls for now.
And if those stones could talk, they’d be whispering secrets from an even more recent slice of history: on August 26, 1936, General Francisco Franco set up his headquarters right here. For 38 tense days during the Spanish Civil War, the entire fate of a country hummed through these walls. Now, as you stand outside, imagine the heavy footsteps of soldiers and the murmurs of urgent meetings. If walls could gossip, this palace would never be quiet!
