Castillo de los Rojas

The Rojas Castle is a medieval fortress located in Poza de la Sal, in the province of Burgos, Castilla y León, linked to the control of the passage between La Bureba and El Páramo and to the protection of the salt mines, an essential resource for the town. It stands on a steep slope, in a dominant position over the town center, at the coordinates indicated for this heritage resource. Its origin is related to a first early medieval defensive enclosure, probably from the ninth century, although the preserved configuration responds mainly to a reconstruction or reformulation of the mid-fourteenth century linked to the Rojas family. The fortress also has elements from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, such as sentry boxes, which shows a prolonged evolution of the building throughout the late Middle Ages and early Modern Age. From the architectural point of view, it is a rock castle or defensive fortress, adapted to the topography of the hill. It preserves the remains of the enclosure, structures on two levels and an exterior barbican; the lower floor partly takes advantage of cavities excavated in the rock and the upper floor is organized as a fortified terrace. Its historical function was essentially military and strategic: surveillance of the territory, defense of the enclave and control of the passage, with later uses also linked to the prison and the custody of the area. Today it is preserved as a ruin that can be visited and is one of the most representative heritage landmarks of Poza de la Sal.