Castillo de Zafra
Guadalajara Province, Spain · 40°50′05″N 1°42′23″W
A 12th-century castle grown out of a sandstone outcrop on the Molina plateau, better known as the Tower of Joy than by its own name.
The Castillo de Zafra sits on and within a red sandstone knob rising from the high plain between Molina de Aragón and Aragon. Built to hold the frontier, it was never taken and never modernised; the keep and walls follow the contour of the rock so closely that from some angles the two are hard to separate. It is privately owned and restored, and the exterior and base are freely accessible.
It had a brief moment of fame as a filming location in 2016; the crowd that followed has gone.
Why it stays quiet
The Señorío de Molina is one of the emptiest districts in Spain, with a population density comparable to Lapland. Visitors are a trickle.
Where it is
Before you go
Interior is not open. Nearest services in Molina de Aragón (30 km). Very cold in winter.
Updated 2026-09-06 · Suggest a correction
