Zafra Castle

Zafra remained under Muslim rule until Fernando III's definitive conquest in 1241. In the 14th century the town passed to the Suárez de Figueroa family, who would later become the Counts and Dukes of Feria. Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa promoted construction of the castle-palace in 1437, with the work completed in just six years — royal authorization from John II of Castile arrived in 1441, when construction was already well advanced. The goal was twofold: a residence befitting his rank, and completing Zafra's urban defenses at their weakest point.

Since 1968 it has housed the Parador de Turismo de Zafra, and today it forms the centerpiece of the monumental route through the city's historic quarter, one of the jewels of Extremaduran palace architecture.

The castle's construction in a record six years, with royal authorization arriving only after the work was largely finished, reflects the substantial independent authority the Suárez de Figueroa family wielded in 15th-century Extremadura.

The building's dual purpose — noble residence and urban defensive structure — distinguishes Zafra from castles built for purely military or purely residential ends.

The castle's position at the heart of Zafra's historic quarter gives guests staying here direct access to one of Extremadura's best-preserved Renaissance townscapes.