Wehrspeicher des 12. und 13. Jahrhunderts in Alt-Kastilien. Bemerkungen zu einer Gruppe von mittelalterlichen Türmen östlich von Soria

Abstract

East of Soria (Castilla y León) there are numerous medieval towers, which are mainly interpreted in the older literature as Muslim refuges. Only recently they are considered differentiated and both – a Muslim and a Christian formation – is considered possible. A group of buildings with three to four storeys on a rectangular plan sets out clearly from the other towers. Due to the Castilian emblem at the Tower of La Pica it can be dated to the years 1170–1230. This dating is assumed for some other towers of the same design. Ventilation holes in the ground floor at some buildings, barrel vaults, which could carry heavy loads, as well as the situation in an intensely agriculturally used area indicate its use as fortified granaries.
The towers stand in open settlements, which are organized according to plan and equipped with churches that were created as part of the reorganisation of the region after the christian repopulation beginning in the 12th century.