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The Duke's Palace (Béjar, Castile).

Góngora was sponsored by the fourth Duke of Béjar to write his Soledades. Most of the castle still exists but is not open to the public (except a camara-oscura exhibition in the right tower, which does not offer any view of the castle inside).

On my third visit I managed to get into the Palace, helped by a local person.

The Patio.

Fountain.

Béjar today.

The people of Béjar seem to pronounce the town as Bejar (with the accent on the a). It is very likely that Góngora entered the town from the other side of the castle (not restored). The gates were there, on the road to Baños de Montemayor, Plasencia and Trujillo.

The other side of the castle.

Why the Palace remains closed is unknown. The town has nothing else to offer. Maybe the underground part of the Palace is too dangerous to enter. (More on the history of the Palace in one of the earlier articles published here: links to newspaper articles).