Fuentespalda Prison

The Fuentespalda prison is located inside an old defensive stone tower, situated in the heart of the town, on Buenaire Street. It is a prismatic tower, part of the city wall, with a square floor plan measuring five meters on each side, and distributed internally over three floors. The tower's structure has been altered with the recent addition of a cantilevered section, which serves as a lookout point.

This tower was part of the town's medieval defensive structures. Its use as a prison is confirmed by the sign "Public Prison" located next to its entrance and by the chains and shackles still inside, anchored to one of its side walls. Its use as a prison likely dates from a more recent period: the 19th or early 20th century.

The dungeon must have occupied the ground floor of the tower. It is accessed through a raised doorway, defined by large voussoirs in a pointed arch. Small, arrow-slit-like windows are located at various points in the tower; the dungeon would have received light through a small window next to the entrance. The original roof of the three interior floors has been lost. Currently, wooden platforms or floors have been built, connected by a simple staircase.

The Fuentespalda tower is a clear example of the reuse of buildings as prisons, despite not having been originally built for that purpose. Everything suggests that this tower was used as a prison after it had already lost its defensive function, perhaps during the Carlist Wars or shortly thereafter.