Castile, Spain from Above

Contributor and drone pilot Hispadrone created this epic aerial video of some of the castles of central Spain.  The modern nation of Spain emerged from the region of Castile & Leon in the north central section of the country.  The region is surrounded by mountains, which served as a protective barrier and allowed the kingdoms of Castile & Leon to accumulate strength to eventually expel the Muslim states to the south.   Key to this process was the castles situated in the key mountain passes, some of which you'll see in this video.  

The province of La Mancha is part of the Castilla-La Mancha region of central Spain.  In this drone video by eminorcks, you'll see one of the provinces most famous sights: a line of 12 tower mills atop the mountain of Cerro Caldericoof.  The so-called Consuegra Windmills are believed to be those described in the epic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, one of the great works of Western literature.   Published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel gave birth to the phrase "tilting at windmills."   

PJFDrone created this beautiful drone video of a small town in Spain's Guadalajara province.  The province is the northernmost of the five that comprise the autonomous region of Castilla-La Mancha, which is (along with Castile & Leon to its northwest) one of the two core regions of central Spain.  This area was under Muslim rule for a time but beginning in the 11th century was re-conquered by Christianity in the form of the Kingdom of Castile, part of the process leading to the emergence of modern Spain.

Check out this fantastic drone video of one of Europe's most famous medieval castles, compliments of contributor Michael Visual.  Spain's Alcázar of Segovia is located about 60 mi. (95 km) northwest of Madrid.  It was built in the 12th century on the ruins of an old Roman fortification situated at the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores Rivers.  A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Alcázar served as an important royal residence, first for the rulers of Castile and later for the kings and queens of the nation-state of Spain.    

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor vdelfilms brings us this excellent drone video from one of the great cultural treasures of Spain: the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, better known simply as El Escorial.  Located less than an hour's drive northwest of Madrid, the heart of the complex is a royal monastery constructed on the orders of Spanish King Philip II during the latter half of the 16th century, during the height of Spanish power.  Among other distinctions, it's the largest Renaissance-era structure in the world.  

The great city of Toledo is considered one of the top 2-3 cultural treasures of Spain.  It's the capital of its namesake province, the westernmost of the five which make up the Castilla-La Mancha region in the central part of the country.  Toledo was an outpost of Islamic rule of Spain then became one of the first cities "reconquered" by Christianity.  In this video, you'll see this ancient city, which was one of the most important in Europe during the reign of the Habsburg Emperor Charles V in the 16th century.

For an epic mountain biking landscape, it's hard to beat central Spain.  The region is full of mid-sized hills accessible to mountain bikes, unpaved roads, yawning canyons, and uncountable scenes of natural and cultural beauty.  Check out this promotional video for the Spanish mountain bike company Caballero Negro, created by AirVuz contributor alpja drones.  The course runs 300km (about 180 mi) through the mountainous parts of Castile and León, the semi-autonomous region which covers much of west-central Spain.  

Contributor JB Meert used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone combined with ground camera footage to make this remarkable video of the heart of Spain.  The video covers a trip to the Spanish capital Madrid followed by the great cultural treasure of Segovia, which lies a bit to the north of the capital.  The Madrid footage includes epic aerials of the Royal Palace, the Puerta del Sol, and other well known spots.  The highlight of the Segovia portion is an amazing view of its Alcazar, one of the most famous palaces in Europe.

Contributor and pilot Mikel_julio used a DJI Mavic Pro Platinum to create this memorable aerial video of one of the best preserved fortresses in Spain.  The New Castle of Manzanares el Real is a 15th century fortified palace which is near the town of the same name in the Madrid Community in the center of the country.  Famously, the fortress was used as a shooting location for the 1961 film El Cid starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.  Also known as the Castle of los Mendoza, the complex now also houses a museum.

AirVuz contributor and drone pilot mikel-julio created this beautiful aerial view of a monastery in central Spain.  The  Monastery de Santiago de Uclés was constructed in the 16th century.  It's in the town of Uclés in Spain's Cuenca province, part of the Castile-La Mancha automous region of central Spain.  The area was important in the earlier struggles between Islam and Christianity for control of the Iberian Peninsula, the outcome of which led to the emergence of modern Spain.

Contributor AVEA - Alta Vista Epic Aerials created this memorable aerial video tour of some of the most historic sites in the central part of Spain.  The video includes amazing bird's eye views of Peñarande de Duero, Castillo Peñafiel, Granadilla, Lerma, Arcos de la Frontera, and other locations.  You will be captivated by the tremendous beauty of this area in the heart of the country, which was where the modern nation of Spain emerged from a collection of smaller kingdoms, duchies, and other smaller states.

Arenas de San Pedro is a beautiful town in the west central part of Spain.  It's in Ávila, one of the nine provinces which make up the official region of Castile and León.  Arenas de San Pedro had the misfortune to be located in an area which was the subject of intense fighting at times amongst the various states and proto-states which eventually came together to form modern Spain.  Now totally peaceful, the town has been pillaged many times in this turbulent history of early modern Spain.  

Check out this beautiful drone video from the heart of Spain, compliments of contributor Alvaro55.  Soria is the easternmost of the nine provinces which make up the massive region of Castile & Leon, the region which is considered the historical core of modern Spain.  A largely rural province, Soria was of significant strategic importance in the struggles between the various kingdoms which were fighting for control of the region.  Today it is the second least populated province in all of Spain.

Contributor Franvargas created this beautiful drone video of a lake area in central Spain. Lago de Sanabria is situated in Zamora, one of the nine provinces which makes up the region of Castile and León in western and central Spain.  Although the lake has a modest surface area of under 4 square km (just over a square mile), it's the largest glacial lake in Spain and one of the largest lakes of any kind on the Iberian Peninsula.  It's part of an eponymously named national park and is a popular tourist attraction.

Check out this stunning drone videos from the mountains of central Spain, compliments of contributor and pilot PJF Drone.  It was filmed in Cuenca, one of the provinces which makes up the Castille-La Mancha region.  The video features some stunning aerial footage of the canyons of the Júcar RIver, one of the principal waterways of the region.  The river drains the Montes Universales mountain range, flowing southwards then eastwards to empty into the Bay of Valencia on the Mediterranean Sea.  

Contributor PJFDrone created this beautiful aerial tour of an important Spain's Castle of Atienza (Castillo de Atienza).  It's located near the eponymously named town in Guadalajara, one of the main provinces of the Castilla–La Mancha region of central Spain.  Like many Spanish castles, the structure was built on an old Roman fortification. It played an important role in the titanic struggle between Muslim (Moorish) and Christian Spain, both before and after its capture by Christian forces in the late 11th century AD.

Here's a beautiful yet haunting drone video from a sparsely populated area of western Spain, compliments of contributor GalendeFotografia.  It was filmed in Zamora, one of the nine provinces that make up the Castile and León region.  A sparsely populated province (its capital city has a population of just 60k), Zamora has dealt with same trend which has been one of Spain's main demographic trends in recent decades: depopulation of its rural areas as more people gravitate to the country's largest cities.  

Check out this drone video of a well-known medieval castle town in northern Spain, compliments of contributor AVEA - Alta Vista Epic Aerials.  It's the Castle of Peñaranda de Duero and it's located in Burgos, one of the provinces of the Castile and León region.  The castle dates to the 10th century but its current Gothic design generally dates to the 15th century.  The castle and town occupied an important position as a line of fortifications that divided Castile from Moorish (Muslim) territories for a time.  

In this drone video by PJF Drone, you'll get an aerial tour of a number of notable spots in the Spanish province of Guadalajara.  Located south of Madrid, Guadalajara is one of the five provinces of the Castile-La Mancha.  Guadalajara was in the cross-hairs of the Medieval struggle known as the Reconquesta, and later saw extensive damage during Napoleonic Peninsular Wars.  The video features footage of the  Henares Valley, the medieval town of Hita, the Monasteries of Lupiana and San Bartolomé, and more.

Hold on to your proverbial hats for this fantastic first person view (FPV) tour of the historic Spanish city of Ávila by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot gochiestrella.  Located about an hour's drive west of Madrid in the region of Castile and León, Ávila is known for its medieval walls as well as its Romanesque and Gothic churches.  The video features some extremely well-edited hyperlapse sequences, providing a unique perspective on the city's system of walls, the Ávila Cathedral, the city's Old Town square, and more.  

Soria is the easternmost of the nine provinces that make up Spain's Castile and León region, the historical core of the modern nation-state of Spain. Most of the province is covered by the mountains of the Iberian System, a chain which forms a rough northwest-to-southeast line north of Madrid. During the Medieval period, Soria's strategic position led to the construction of a number of hilltop castles and fortresses such as Ciria Castle (Castillo de Ciria), seen here in this drone video by Trank Fpv.

Check out this fantastic drone video of a famous castle in the heart of Spain, compliments of former DVOW Finalist davidpardo71.  The Castle of Zafra is located in the municipality of Campillo de Dueñas in Guadalajara, one of the provinces of the Castilla–La Mancha region in the middle of the country.  Built in the 12th century, the castle played an important role in the bloody struggle between Christianity and Islam that played out over the Middle Ages.  It was also used as a filming location in Season 6 of HBO's Game of Thrones series.  

Contributor PJF Drone created this beautiful aerial tour of an important Spanish castle called in Atienza (Castillo de Atienza).  It's located in Guadalajara, the northernmost of the five provinces which make up the Castilla–La Mancha region of central Spain.  Dating to the early Middle Ages, the castle was on the frontier between Islamic and Christian Spain and changed hands several times during the bloody campaign known as the Reconquesta.  It's been designated a Spanish Property of Cultural Interest since 1931.    

Almonacid Castle is an important province in the Toledo province of central Spain. It is believed to have been built fairly early in the Moorish reign over Spain.  Its name derives from an association with the great knight El Cid, the hero of the Reconquesta during which Christian forces ejected the Muslims from Spain.  The castle was later a place of refuge for Spanish soldiers fighting the French in the Napoleonic Peninsular Wars, a French victory which is inscribed in the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. 

AirVuz contributor Michael Visual brings us this stunning drone video from the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain.  The video was filmed in the area around the town of Riaño in the province of León.  Riaño lies on the southern slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains, which serve as the natural boundary between León and the province of Asturias to its north.  The video features footage of the giant reservoir lake created as part of a large dam project built in the 1980's which caused much of the town to be re-located to higher ground.  

Contributor Timearth brings us this excellent drone video from a well-known mountain in northern Spain called Pico Gilbo.  Located in the province of León in the semi-autonomous region of Castile and León, Pico Gilbo is part of the Cantabrian Mountains, a range which runs parallel to and a bit south of the country's coastline on the Bay of Biscay.  While the mountain has a modest peak elevation of about 5.2k ft. above sea level (a little under 1.6k m.), its distinctive shape often draws comparison's to Switzerland's famous Matterhorn.

Contributor PJF Drone created this excellent drone video of an important reservoir lake in west central Spain.  It's called the Entrepeñas Reservoir, and it's located on the Tagus River in the Guadalajara Province.  The surface area of the reservoir covers nearly 40 square km (just over 12 square mi.), making it one of the larger lakes in the Castile-La Mancha region.  Together with other reservoirs in the vicinity, the Entrepeñas Reservoir forms part of what is sometimes called the Sea of Castile.  

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor Drone Visions brings us this stunning drone video from a picturesque Spanish village called Alcalá del Júcar.  It's situated in the province of Albacete, the easternmost of the five provinces which make up the semi-autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha.  The village is perched on a hill overlooking a gorge of the Júcar River, an important regional waterway which empties into the Gulf of Valencia.  The town is best known for its 15th century castle.  

Contributor Rescuedron brings us this beautiful aerial video from the heart of Spain.  It's the town of Sepúlveda in Segovia, one of the nine provinces which make up the semi-autonomous region of Castile and León in the west-central part of the country.   Sepúlveda is a very old town, having earned mention in the tenth century Chronicle of Alfonso III.  The town later was the scene of a battle in the early 19th century Peninsular War between French forces under Napoleon and the Sixth Coalition.  

Spain's Church of the True Cross (Iglesia de la Vera Cruz) is one of the country's most famous.  Seen here in this drone video by niropter, it's located in the city of Segovia, about 95 km (about 60) northwest of Madrid.  Once attributed to the Knights Templar, it's now believed that the church was the work of a different medieval military-religious order: the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.  Built in the Romanesque style, the church later came under the control of the Knights Hospitaller aka the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.  

Spain's Cuéllar Castle is a famous landmark in the province of Segovia (part of the region of  Castile and León), about a two hour drive north of Madrid.  Seen in this excellent drone video by Michael Visual, the castle was originally a military fortification dating to the 13th century.  In the 16th century, the original fortress was transformed into a residence for the Dukes of Alburquerque, a powerful noble family.  The palace was more or less abandoned in the 19th century and served as a prison for much of the Franco period.

Check out this stunning aerial view of a very old hermitage in central Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor Drone Visions. It's the Priory of Frutas, and it's located in the Segovia province of Castile and León, northwest of Madrid.  Situated on a peninsula of the Duratón River, the original structure was constructed in the 11th-12th centuries.  It's dedicated to the veneration of Saint Fructus, who died in the early 8th century during the period when Spain was coming under Muslim (Moorish) control.  

AirVuz contributor Airviewstudio brings us this excellent drone video from a famous former gold mining area in northern Spain known as Las Médulas.  It's located  in the Aquilanos Mountains (part of the Cantabrian range) in the Province of León.  The landscape here was transformed by gold mining under Roman rule beginning in the first century AD.  The mining technique, which turned Las Médulas into the largest open-pit gold mine in the Roman Empire, involved using large quantities of water to undermine the gold-rich rock formations.

For a first upload to AirVuz, new contributor scuervo.ramiro brings us this excellent drone video of Spain's Cuenca Cathedral, one of the country's most well-known Gothic-style churches.  It's located in its namesake city, the capital of one of the provinces of the Castilla–La Mancha region in the center of the country.  The main structure mostly dates to the 13th century, although the church was extensively renovated in the 16th and 17th centuries.  In the early 20th century, it was renovated again following a collapse of the main tower.  

The twelve white windmills you will see in this drone video by Maite_Fornalino sit atop a ridge in the La Mancha province of central Spain.  Called the Consuegra Windmills in reference to the nearby town, it's believed that they served as the inspiration for one of the great works of Western literature - Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Servantes in the early 17th century.  In the novel, the hero attacks the windmills, believing them to be giants; this fictional scene gave rise to the expression "tilting at windmills".

Top AirVuz contributor scuervo.traveler brings us this excellent drone video of a pair of spots in the Spanish capital of Madrid.  The first is the Puerta de Alcalá, which is adjacent to Independence Square and which was part of the Walls of Philip IV, a system which controlled access to the city between the 17th-19th centuries.  At the :20 mark, you'll head to Retiro Park, which is located on the eastern side of the historical heart of the city, and which covers 350 acres.  The park is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

For decades, Spain's rural provinces have been seeing their population leave for the larger cities.  This is particularly true in the provinces of the country's interior, in the regions of Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha.  These regions, which have always been fairly thinly populated, have seen significant population losses due to the draw of Madrid and Barcelona, among other cities.  In this drone video by David de Clav, you will see a town in the province of Guadalajara which has been completely abandoned.  

In this drone video by AirVuz contributor pepeferreras, you'll see the great Ebro Reservoir of northern Spain.  The video was filmed over and around the Playa de Arija, which is located on the southern side of the reservoir in the province of Burgos (part of the region of Castile and Leon), which was created in the mid-20th century to control flooding of the Ebro River and promote agriculture in the Ebro Valley.  The reservoir, which is fed by runoff from the Cantabrian Mountains, covers about 24 square miles (62 square km).  

Check out this outstanding aerial video of a semi-ruined 15th century castle in the heart of Spain, compliments of new AirVuz contributor and drone pilot Paolo Cosi.  The Castle of Berlanga de Duero is located in its namesake town in Soria, the easternmost of the nine provinces which make up the Castile and León region of west-central Spain.  Built atop a 10th century Muslim fortress, the castle's location was important during the centuries-long struggle between Christianity and Islam for control of the Iberian Peninsula.

The Spanish province of Ávila is the southernmost of the nine which make up the region of Castile and León.  During much of the Middle Ages, Ávila represented a "borderland" of the (Christian) kingdom of Castile  as it consolidated control over Christian Spain and was in perpetual conflict with the Moorish (Muslim) territories.  That's why the province is home to so many castles, such as the one you'll see in this drone video by Maite_Fornalino: the 14th century Gothic Castle of Aunqueospese.

Check out this drone video from north central Spain, compliments of contributor and pilot Miko.  The video was filmed in La Rioja, a small semi-autonomous region which sits to the north of Castile, and to the south of Navarra and Basque Country.  La Rioja is mountainous country, covered by a portion of the Iberian System, a chain of mountains which run parallel to the Pyrenees system further to the north.   With a population of just over 300,000, La Rioja is the smallest of Spain's official regions.  

New AirVuz contributor gaguilar brings us this excellent drone video of the "hanging city" of Cuenca, Spain.  So called because the city is perched on a gorges overlooking the Júcar and Huécar Rivers in the Castilla–La Mancha Region near the middle of the country.  The city was first settled in the 8th century AD when Muslim forces constructed a fortress here to defend what they recognized was a highly strategic location.  The city came to occupy an important position during the centuries long re-conquest of Spain by Christian forces.   

Nearly 25% of Spain's nearly 50 million people live in its two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, which have become population magnets from the country's rural provinces.  Madrid, the larger of the two, is the capital city and lies in the center of the country.  Barcelona is the capital of the semi-aotonomous Catalonia region and sits on the Mediterranean coast.  Contributor Michaelkim_kor spent some time traveling in Spain with a drone, and created this amazing aerial video of the country's two great cities.  

Check out this fascinating video of an ancient gold mining area in Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor pepeferreras.  It's called Las Médulas, and it's located in the Cantabrian Mountains in the Province of León, part of the northwestern region of Castile and León.  Beginning in the first century AD, under Roman rule, the landscape here was transformed by a gold extraction technique which used large quantities of water to undermine the formations.  Las Médulas became the largest open-pit gold mine in the Roman Empire.

In this drone video by AirVuz contributor belogaev_art, you'll get an aerial view of one of the most iconic sites of Spain: the Windmills of Consuegra.  Located in the province of La Mancha in the  Castille-La Mancha region in the center of the country, the 12 tower mills sit atop the mountain of Cerro Caldericoof.  The windmills are believed to be those described in the 17th century epic novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, one of the great works of Western literature, which gave rise to the phrase "tilting at windmills."