Montánchez is par excellence the tower of monitoring centre of Extremadura. In fact, one called it since always, perhaps so much exaggerated manner, "the Balcony of Extremadura". However, in this zone where prevail large the plate of Cáceres, it surprises to see like, almost by magic, rises, imposing, a natural watchtower since where one could supervise each movement which occurs in the heart of this Community. Obviously, the panoramic ones which is seen are simply splendid.

This hill rises with almost thousand meters above the sea level. This height linked with a very special microclimate, of winter of cold and the dryness's, do of Montánchez one of the most important producers hams and inlays of quality of the entire peninsula. Today, when one speaks about Ham of Montánchez one speaks about an enormous product of prestige at the national and international level. It is much the travellers who approach with this ground with the only intention to carry for house one or more parts of this culinary wonder. (As the historians count the Ham of Montánchez it was the preferred plate of the Emperor Charles V and another of these curiosities: in the first plate in the marriage of Infant Elena with Don Jaime de Marichalar the hosts could be magic with the pleasant savour of a good ham of Montánchez). For some, it is also the ground of good wine of will "pitarra".

Independently of the indisputable gastronomically advantages that it can offer to us, it does not enter doubt which it place was always regarded as a strategic point, or at least thus they had to include/understand the Romans, Visigoths, Arabic and Christians, who throughout the centuries they fought for the control and the domination of his castle. The castle is the monument most important that Montánchez. Since these walls which chair majestic all the sector today, one supervised during many centuries the transit people and goods. As they count, its construction goes up at century II, when on the Roman territory it governed the Caracalla emperor. Subsequently it was between the hands of what is Visigoths, between years 467 and 713. It summer precisely in 713 when the Moslems conquered the place. During century XII and the XIII thing very "animated", it coincided precisely with the period of Christian conquest. In century XII, the incursions of the monarchs of Leon allowed their transitory conquest on several occasions; there thus was in 1142 pennies the mandate Alfonso VII, or in 1166, when Fernando II reigned. But in all these cases the castle of Montánchez would turn over to little to hands Muslims. Its final conquest would not arrive until the year 1230, already in times Alfonso IX. Almost in an immediate way one delivers his control with a vast territory of the central and southernmost zone of the current province of Cáceres to in recently created Order Santiago. Those increased the capacity of their walls and made several enclosures and fences enveloping. They count, as, as since this castle, the partisans of Juana Beltraneja organized rising against Isabel the Catholic. Later, in century XVI, in the fortress, one already raised the hermitage baroque of the Virgin of the Castle, where one venerates with the Owner of Montánchez, a height Visigoth of the century V were much the consequence which on their structure the clean misadventures of the medieval time had. Thus, in 1653, following the war with Portugal, the Castle would be practically uninhabitable.

Alternation Moor and Christian defined the final structure of the castle, although the dependence of architectonic elements by the latter subsequently reduced to the minimal expression the Moslem remainders. In fact, of Arab origin, its three cisterns are only recognizable, built at the end of the century XII and beginnings of century XIII, the lower zone of some fabrics of their enclosure and the barrier external of access.

The state of the Castle of Montánchez is of consolidated ruin, of free access. It is certain that it is a good idea to approach up to the point highest and to benefit from the remainders. Moreover, as we already announced front, the sights are splendid.