The castle-fortress Congosto Bridge is located in the Salamanca town of the same name, the left bank of the river Tormes, defending the way through the medieval bridge that gave the village its name. These lands were already inhabited since prehistoric times, especially near Berrueco hill, an imposing granite headland was home to an array of primitive peoples, from the Upper Paleolithic to the Roman, why it is considered the most important archaeological site in the province Salamanca. The birth of the village of Puente del Congosto goes back to the late eleventh century, once reconquered definitively Ávila city of the Saracens. These lands were integrated at an early stage in the administrative district or territorial area of \u200b\u200bAvila, and was the French nobleman Raymond of Burgundy in charge of restocking with people from the north of Castile. Was then constructed a defensive bastion or tower that would give shelter to people in situations of danger. In 1442, the monarch Juan II Trastámara decide to reward the knight Avila Gil Gonzalez Davila to the many good services to the crown, and that is why Bridge Congosto segregates the jurisdiction of Avila, raised to the category of village , then the yield in the adjoining manor with Cespedosa village. Gil was Gonzalez, who began building the fort today, being completed by his widow, Dona Aldonza de Guzman, daughter of Luis González de Guzmán, master of the powerful religious and military order of Calatrava. At her death in 1479, there are bitter disputes between two of his sons, Juan Davila and Luis de Guzman, to appropriate the heritage, especially congosteño Manor, coveted by the substantial income it generated. The Catholic Monarchs were forced to intervene, and finally determine that Juan Davila is with lawns, past the town and fortress Congosto at the hands of Luis de Guzman, commander of the Military Order of Calatrava. He died in 1495 without a successor, so that all its property, including the lordship of this town with its fortress, were included in the assets of the said Order, in which a few years before, the Catholic Monarchs had achieved his life administration. On behalf of the monarch was as governor of the town the gentleman calatravo Pedro de Torres, who happens to defend the fortress from the onslaught of the farmers of Castile. One died in 1531, was as governor of stately his son, Antonio de Torres. In 1539, Emperor Charles V broke up the order of Calatrava Congosto the villa, and the alienated in favor of Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Grand Duke of Alba, in order to raise funds to finance their costly military campaigns against the Ottomans. As previously made kings, dukes of Alba successive successive governors appointed to administer the estate congosteño, which reside in the castle until the seventeenth century, poor living conditions of the building, and the desirability of centralizing economic management of the vast possessions of the Duchy property, meant that the management of our manor would be carried out from Alba de Tormes, the epicenter of the house of Alba, uninhabited since leaving the fort. Suffered the greatest destruction of the castle between the years 1809 and 1813, during the War of Independence, when the site was home to a detachment of French troops called "Royal Abroad", framed in the division of General Leopoldo José Napoleon Sigebert Hugo, father of the famous writer Victor Hugo. At that time were abolished in our country, liberal courts of Cadiz, the estates of all kinds, although the house of Alba continued to retain the property, in our country, many rural estates, which would gradually alienating and the castle and manor pontazgo right, charge compensation for the passage of persons, goods and cattle across the bridge medieval. The collection of pontazgo was leased annually by auction to those most pujase for him, until he was finally extinguished in 1881, which entered service in the new bridge over the River Tormes. It was then when the house of Alba lost all interest in the possession of the castle, which was sold by the 14 th Duke, Carlos Maria Isabel Stuart and Portocarrero, the last pontazguero, Miguel Blázquez Martín, a native and resident of the village. The building passed from generation to generation to successive heirs until in 1980 it was acquired by its present owners, who have held it since then, a major restoration work by to which at present in excellent condition.
