Palacio de los Cordova (Palace of the Cordova), Granada

The Palace of the Córdova is a beautiful Renaissance-style mansion at the beginning of Chapiz Slope, where the Albayzín begins to rise toward Sacromonte. Its history is unusual because the building you see today is a 20th-century reconstruction of a much older palace. The original was built between 1530 and 1592 at Descalzas Square for Luis Fernández de Córdova, the Great Lieutenant of Granada.

After changing hands several times, the original palace was eventually demolished in 1919, and its architectural treasures were moved to the Villa María estate outside the city. In the 1960s, Granada’s mayor, Manuel Sola, persuaded descendants of the Córdova family to fund its reconstruction. A site was chosen on Chapiz Slope, near the Darro, and the palace was completed in 1965 under the supervision of Málaga-based architect Álvarez de Toledo. Many of the preserved original elements were returned to the reconstructed building.

For tourists, the palace is particularly appealing because of its setting. Its stone façade, courtyard, gardens, and architectural details provide a fine example of aristocratic Granada, while its position beside the Darro offers a dramatic contrast with the medieval streets rising behind it.

Today, the palace houses the City Historical Archive, a municipal research facility documenting Granada’s rich and turbulent history. It was opened to the public in 1984 and is free to visit. The palace provides a useful counterpoint to the Alhambra, reflecting the Christian aristocracy that established itself in Granada after the conquest.