Soutomaior Castle Park

Garden Overview

Soutomaior castle is more than a monument, it is a historical landscape. The fortress has medieval origins while the gardens were created at the end of the 19th century when the marquesses of La Vega de Armijo y Mos chose this location as their summer residence.

In 1982, Pontevedra Provincial Council took over the castle, at that time there were 19 camellias (of which 18 have been preserved). This legacy was the inspiration to make the environment more beautiful and new specimens from New Zealand, California, England or France were added to the collection so they accompany us from the very beginning of the stairway access to the park.

The lands around the castle have a total area of 25-hectare surface including a vineyard, a native forest, fruit trees and the botanical park. Some of its most outstanding specimens are the three trees included in the Catálogo galego de árbores senlleiras: a monkey puzzle tree from Chile (Araucaria araucana), a red sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens) and a cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica). Besides the three trees recognised as monumental, the garden also has other remarkable specimens that are part of our historical and botanical heritage. The jewel of the garden is a camellia specimen made up of 18 trunks growing from the very base of the tree and forming the largest trunk circumference of the species in Galicia.

If you want to relax and enjoy the peace and magnificence of the place you can come with confidence, the information office will be happy to give you tailored advice. Moreover, each tree is labelled with the name of the species, and the map of the garden is very clear and easy to use. A camellia database including the most relevant plant species of the garden and its camellias has been created and can be consulted by anyone interested.

Our Camellias

The number of camellias hasn't stopped growing since then and nowadays in the Soutomaior Castle’s garden there are more than 400 camellia specimens. Sample of this constant innovation is “The Garden of Camellias with a Woman's Name”. It was created in March 2020; some cultivars are well-known and others have been recently obtained. It is a way to recognise the work of women who were pioneers in the fields of science, art, history and society, ahead of their time and, above all, advocates of women's rights. Each specimen bears a label with the name of the species and the cultivar, and a QR code that provides access to detailed botanical information about the plant and a brief description of the work carried out by the woman after whom they were named. The last initiative has been the creation of a Tea plantation including 72 specimens of this C. sinensis.

Contact Details

SOUTOMAIOR CASTLE
Rúa rial, s/n 36691
Soutomaior (Pontevedra) Spain
Tel: +34886209500/+34986804100   
Email: castelodesoutomaior@depo.es  
Web sites: https://www.castelodesoutomaior.com/
Twitter: @castesoutomaior
Instagram: castelodesoutomaior
Facebook: Castelo de Soutomaior
Wikiloc: Castelo de Soutomaior
How to get here: 42º 19' 44'' N, 8º 34' 5'' W (42.328889, -8.568056)