When the kings of Leon donated Ponferrada to the Order of the Temple in 1178, the Knights Templar occupied a small fortress that was originally a castro and later a Roman citadel.
They enlarged it, reinforced it as a defense of the Way of Santiago de Compostela, and concluded it in 1282.
The Castle we know today is the result of a wide series of enlargements, reforms and additions.
The first transformations affected the square plan enclosure at the beginning of the 12th century and continued in the last areas built at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th century.
Other later incorporations such as the stables in 1848 and the numerous reforms carried out since the beginning of the 20th century have contributed to the complexity of the present castle.
The escutcheons and coats of arms of those who lived there and contributed to its construction show the existence of different stages.
It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1924.