Gérgal – Holiday Apartment between Festive Culture and the Sierra de los Filabres

Gérgal appeals to visitors with an unusual mix of festive culture, architectural history and astronomy. Those who consider the town’s themes side by side can choose between time-honoured traditions, historic buildings and a scientifically oriented visit.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Gérgal, you can review travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions together on the respective offer pages and compare this organisational information with the town’s different cultural, historical and astronomical themes.

Culture

The Fiestas de San Sebastián, also known as Moros y Cristianos and referred to locally as La Fiesta del Santo, take place on the weekend closest to 20 January. The festival includes the “relaciones”, which are based on traditional texts, and staged “guerrillas” between the Moorish and Christian groups. On the third and final afternoon, a joint procession leads to the Ermita de San Sebastián.

In the municipality of Gérgal, there are four prehistoric sites between El Almendral and the Peñón de las Juntas. Rock paintings, pottery, flint artefacts, a polished stone bead and a copper or bronze earring have been identified there.

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Gérgal has an Artesonado coffered ceiling. Its central roof structure is built in the Mudéjar style; during restoration work, murals were discovered on some of the walls in 2001.

The Ermita de San Sebastián houses the depiction of Gérgal’s patron saint throughout the year. Restoration work on the hermitage was completed in 2000. A chapel is located east of Gérgal’s town centre on the summit of Loma de Tablas. There is also a small, square chapel at the western entrance to the town, with a floor area of 9 m².

Historic Buildings

Castillo de Gérgal was built in the late Middle Ages under Muslim rule and came into the possession of the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. Its complex includes a defensive tower built of slate, a retaining wall and corner towers with pointed roofs. The castle was restored from 1970 onwards; in 1993, it was granted protected status as a Bien de Interés Cultural monument.

The public washhouse La Cimbra was built in 1947, operated until the 1970s and is now preserved as evidence of Gérgal’s local history. Puente Viejo de Gérgal was completed in 1908 after construction had begun in 1880. It consists of a main arch over the Rambla de Gérgal and two secondary arches, which served to regulate water runoff during earlier summer storms.

Transport History

In February 1912, Spain’s first electrified railway section began operating between Santa Fe and Gérgal; it was 21 km long. The historic Gérgal station on the Linares–Almería line had a single electrified track.

More Destinations

More destinations besides Gérgal: Uleila Del Campo, Carboneras, El Contador, Armuña De Almanzora, El Cortijo Grande, Adra, Líjar, Agua Amarga.

Astronomy

The Calar Alto Observatory is located in the municipality of Gérgal, at an altitude of 2,168 m on the summit of the Sierra de los Filabres, and is operated by CAHA, the Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán. A daytime visit to the observatory lasts around two hours and is led by qualified, scientifically trained staff. Since March 2016, members of the public have been able to visit the observatory individually or in groups; the activities were organised by the company “Azimuth Education and Scientific Tourism”.

For the main travel overview: Almeria.