Villanueva de Córdoba – Dehesa, Culture and Tradition

Villanueva de Córdoba lies amid a dehesa dominated by holm oaks, considered the largest dehesa woodland in Europe. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can weigh culture, landscape, festival dates and culinary offerings as different focal points of your personal travel planning.

Culture

A trifinium made of granite is embedded in the façade of the Church of San Miguel and dated to 123 AD. Construction of the Church of San Miguel Arcángel began in 1553, and its 35-metre-high bell tower was completed in 1785. The Local History Museum is housed in a former railway station built between 1906 and 1907. Its collection includes material from the Lower Palaeolithic as well as grave goods from a burial dating to the 3rd millennium BC.

The Dehesa Interpretation Centre is housed in a restored 19th-century building that was converted into a museum about the natural, economic and cultural life of the dehesa. There, a 15-minute documentary presents the history, use, folklore, work, gastronomy and ethnology of the dehesa. Beneath Plaza de España lies an air-raid shelter from the Spanish Civil War, which was fully restored in 2008 and prepared for public use; it is considered the best-preserved air-raid shelter in the province of Córdoba.

The Parish Church of Cristo Rey was built in the 19th century as a chapel for the convent of the Hijas de Cristo Rey. The Parish Church of San Sebastián retains the form of a hermitage with a single-nave layout, pointed arches and a small portico. The Casa de Aníbal González, completed in 1908, combines exposed brick, granite and Art Nouveau details. The municipal bullring is also built of granite and decorated with tiles and wrought-iron elements; it has 3,250 seats.

For Villanueva de Córdoba, 52 megalithic structures belonging to the Los Pedroches dolmen heritage have been identified. The so-called “Procesión de las Velas” is a local procession in which children present the Virgen de los Dolores with candles artistically decorated with wax and paper. The Ruta de los Lavaderos leads to former public washing places, which help vividly convey a traditional way of life.

Nature

In the vicinity of Villanueva de Córdoba, there is a wildlife observation point on the Camino de la Serrezuela, where various animal species can be observed. Las Lagartosas offers a visit to the dehesa with a walk through the landscape, along with explanations about the keeping, breed and feeding of Iberian pigs in their natural habitat. During group visits, JAMIVI combines a walk through the dehesa with a visit to a ham-curing cellar.

Festivals and Food

On Whit Monday, the image of the Virgen de Luna is taken from the sanctuary to the parish church of San Miguel in Villanueva de Córdoba and returned to its hermitage in October. The Festividad de San Miguel on 29 September includes a mass, a procession, music, sports and traditional games. During the October Romería de la Virgen de Luna, there is a stop at the Pozo de la Legua, where visitors are invited to enjoy tostaos and wine.

The Feria del Jamón Ibérico de Bellota de Los Pedroches takes place every year in November in Villanueva de Córdoba. It includes a ham-slicing competition and a competition for the best acorn-fed Iberian ham. As part of a JAMIVI visit, some of the provider’s products are sampled. During the Fiesta de la Matanza y de la Artesanía Popular, visitors can sample local gastronomic products and learn about the work of the exhibiting artisans; the fiesta is held annually as a staged representation of one of the town’s oldest and most culturally important traditions.

For further travel planning, you can also consider Montoro, Hornachuelos, Doña Mencía, Gaena-Casas Gallegas, Santa Cruz, Fuente Palmera, Nueva Carteya and Villanueva Del Duque.

Activities

The tourist routes of Villanueva de Córdoba are assigned to the areas of hiking, cycling tourism and horse riding.

For the overarching travel overview: Cordoba.