Belchite – History, Steppe and Olive Oil

A day visit to Pueblo Viejo de Belchite leads from its medieval origins through modern times to the Spanish Civil War and the battles in the summer of 1937 and March 1938. The night-time visit explores the darker history with stories of witch trials, bloody bandits and legends of the Battle of Belchite.

Culture and History

Belchite Viejo is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural) in the category “Historic Site”. The Museo Etnológico provides insights into the way of life, customs and traditions of the inhabitants of Belchite.

The Tower of San Martín is a Mudejar brick tower whose construction dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. It comprises three structures decorated with Mudejar motifs; San Martín de Tours is regarded in Belchite as an example of the significant Mudejar architecture of Aragon.

The Santuario de la Virgen del Pueyo was originally built in the 13th century as a small hermitage and was later expanded into a complex with Renaissance and Baroque buildings. Its tower is classified as a listed asset of Aragonese cultural heritage and has three lower structures with square floor plans and an upper octagonal structure.

The Roman settlement of Nuestra Señora del Pueyo in the municipality of Belchite was inhabited from the 1st century BC to the 2nd or 3rd century AD. On the Tuesday after Easter Sunday, Belchite holds a pilgrimage to the Santuario de la Virgen del Pueyo.

Trails and Nature

The Huellas de la Guerra Civil route leads to trenches, shelters and other military attack and defence installations. It can be walked independently using a brochure available from the Belchite tourist information office; an explanatory panel is located at each relic.

The Ruta del Olivar is a circular route of more than eleven kilometres through a landscape characterised predominantly by centuries-old olive trees, and is suitable for walking, cycling or horse riding. For your own planning, this provides a historically focused trail and a longer landscape trail as two different options.

The “(Des)conexión Esteparia” Experience Route includes four to eight information stops covering the history, management and biological diversity of the protected area. The experience is a nature walk through the Planaerón steppe in Belchite led by a biologist, highlighting endangered steppe birds such as Dupont’s lark, the black-bellied sandgrouse (Ganga ortega) and the little bustard.

The Centro de Interpretación de las Estepas del Valle del Ebro is located in Belchite and introduces visitors to the history and management of the surrounding nature reserves. Between the trail with information stations, the guided nature walk and the information centre, you can arrange the nature section according to your preferred format of interpretation.

When comparing holiday apartments in Belchite, you can check travel dates, room category and cancellation policies side by side on the respective offer pages. These three details provide a concise basis for organising different booking offers for your travel planning.

Further destinations for your travel planning: Osera De Ebro, Villanueva De Gállego, Longares, Sediles, Grisel, Morata de Jiloca, Munébrega and Calatayud.

Olive Oil

As part of olive oil tourism, the centuries-old olive trees of the Campo de Belchite comarca are visited and harvesting methods are explained. Olive oil tourism includes an introduction to olive oil tasting, during which the flavour notes, aromas, defects and characteristics of different olive varieties are presented.

Olive oil tourism explains the complete production process for extra virgin olive oil – from the arrival of the olives through to their processing into olive oil.

For the broader travel overview: Saragossa.