Daroca: City Walls, Churches and Culture

[[H_0001] ]Daroca’s historic old town is designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The medieval town centre is surrounded by walls approximately 3.5 kilometres long, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. Castillo Mayor is Daroca’s former Muslim citadel and the most important fortification in the city’s defensive ring.

Culture and History

La Mina is a 600-metre-long hydraulic tunnel from the 16th century. Its entrance is located near Puerta Alta; the tunnel was built to divert runoff and prevent flooding in the city.

The apse of the Iglesia de San Juan was completed in the 13th century by Mudéjar craftsmen using bricks, while retaining the Romanesque design. The Iglesia de San Juan probably stands on the site of one of the former mosques of the Muslim city of Daroca. The Iglesia de San Miguel was begun in the late Romanesque style and largely completed in an early Gothic style. Inside the Iglesia de San Miguel, a wall altarpiece painted in tempera is still preserved; its central motif is the Coronation of the Virgin Mary.

Daroca’s Museum of History and Art is housed in the former Santo Domingo Hospital. The museum’s archaeological collection comprises more than 400 pieces and illustrates the settlement of the Daroca area and its comarca, as well as its pre-medieval history. This history begins in the second half of the 4th millennium and throughout the 3rd millennium BC. Casa de los Luna is a 14th-century palace with Mudéjar decoration on its wooden ceilings and windows.

Nature and Trails

Several signposted hiking trails lead through the Pinar de Daroca. Daroca’s grain fields provide a habitat, among others, for great bustards, little bustards and stone-curlews; these are considered ecologically valuable steppe birds. Daroca also has its own network of mountain biking and road cycling routes under the name Ibérica Bike. For personal travel planning, historic buildings, natural areas, hikes and cycling routes can be compared as different areas of focus.

Routes and Walks

The Ruta de las Murallas includes a route to the castle lasting approximately 45 minutes and a walk along the walls lasting around two hours. Daroca’s Ruta Monumental takes 1 hour and 45 minutes and starts at the tourist office at C/Mayor No. 44. Different route lengths and time estimates can be compared for personal day planning.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Daroca, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective accommodation pages. These three details help you assess different booking options more clearly according to the desired conditions for your personal travel planning.

Music, Markets and Crafts

The Festival Internacional de Música Antigua is intended to take place again every summer; the concerts are intended to be held in the city’s two most important churches and led or performed by the course instructors. The Feria Medieval de Daroca takes place every year on the last weekend of July; the medieval market features, among others, craftspeople, musicians and performers.

The Segura family opened a pastry shop in Daroca in 1874. Since then, the pastry-making tradition has continued through five generations.

Further destinations:Aranda De Moncayo, Almonacid de la Sierra, Luna, Bijuesca, Paracuellos De Jiloca, Cerveruela, Undués-Pintano, Cuarte De Huerva

To the main travel overview: Saragossa.