Calaceite: Historic Old Town and Culture

Since 2002, Calaceite has held the title of cultural capital of the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca. The historic old town of Calaceite has been designated a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1974. The historic urban ensemble preserves its original layout, remnants of the town walls and fortifications, as well as manor houses.

Culture

The collections at the Juan Cabré Museum are divided into three areas: Juan Cabré, contemporary art and ethnology. The Juan Cabré Museum is housed in an 18th-century manor house built in 1790 as a private residence.

The Portal d'Orta is a preserved gate of the walled town of Calaceite and was converted in the 18th century to accommodate the Chapel of San Antonio of Padua. The chapel features frescoes in the vault spandrels and on the hemispherical dome; its walls are clad in ceramic tiles. The Portal de Maella was one of the four gates in Calaceite's town wall, above which an elevated Baroque chapel dedicated to the Virgen del Pilar was built in the 18th century.

Casa Moix was selected for reproduction in the Pueblo Español in Barcelona on the occasion of the 1929 World's Fair. Plaza de los Artistas was established in 1999 in honour of the artists and intellectuals who shaped Calaceite.

Nature

The present-day hermitage of San Cristóbal is a Baroque building from the 18th century, whose veneration in Calaceite dates back at least to the 14th century. From the surroundings of the hermitage, there are views of the Puertos de Beceite massif and several villages in Matarraña and Terra Alta.

The hermitage of Santa Ana is an ethnographic complex with a chapel, a hermit's house, a spring and an old animal-powered waterwheel. The complex is set in a landscape with olive and almond trees, as well as pine and holm oak forests. For personal trip planning, historic buildings, landscape connections and ethnographic sites can be arranged according to the desired focus.

Festivals and Routes

The Iberian settlement Despoblado Ibérico de San Antonio is part of the Ruta Iberos en el Bajo Aragón. Visitors are advised to notify the Consorcio Patrimonio Ibérico de Aragón in advance. The old prison of Calaceite is part of the Cárceles del Mezquín-Matarraña route. Access to the old prison is provided as part of guided tours organised by the Calaceite Tourist Office.

The festival in honour of Saint Christopher takes place on the weekend closest to 10 July and includes a vehicle blessing, a communal meal, a mass, dances and an evening dance at the hermitage. The festival of Saint Anne takes place on the Saturday before Easter Monday as part of the spring festivals and includes outdoor meals, traditional games and dances. For personal trip planning, festivals, routes, museums and historic buildings can be arranged according to the desired focus.

Arrival

Upon arrival, you can park on the street or next to the Calaceite sports pavilion; parking is not permitted in the old town.

This information helps put personal planning into context alongside the destination's historic sites, festivals and landscape features.

Other Places

The same broader area also includes Lledó, Alcañiz, Concud, Miravete De La Sierra, Valbona, Tronchón, Allepuz and La Fresneda.

To the broader travel overview: Teruel.