Discover Castillo de Garcimuñoz – Fortress, Culture and Hiking Trails

The fortress of Castillo de Garcimuñoz is open to the public; during a visit, you can explore the castle courtyard. The historic ensemble of Castillo de Garcimuñoz is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).

History and Culture

The Church of San Juan Bautista was built south of the manor castle from 1663 onwards and consecrated in 1708. It has a Baroque altarpiece and preserves visible wall paintings with plant motifs beneath the layer of limewash.

The remains of the old Church of San Juan are located on Cerro de San Juan. They include a partially visible section of side wall, a pointed Gothic portal and a polygonal apse. Today, Cerro de San Juan is a landscaped recreational area.

The birthplace of the writer Ignacio Garcia Malo is located on Calle del Arco. The Real Monasterio de Agustinos was founded by Infante Don Juan Manuel and Infanta Constanza de Aragón. The church of the Convento de San Agustin was Gothic in style and had three naves; the convent still preserves arches from the cloister today.

Castillo de Garcimuñoz is also a stop on the “Tras las Coplas de Jorge Manrique” route. On the Camino de la Nava stands the Cruz de Don Jorge, a memorial monolith about 3 kilometres from Castillo, where Jorge Manrique was fatally wounded.

Nature and Trails

The Ruta de las Fuentes y los Pozos SL-CU 09 is 6.5 kilometres long, circular and has a low difficulty level. The Sendero de Las Cuerdas, PR-CU 124, is a marked hiking trail that leads south from the town centre across Monte de Las Cuerdas, a dense pine forest.

You can compare the information on the circular route and difficulty level with the course of the marked forest trail before planning your day.

The underground galleries of a spring are currently open to visitors. Historically, the spring was a resting and meeting place on routes that connected the Castilian interior with the Levante and the routes of the Mesta. The spring grounds were redeveloped as a recreational area around 1998.

Festivals and Local Traditions

The Jornadas manriqueñas take place every year in April, alternating between Castillo de Garcimuñoz, Santa María del Campo Rus and Uclés. Every year on 9 November, a day of commemoration and solidarity between Albacete and Castillo de Garcimuñoz takes place.

The San Juan festival includes a pilgrimage on 24 June, carrying the saint to the remains of the old Church of San Juan on Cerro de San Juan.

San Antón on 17 January includes a gastronomic Matanza festival featuring the production of chorizos. Jueves Lardero is a gastronomic celebration on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday that marks the beginning of Carnival and takes place before Lent.

Further destinations: Cuenca, Barajas de Melo, Rada de Haro, Pineda de Gigüela, Villalba de la Sierra, Valhermoso de la Fuente, Olivares de Júcar, Rozalén del Monte

To the higher-level travel overview: Cuenca.