Fuentes: Karst lagoons, dinosaurs and holiday apartments

Fuentes is home to a lagoon complex that is among the few European karst systems located on gypsum.

When comparing holiday apartments in Fuentes, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation policies on booking sites. The three fields describe different aspects of an offer and can be considered separately.

Nature and geology

Laguna del Ojo de la Corva is a natural lagoon in Fuentes connected to the municipality's karst landscape. The natural lagoons of Fuentes also include Laguna Negra. Its seasonal changes in colour and water volume have given rise to local legends.

Torcas del Águila is a geologically interesting natural formation a few kilometres from Fuentes and forms part of routes for active tourism and interpretive hiking. The River Moscas rises near Fuentes and continues flowing until it joins the Júcar.

The lagoons and striking geological formations of Fuentes make easy hiking routes possible. The mountainous landscape around Fuentes is suitable for cycling tours.

Trails

Sendero de las Navas PR-CU 56 is a circular route that passes through the eastern part of the municipality of Fuentes. The route is suitable for people who would like to start hiking. Via signposted paths, it provides access from Fuentes to the lagoons of Cañada del Hoyo and the village of Carboneras de Guadazaón.

Palaeontology

The Lo Hueco palaeontological site is located in the municipality of Fuentes and is considered one of the most exceptional palaeontological sites in Europe. The Lo Hueco site in Fuentes has yielded fish, turtles, lizards, crocodiles and dinosaurs dating from approximately 75 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous.

In Fuentes, the Ruta de los Dinosaurios includes a station entitled „The Age of the Titanosaurs“. The Centro de Interpretación de Fuentes is located in the former town hall on Plaza de la Constitución. It has two exhibition rooms with numerous replicas of finds from the Lo Hueco site, as well as an audiovisual room dedicated to discovering this site. Admission is free.

A replica of the titanosaur „Epi“ stands in a park in Fuentes next to the sports pavilion and the municipal swimming pool.

History

The founding of the present-day settlement of Fuentes is historically connected with the repopulation following the conquest of Cuenca by Alfonso VIII in 1177.

The temple in Fuentes has Romanesque origins dating from the early 13th century and was remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries. The nave, choir area, bell gable and one wall remain from the Romanesque building.

The present-day chapel in Fuentes originally developed from a charitable hospital intended to accommodate pilgrims, travellers and people without means. On the southern side of the temple's apse is a window richly decorated with Romanesque art, considered the most magnificent in the diocese.

Festivals and customs

The folk tradition of Mayo a la Virgen takes place at midnight on the night of 30 April to 1 May in the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The choir and rondalla of Fuentes perform the traditional Mayo with guitars and bandurrias in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary, while the residents sing along with the verses.

San Blas is celebrated in Fuentes on 3 February with a traditional bonfire in the village square, where participants throw a log onto the fire. Fuentes' fiestas in honour of the Virgen del Rosario take place on the first weekend of October, from Friday to Monday, and include religious, bullfighting, musical and entertainment events.

The festival in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua takes place on the second weekend of June, on the weekend closest to 13 June, and includes a Eucharistic celebration and a procession on Sunday. Los Diablotes is a recurring folk celebration in Fuentes on 28 December.

More destinations

More destinations: Olmedilla De Alarcón, Jabalera, Pozorrubielos De La Mancha, Villamayor De Santiago, Pineda De Gigüela, Valverde De Júcar, Talayuelas, Valdecañas

To the main travel overview: Cuenca.