Garrovillas De Alconétar: Culture, Nature and Holiday Apartments

Garrovillas de Alconétar showcases a medieval ensemble on the Plaza de la Constitución with 20 two-storey houses, arcades with granite columns and brick arches, 65 arches and 103 windows. The square is considered one of the most valuable architectural ensembles on the Iberian Peninsula.

When comparing a holiday apartment in Garrovillas de Alconétar, you can view the travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions of the respective offers side by side. Cultural monuments, scenic routes and seasonal festivals give your daily itinerary different thematic focuses.

Culture

The parish church of Santa María de la Consolación houses an organ that has been protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest. At the same time, it is one of the few instruments from the 16th century preserved in Spain and Europe.

The Iglesia de Santa María de la Consolación was completed in 1520. Its rectangular nave has a single aisle and three sections with ribbed vaults.

The Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol was built in the 14th century from granite blocks in the pointed-arch style. It has three aisles, each with four ribbed vaults and star-shaped vaults. Inside, there is also the Christ of the Insults from the 16th century, as well as valuable tiles dated 1559 and attributed to Jan Floris.

The Ethnographic Museum «El Silo» is located in the former silo building and explains everyday life in Garrovillas from the 1940s to the 1960s. The Corral de Comedias was built in 1986 based on the model of the Corral de Comedias in Almagro, on the site of the former butcher shops and houses of court officials. It has three levels; on the ground floor, wooden benches are provided for performances on the stage.

The Convent of San Antonio de Padua was built by the first Counts of Alba de Liste as a thanksgiving offering for the liberation of their son D. Enrique Enriquez, who had been taken prisoner by the Portuguese in the Battle of Toro in 1476. In 1497, the convent provided accommodation for the Catholic Monarchs and was the seat of a Franciscan community. Since the Desamortización of 1835, it has increasingly fallen into disrepair and is in a ruinous state.

Nature and Landscape

From the Mirador de la Cruz de Brozas, you can see Garrovillas de Alconétar, the reservoir, the bridges over the Tagus and the castle of Portezuelo.

The Charca de las Albujeras consists of two ponds on the outskirts of the town. Tench are caught there; in the surrounding area, you can see numerous traditional ovens used for the artisanal production of roof tiles and bricks.

A stage of the Camino Natural del Tajo crosses the ZEPA Pinares de Garrovillas, a remarkable woodland area with stone pines of the Pinus pinea species. It is used for breeding by species such as the black stork.

A colony of lesser kestrels is located around the square and church of Garrovillas and is associated with the town's environmental protection status.

Routes and the Course of the Year

The Ruta Turística Gamificada leads visitors, through clues and questions, to Garrovillas's most important architectural monuments and the historical figures associated with them. The sixth stage of the Camino Natural del Tajo begins in Garrovillas de Alconétar and runs via Mata de Alcántara to Alcántara.

One variant of the long circular Ruta del Almendro en Flor runs through fields of almond trees in white or pink blossom. Its final section follows the signs for the Camino Natural del Tajo and then returns to Garrovillas through olive groves.

The Almendro en Flor festival takes place in mid-February and welcomes visitors who can stroll through blossoming almond-tree fields in the El Gallito area. The Fiestas de los Toros are celebrated in mid-August in honour of the patron saint San Roque; more than 50 local Peñas set up so-called „Carros“ for the bullfighting events.

Getting There

Garrovillas de Alconétar can be reached via the A-66 and then the N-630. The Puente de Alconétar was moved from its original location during the construction of the Alcántara Reservoir.

Other destinations: Herreruela, Villanueva De La Vera, Las Casiñas Altas, Garciaz, Pinofranqueado, Belvís De Monroy, Barrado, Benquerencia

For the higher-level travel overview: Cáceres.