Town in Spain similar to French Provence but less than an hour from Madrid

It is called the garden of Alcarria, and its impressive lavender fields are famous for coloring everything when they bloom. But Brihuega is much more.

Besides being a place of pilgrimage for Instagrammers and photographers who find Spanish Provence in blooming lavender, this town in Guadalajara has more than just an interesting historic center. Brihuega is a medieval town worth visiting all year round..

The medieval town of Brihuega

Located in the Tajuña river valley GuadalajaraBrihuega is a medieval town that was the headquarters of the Royal Cloth Factory in the 18th century. Like the others medieval townsBrihuega preserves the buildings of the time.

Brihuega wall

this Castillo de la Piedra Bermeja, built at the end of the 11th centuryand the wall where we can enjoy arches and medieval gates such as Puerta de Santa María or Arco de Cozagón are remnants of that time. And it is in the Middle Ages that Brihuega first emerged as an important population center in history, called Castrum Brioca or castle in the rock.

There is a cemetery in the castle area and a Gothic-Mudejar style chapel inside, which is considered a transitional Romanesque gem. Every corner of its historical heritage is worth seeing.

Redstone Castle

In the 13th century, Archbishop Don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada encouraged the construction of major Briocense churches such as: The best known Church of San Felipe in Brihuega town. The same century was the splendor of Cistercian architecture, thanks to the fountains that are still preserved in the historic center and are representative of the period.

Church of San Felipe in Brihuega

The most beautiful is the fountain of the Twelve Horns, located in the municipality’s old laundry, which even has its own legend: Single women who drink its water find a wife (no one says whether they did). With the help of Tinder or not). In addition, the Fuente del Paseo de la Fábrica in San Juan, or Hisopo, is a wonderful keepsake of how the town got its water less than a century ago.

Plaza del Coso in Brihuega

In Plaza del Coso, where the city hall is located, there is also Arabian caves built between the 10th and 11th centuries and is still protected after sieges. This labyrinth of galleries and tunnels stretches for nearly eight kilometers across Brihuega’s entire underworld and has an exit outside the walls.

Underground Arabian caves in Brihuega

La Casona de los Gómez or Prado de Santa María, an 18th-century noble house, also deserves a few moments alongside the cobbled streets.

Brihuega Lavender Festival

Not that we recommend going to Brihuega in the summer, but that it’s almost mandatory by law. See the Spanish Provence landscape at least once in a lifetime.

The buzzing of the bees, the colors of the fields blending into the sky, the sun caressing your skin, the incredible and soothing lavender scent and nature, in all its glory, reveals one of the greatest beauties of Castilla-La Mancha.

Brihuega is famous every year for expanding the experience. lavender festival There are guided tours of the lavender fields on weekends, which coincide with the splendor of blooming in mid-July, but throughout the month, organized by the municipality.

Lavender festival in the streets of Brihuega

A Mysterious Bonus: Civics

Near Brihuega, at the foot of its ramparts and medieval city, we find a small vegetation-covered city complex where streams and waterfalls circulate freely. Cívica is an abandoned rock village that has now become a mysterious place. what see

civilian

If possible, stay in Brihuega for at least one night and calmly enjoy its corners. For example, Hotel Spa Niwa, 190 euros If we want to relax and spend a quiet weekend in the garden of the Alcarria, the night is the perfect option.

Note: Some of the links in this article are linked and may benefit Trendencias.

Photos | iStock, Anabel Palomares, Historical heritage, national network of castles and palaces, Brihuega Tourism

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