Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Albacete
Albacete is both the capital and the largest city in the province. It is located in the south of Castilla-La Mancha. Archaeological remains dating back to the Bronze Age and the Iberian and Roman cultures have been found in the vicinity of what is now the town centre. The archaeological site of El Acequión is particularly important in this respect. There, you can see some of the best examples of Bronze Age culture in La Mancha. Traces of Roman settlements have also been found in the area, including the funerary monument of Santa Ana, dating from the 1st century. Despite this, experts attribute its origin to a small farmhouse built in the 9th century. In the Andalusian period it was known as Al-Basit, which meant "the plain". Years later, in 1146, the famous battle of al-Luŷŷ would take place in this area, in which the soldiers of the kingdom of Castile would kill the Levantine king Sayf al-Dawla. It was under the reign of Ferdinand III, known as the Saint of Castile, that the city was taken in 1241.
In 1375 Albacete was granted the title of villa, although for many years it would be the site of numerous confrontations between the supporters of the Catholic Monarchs and those of Juana la Beltraneja. During the 16th century, the city continued to grow. Due to its importance, Charles I gave the lordship of Albacete to the Empress Isabella of Portugal as a wedding gift.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, fought in the 18th century, Albacete remained loyal to Felipe V who, after occupying the throne, granted the city the privilege of having a free fair in a permanent enclosure located in the area of Santa Catalina, to the west of the city, which is still the city's fairgrounds.
In the 19th century, Albacete underwent major developments, such as the construction of the Canal de María Cristina, to facilitate the drainage of stagnant waters that were a source of diseases, or the numerous sackings by Napoleonic troops during the Spanish War of Independence. In the 20th century, the Bank of Albacete and the savings bank were founded and several industries developed, such as cutlery and metallurgy. During the Civil War it was the headquarters of the international brigades and suffered the rigours of the war, being the scene of several bombardments.
Nowadays Albacete has become one of the cities with the highest quality of life in our country. It is also the most accessible and one of the safest. It is a modern capital, with large spaces and green areas and an enormous historical and natural heritage.
The main economic activity in Castilla-La Mancha, based in the past on agricultural and livestock activity (from which the popular Albacete Fair would derive) is the cutlery industry, one of the foundations of industrial activity in the city, although Albacete is now focusing on the commercial and service sectors.
The historic centre of the city holds various treasures in the form of monuments such as the Posada del Rosario, a La Mancha-style mansion built in the 16th century in Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar styles. We also find the Palacio de la Diputación Provincial or the Teatro Circo, examples of administrative and cultural buildings created in the 1880s.
In the 20th century, a number of buildings and facilities were built, such as the Pasaje de Lodares, a historic modernist gallery, and the Fábrica de Harinas, a modernist government palace.
Also worth seeing is the beautiful Plaza de Toros, with its Mudejar influence, which holds the honour of being one of the most excellent bullrings in Spain and one of the most prestigious in the art of bullfighting. Another emblematic place is the Plaza del Altozano, kilometre 0 of the city of La Mancha.
Religious architecture deserves a special mention, with outstanding examples such as the Cathedral of San Juan, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, the Chapel of the Virgen de Los Llanos, a symbol of the popular Albacete Fair, where the image of the city's patron saint is kept and which has also been declared an Asset of International Tourist Interest.
In terms of nature, this is one of the Spanish cities with the largest surface area of green areas, such as the Abelardo Sánchez Park, the Fiesta del Árbol Park and the Parque Lineal. Near the municipality we should highlight areas such as the holm oak grove of Mahora, the banks of the river Júcar or the Cañada Real del Pozo Rubio.
But if there is one element that attracts tourism to this town in La Mancha, it is undoubtedly its fair, held every year between 7 and 17 September and which has been declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. It is a festival that celebrated its third centenary in 2010, although it has probably been celebrated for longer than that. The fair began its unstoppable growth and impact thanks to the fairgrounds that in the 18th century the king allowed to be built in the city and which have subsequently been extended on successive occasions to accommodate the huge number of visitors that the city receives during this fair in honour of the Virgin of Los Llanos, patron saint of Albacete.
The month of June sees the celebration of San Juan Bautista, patron saint of Albacete, with its popular torchlight parade.
Finally, it is worth mentioning its rich gastronomy, where the leading dish is gazpacho manchego, made with game meat, as well as migas ruleras and gachas de pastor (shepherd's porridge). The pisto manchego or moje and the popular atascaburras are also examples of Castilian tradition. And we cannot fail to mention the miguelitos de La Roda, one of the most famous desserts in the area and in Spain.