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Albarracín is a walled town of just over a thousand inhabitants, which leads most of the lists of the most beautiful villages in Spain and never lacking in those that collect the best in Europe. This Teruel enclave preserves all its medieval essence, all its authenticity. With its narrow and steep streets; their houses that close as they gain height, with sometimes impossible provisions; its endless walls that ascend and descend through the hills that surround the town; its splendid cathedral; his Muslim citadel; its churches and hermitages, and its castles. Albarracín and its surroundings were, during the Andalusian period, a small kingdom of taifas.
Although it was populated since ancient times as witness the cave paintings of the Rodeno pine forest. It was also a Celtic settlement, later Roman that became Christianized Santa María de Oriente. Its main characteristic at present is that of medieval city.
Its name comes from the Andalusian lineage that governed it, al-Banu Razin, the city of the sons of Razin. From this fascinating stage two important testimonies are preserved: the tower of El Andador, at the highest point of the town, and the old citadel of the Banu Razin.
The taifa passed by cession to a Christian family of Navarre, the Azagra, that maintained the independence of the Señorío de Albarracín in front of the powerful kingdoms of Castile and Aragon until the end of the 13th century. Quite a peculiarity in Spanish medieval history. Albarracín always took advantage of its impregnable situation, perched on a rock mass modeled by the river. An indomitable, independent and challenging population, where time decided to stop, perhaps overwhelmed by its beauty. To the natural defenses, Albarracín added its impressive defensive complex to resist sieges and attacks, and nowadays all of this is still possible to admire when we visit it.
There is a lot to see in Albarracín. Of its houses, the most famous is that of the Julianeta, today the residence of artists. Or the House of Navarro de Arzuriaga, with a singular legend. Without forgetting that most of the houses in Albarracín stand out for their heraldic shields, their bars, their eaves and, especially, their callers. Beyond its history, the key to the success of Albarracín is that in the need to restore its heritage they have found a way to carry out an intense cultural projection, led and directed by the Santa María de Albarracín Foundation. Another of the singularities of this beautiful town is the characteristic reddish plaster with which its buildings have been erected. It is a real marvel to lose yourself walking through its narrow streets, passing under its arches, enjoying the views of the wall, the Muslim citadel, the cloister of the cathedral, the church of Santa María or the church of Santiago.
With numerous official recognitions, including the Europa Nostra, Albarracín is a National Monument since June 1961 and in 1996 it received the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts. Not only heritage and history will we find in Albarracín, since it is surrounded by the generous nature of the Sierra de Albarracín, one of the highest areas of the Iberian System. The Guadalaviar River, the Montes Universales, numerous marked hiking trails and mountain biking routes that meander through pine, juniper, maple and oak forests complete a spectacular destination.
The destruction of some houses during the Spanish Civil War, brought about the modification of the city, giving it the possibility of creating parks and larger squares, but at the same time without losing its original attraction.
The great charm of Albarracín is in its streets and houses, all framed in that reddish tone due to the construction materials, in particular to the reddish plaster used.
Currently tourism and the wood industry are the main economic activities of the city.
As an anecdotal note, we recommend observing the starry sky, the new moon nights of Albarracín, the possibility of observing a black sky, full of stars, due to its low light pollution.
