Apartamentos Turisticos Posada San Martin
C/ Alfonso VIII, 39, Cuenca, 16001, Spain
- Hotel
Photos
- Hotel
Amenities
More about Cuenca
Photos
Ciudad Encantada - Cuenca - Spain
Cuenca - Spain
Cuenca - Spain
Federico Muelas, at the ruins of San Pantaleon
Travel Tips for Cuenca
Streets of Cuenca
by andal13
The steep and narrow streets of the old city of Cuenca keep a lot of likeable surprises, so walk along them, and enjoy this beautiful town.
The picture shows one of these streets and Torre de Mangana; the views from the top of the tower may be awesome, but it was closed when I visited the town.
Las empinadas y estrechas callejuelas del casco antiguo de Cuenca reservan muchas sorpresas agradables, por lo que es un placer caminar por ellas y disfrutar esta ciudad encantadora.
La foto muestra una de estas calles y la Torre de Mangana; las vistas desde la cima deben de ser impresionantes, pero la Torre estaba cerrada cuando visité la ciudad.
History
by Aitana
Muslim troops entered in the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and conquered the area around Cuenca in 714. They built an Alcazaba (fortress) in a strategic location, between two gorges of the rivers Júcar and Huécar, the site of the present city of Cuenca. The place became a prosper agricultural and textile manufacturing city.
During the re-conquest of the Peninsula by the Christians, due to their pressure, the Muslim kingdom started to break into small provinces called Reinos de taifas. Conca was handed to the Christian kingdom of Castile by means of the marriage of princess Zaida and Alfonso VI king of Castile, but the Muslims recovered it in 1108 after the battle of Sagrajas. In 1177 Alfonso VIII, king of Castile, conquered Conca from the Taifas’s kingdom of Toledo.
Under Alfonso VIII the city was considered to be "Muy noble y muy leal" (Very noble and very faithful). Cuenca's citizenship was ruled by a Fuero which was considered one of the most perfect written at that period. The cathedral started to be built in an anglo-norman style, due to the influence of Alfonso VIII's wife, Leonor de Plantagenet, who was French. Cuenca continued to be a prosper city thanks to textile manufacturing and livestock exploitation.
During the 18th century the textile activity was forbidden in Cuenca to avoid competition with the Royal Tapestry Factory. The economy of Cuenca declined. The crisis was accentuated after the destruction caused during the independence was against Napoleon’s troops.
In the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway and the timber industry, the situation improved but in 1874, during the third carlist war the carlist troops took the city and caused a great damage.
The first decades of the 20th century were very turbulent. After the Civil War the poverty in the rural areas and the lack of economic activity led many people to migrate. The city started to recover slowly from 1960 to 1970. The population has grown moderately in the last years and the economy has also developed while road and train communications have improved noticeably.
Cementerio de San Isidro
by Aitana
The cemetery of San Isidro is the last rest place for the members of the brotherhood of San Isidro. It offers superb views of the Júcar gorge.
From the Plaza Mayor, take San Pedro street, continue to Trabuco street. After the castle walls the street forks: take the left one, Camino de San Isidro, and follow it 540 m.
Cathédrale de Cuenca
by breughel
L'extérieur étonne par les ouvertures dans la façade. En fait la façade a été reconstruite en style néo-gothique après avoir été endommagée par l'écroulement de la tour Giraldillo en 1902.
Visite fort intéressante de l'intérieur de cette cathédrale dédiée à San Julian et qui se caractérise par des styles variés. Les plus anciens étant gothico-normands, les plus récents étant des vitraux contemporaines dont les couleurs dominantes jaune et orange font entrer une lumière dorée dans la cathédrale.
Le ticket d'entrée comprend la mise à disposition d'un audio guide (également en français) dont le commentaire est fort bien fait et qui permet de découvrir toutes les beautés et particularités des nombreuses chapelles des 16e et 17e siècles. Au centre de l'église belles stalles dans le "coro" faisant face à la "capilla mayor". Cette cathédrale, qui n'a aucune étoile dans un guide français (vert) bien connu, en mérite au moins une.
Visite de la sacristie avec la collection d'objets d'art "tesoro":
Mardi à samedi 11-14h et 16-18h; dimanche 11-14h.
Fermé le lundi.
The Rickety footbridge to the Parador
by easyoar
There is a decidely rickety old footbridge from the Parador (government owned hotel) to the Old City of Cuenca. It spans one of the chasms that surround the old town.
If you cross in a strong wind, it is quite wobbly, and if you jump up and down on it, you can worry other pedestrians on it! It gives great views of the old city and of the Parador, so is well worth crossing, even if you aren't staying at the Parador
Questions and Answers
Q: Bus from Madrid to Cuenca "I know that the bus company is Auto.res
where do they leave Madrid?
is it the bus station Estacion Sur de autobuses?
thank you"
A: "Yes, it's the Estacion Sur de Autobuses de Madrid.
You can buy tickets at www.avanzabus.com
Greetings,
Jerca"
Read 2 Replies »
Sign in with Facebook
