1,100.
Calle Diputación 4, Tel: 978 71 02 51 .
Wed.
Los Mayos (30 Apr–1 May), Fiestas Patronales (8–17 Sep).
It is easy to see why this picturesque town earned an international award for historical preservation. A dramatic cliff above the Río Guadalaviar is the perfect setting for this attractive cluster of mellow pink buildings. Standing on a ridge behind the town are the defensive walls and towers which date from Muslim times.
There is a good view of the town from below the Palacio Episcopal (Bishop’s Palace). Inside the neighbouring 16th-century cathedral , which is topped by a belfry, there is a Renaissance carved wooden altarpiece depicting scenes from the life of St Peter. The treasury museum contains 16th-century Brussels tapestries and enamelled chalices.
Some of Albarracín’s sturdy beamed and galleried houses have an unusual two-tier structure. The ground floor is limestone, and the overhanging upper storey is covered in rough coral-pink plasterwork. Many have been restored to their medieval form. Just outside the town are the caves of Navazo and Callejón, with their prehistoric rock paintings. Reproductions can be seen in Teruel’s Museo Provincial.
In the surrounding Montes Universales , which rise to 1,935 m (6,348 ft), is the source of the Tagus, one of Spain’s longest rivers. From fertile cereal plains to crumbling rocks, this area is a colourful mixture of poplars, junipers and thick pine woods, with poppies in spring. At Cella , northeast of Albarracín, the Río Jiloca has its source.