Albarracín, the unconquerable city by Antonio Martinez Asins

Albarracín is located in the autonomous community of Aragon, in the southwest of the province of Teruel.

Due to its special toponymy, the old town is built on the slopes of a mountain, surrounded by the river Guadalaviar.

Albarracín has been, from immemorial time, a strategic city, which is why its defensive capacity was unbeatable in the past, with a series of constructions made up, in general terms, of three castles and two walled enclosures.

Albarracín and its surroundings were, during the Andalusian period, a small Taifa kingdom. Its name comes from the lineage that governed it, al-Banu Razin, the city of the sons of Razin. Two important testimonies of this fascinating period remain: the tower of the 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 from Navarre, the Azagra family, who maintained the independence of the Lordship of Albarracín from the powerful kingdoms of Castile and Aragon until the end of the 13th century.

Today, Albarracín is town of just over a thousand inhabitants, which tops most of the lists of the most beautiful villages in Spain and is never missing from the lists of the best in Europe. This wonderful place retains all its medieval essence, all its authenticity. With its narrow, steep streets; its houses that close in as they gain height, with their almost impossible layouts, and its medieval architecture.

In a short weekend trip, we can visit its excellent museums (the Diocesan Museum, the Museum of the City of Albarracín and the Museum of Torture), the medieval cathedral of EL Salvador, the city walls, the city‘s main square, and lose ourselves in the picturesque streets of the old town.

With all these visits, the walks are guaranteed, and we will probably be ready to enjoy its humble but scrumptious dishes: crumbs with grapes, porridge, borage, and milk caps. And it cannot be missing from any meal the famous delights from Teruel (which are no more than ham of the highest quality).

For the more athletic visitors, there is a wide range of activities to practice in nature: sport climbing, hiking, and cycling.

And if the traveller has not had enough emotion, he can still go to one of the twenty-five small villages that make up the community of Albarracín, small jewels of tranquillity in an agricultural and livestock environment, where the protected pine forests of Rodeno and the nearby cave paintings stand out.