What to see in Manzanares

answer the question what to see in Manzanares is to review the attractions of one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Ciudad Real. Located in full region of La Mancha, on the banks of the Azuer river, has been crossroads in many ways.

Because it is not only located at a point of communication between the north and the south, the east and the west. In addition, it has had historical importance since time immemorial. Founded in the XNUMXth century by the Order of Calatrava, won the category of town under the mandate of the Catholic kings and lived its time of greatest splendor in the XNUMXth century thanks to agriculture and sheep farming. Numerous monuments have remained as mute witnesses of all this. Therefore, we are going to show you what to see in Manzanares.

The castle of Manzanares

Although its construction date is not entirely clear, it has been dated to the XNUMXth century by order of the Order of Calatrava, who obtained the encomienda or lordship of the area at that time. His mission was to control the communications in that area, where royal glens crossed each other and the town was created around it.

It is included in the list of Architectural Heritage of Historic Artistic Interest created by the Ministry of Culture and is very well preserved. Likewise, over time it has undergone several extensions that have given it its current appearance. But don't expect to find a typical castle, with its circular and slender towers.

El Pilas Bonas Castle, as it is also known, stands out for its straight and geometric lines, as well as for its homogeneity. However, it is mostly crenellated and has a large keep. But best of all, you can visit it and even sleep in it, since it has been converted into a hotel establishment.

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

The imposing temple of Our Lady of the Assumption is the largest in the entire diocese of Ciudad Real. The fact that its central nave alone has a surface area of ​​XNUMX square meters will give you an idea of ​​its majesty. Likewise, like the castle, it is A Cultural.

Its construction began at the end of the XNUMXth century and is mostly Renaissance, although later reforms have added other styles. The great jewel of the building is the main or sun cover, considered the best sculptural ensemble in the entire Campo de Calatrava. It is a marvel attributed to Alonso Galdon in which the arch formed by three archivolts in whose coffers appear figures of the Biblia.

As for the interior, the temple is distributed in a single nave flanked by side chapels. Among these, the one dedicated to Saint Ildefonso. However, all the furniture, including the main altarpiece, caught fire during the Civil War. For this reason, the current one dates from 2003. Paintings of Antonio Iniesta and the imposing German organ in the choir. On the other hand, some sacred objects could be preserved, such as a ciborium from the XNUMXth century and an ewer from the XNUMXth century attributed to Vincent Gavilanes.

Other temples to see in Manzanares

Very different from the previous one is the Church of Our Lady of Altagracia, since it is a temple built in 1970 that attracts attention for its modern lines. However, it was built on the remains of an old hermitage from the XNUMXth century. Its architectural style has been defined as postmodern and has given it a quadrangular plan with a fan-shaped part. But, above all, its slender bell tower topped by a cross stands out.

For its part, the hermitage of the Vera Cruz It stands out for its spectacular main altarpiece. It is the work of the sculptor Luis Ortega Bru and imitates the canons of flowery Gothic. Next to it, other hermitages in the town are those of San Antón, Cristo de las Agonías, San Blas and Virgen de la Paz.

But more artistic value has the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, popularly known as "cloistered nuns". Built at the end of the XNUMXth century, it also had to be rebuilt after the Civil War, but it retained its magnificent baroque facade. In its church, the precious golden altarpiece which is crowned by the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the altar with reliefs that reproduce the Holy Supper.

The Palace of the Marqués de Salinas and other stately homes

La Jonte's house, as the palace of the Marqués de Salinas is also known, is an XNUMXth century construction with neoclassical features. It receives that other denomination because the military man lived there Manuel Gonzalez de Jonte, married to the daughter of the aristocrat. However, the most illustrious guest of him was the king Alfonso XIII, who stayed there during his hunting trips. The forms of the building are austere, but the portico, the decoration of its trellis and balconies, as well as its interior patio with columns and arches, stand out.

But you have many other manor houses to see in Manzanares. It is also a nice palace that of the Count of Casa Valiente, which stands out for the noble shield on its façade. For her part, the house of lions It was built in the XNUMXth century and owes its name to the sculptures of these animals that you will see on the sides of the gate.

Humbler is the house of the saint, of the same century as the previous one. In it stands out its typically La Mancha balcony made with wooden beams and in which a figure of San Francisco de Paula can be seen. For her part, the House of the Blind Today it is a cultural center that houses the Manuel Pina Museum, dedicated to this famous fashion designer. Its name is due to the fact that the nineteenth-century poetess was born in it Francisca Carralero, known as “la Ciega de Manzanares”. However, the construction received an even more illustrious visitor. we talk about St. Teresa of Jesus, who spent the night there on February 14, 1575.

Manzanares Town Hall and Gran Teatro

The first was built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century next to the old Town Hall, which had become small. The plans were made by telmo sanchez, municipal architect, who was inspired by the Spanish Renaissance. However, the result was an eclectic style building, it is true that with many classicist elements. It has recently undergone restoration, also revealing the old "council well".

In turn, the Great theater It is a modern construction, although it is also inspired by the rationalist and eclectic styles of the early XNUMXth century. It is not only used for stage performances, but also serves as an exhibition center and the headquarters of the local drama companies.

Other constructions of interest to see in Manzanares

We have already shown you the main monuments to see in Manzanares, but the town in the province of Ciudad Real has other places of interest that we are now going to mention. It is the case of the call Malpica's house, which houses two museum institutions. Its about Sánchez Mejías Museum Archive and the Manchego Cheese Museum. The first is dedicated to the famous bullfighter Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, friend of Federico Garcia Lorca, who lost his life in the Manzanares bullring in 1934.

They are not the only ones from the Manchegan village. In a beautiful house from the XNUMXth century and a popular classicist style, you can visit the most curious. Its about PlomHist Museum, dedicated to tin soldiers. It exhibits the private collection of Rafael Garcia Alcazar, with more than four thousand pieces distributed in about eighty dioramas.

You can also visit the call big mill, dating from the XNUMXth century and the only one that remains of the hydraulics that existed in Manzanares. It has several adjacent buildings and forms, together with the water channel, one of the most important ethnographic ensembles in the town. But this is not the only building that remembers his work past. You can also approach the old flour factory, built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries with historicist and eclectic features.

Parks in the town of La Mancha

The great green lung of Manzanares is the Julian Gomez-Cambronero Park, which also holds a surprise for you. The local scientist who gives it its name designed the Solar System Walk. As its own name indicates, it is a route that starts from the monolith that reproduces the Sun and goes through those that recreate the small planets, the largest and even reaches beyond the confines of its system.

So, play the Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud and ends in the closest star to the Astro Rey: next centaury. Specifically, it has two sections. The first goes from the monument to the Sun to Pluto and consists of twelve stops. For its part, the second goes from the latter to the pyramid where the aforementioned star is located, which culminates the tour. At each point of the itinerary there is also an explanatory panel written by Gómez-Cambronero himself.

In conclusion, we have shown you what to see in Manzanares, the beautiful town in the region of La Mancha, in the province of Ciudad Real. As you have seen, it is a historic town full of attractions that has nothing to envy to other wonders of the province such as Alcazar of San Juan o Campo de Criptana. Go ahead and meet her and enjoy them.