Orihuela del Tremedal (Teruel)

 

What you can see and do in Orihuela del Tremedal

Orihuela del Tremedal is in the region of the Sierra de Albarracín, in the Tremedal range, forming part of the Montes Universales. The second part of the name comes from the large peat bogs (‘tremedales’) in the area. The River Gallo that rises in Orihuela, flows through the area and joins the River Tagus. The town is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery in the high sierra, with large forests mainly of black pine and Scots pine. Timber is precisely one of the main products.

The first recommendation for travellers is a quiet walk around the town, harmonious and singular in its streets, where white-washed walls alternate with stone façades and where some old mansions, like the present Town Hall, date back to the 16th century. Observant visitors will also note some outstanding examples of railings on balconies and doors, a legacy of the past, when ironworks prospered thanks to the rich deposits of iron ore in the area. Together with livestock farming, it was the main economic activity in the town.

Any walk around Orihuela del Tremedal seems inevitably to lead to the church of San Millán de la Cogolla, a saint from Rioja, which recalls the influence of the kingdom of Navarre during the late Middle Age. The church, started in 1770, is fascinating because of its monumental size. Although the façade in Neoclassic, it is one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in Teruel, so it is worth going inside to see the altar pieces and carvings it possesses. The construction of the church was mainly paid for out of the income from the ironworks in the area.

The second great attraction of Orihuela del Tremedal is its scenery and network of footpaths, including the GR 10 and the 160 (the number that identifies the Way of El Cid), which can be followed from the town. One of those paths leads to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Tremedal, with a Romanesque carving of the Virgin of Tremedal, possibly dating from the 13th century. It is also interesting to visit La Toba Reservoir, 2.5km from Orihuela on the road A-2707, which has a small recreation area and is where grey herons stop off. From here a signposted 9km trail (there and back) to the Look-out point of La Portera, in the mountain range of the Montes Universales, enjoys extraordinary views across the region. Other options for both trekkers and cyclist tourists invite travellers to spend time in the town.

 

You also should not miss

• Railings. The traditional iron mining that goes back to Roman times encouraged the emergence of ironworks and metalworkers, whose labours can still be seen in the town. Even if many of the windows and balconies have added modern bland industrial materials, some good examples of old hand-made railings can be viewed, for example in the house of the Franco Pérez de Liria family. 
• Rivers of stone. These ‘rivers’ are a spectacular natural sight shared by the towns of Orea and Orihuela. They are scree slopes of stones caused by the action of ice that breaks up the quartzite peaks in the Tremedal massif, and the rocks move down valley by gravity so that to travellers they look like rivers of stone.
• The ‘tremedales’. A ‘tremedal’ is a peat bog, a damp, poorly drained area on a siliceous substrate, where temporary pools and slow-moving streams generate a particular ecosystem with moss, which creates a characteristic spongy soil that shakes as you walk on it. Because of their importance, these natural areas are protected and have been recognised internationally.

Rev.: JGG 13.08.21