Huéscar

This important village is located at 953 m of altitude in a fertile valley at the foothills of Sierra de La Sagra mountain range. In the village, visitors can see the Church of Santa María, a listed National Monument, which keeps inside a priceless object, the monstrance known as Torrecilla Alta; the 16th century Colegiata de la Encarnación and the numerous ancient homes still preserved with significant architectonic interest.

At 9 km from the old town towards the sanctuary of the patron saints of Huéscar, St Alodia and Nunilón, lies the Salto del Moro, a famous rock in this region for its peculiar shape, followed by the Piedra del Letrero, so called for its Prehistoric paintings.

Nearby the old town are the popular Baths of Fuencaliente, a water spring that emanates from the earth and forms a sort of natural pool that always keeps the same temperature (around 18ºC).

History

It was part of the Roman region called Tárraco.
Under Muslim rule, it belonged to the Kura de Tudmir. From the 13th century there was a constant change of ownership, being at times Castilian and others, Moorish, until it was finally re-conquered in 1488. Since then, it was part of the Lerín landed state and later of the Alba.
An important date to remember for this village is the 11th of November 1981, since surprisingly it was then when the "Peace Agreement with Denmark" was signed, as reported by the media. Thanks to research carried out by D. Vicente González Barberán on the history of Huéscar, he found that this municipality declared war to Denmark on the 11th of November 1809. Taking into account that a war never finishes until the peace agreement is signed, it was logical to put an end to this anachronism. Therefore, Huéscar authorities decided on the 7th of July 1981 to start peace talks with the Danish authorities aiming to re-establish peace after 172 years of war. This fact bonded both, Huéscar and Denmark, by making this Andalusian town and Kolding twin cities.
Important characters
Manuel Peralta y Valte, married to Mariana Pineda.