Ciudad Real Tourist Attractions
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Ciudad Real, the "Royal City", lies between the rivers Guadiana and Jabalón. It preserves few remains from its glorious and warlike past. Now chief town of its province, it lies in the center of La Mancha, the home of Don Quixote, the "knight of the rueful countenance".HistoryIn 1252 Alfonso X, the Wise, established the fortress of Villareal on the site of the town of Alarcos, which had been destroyed by the Moors, in order to assert his authority against the over-mighty power of the Order of Calatrava and the Knights Templar in this frontier region facing Moorish territory. In 1420, during the reign of John II, the place was chartered as a town and given its present name.
Puerta de Toledo
The 14th century Puerta de Toledo is the only relic of Ciudad Real's once mighty walls. The gate, in Mudéjar style. flanked by two square towers, is now a national monument.
Santa María del Prado
The massive Gothic Cathedral (1531) is dedicated to the Virgen del Prado, whose image shows her seated on a silver throne. Notable features of the church are the 12th century west doorway, the retablo by Giraldo de Merlo (1616) and a painting by Eugenio Caxés, "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist", in the sacristy. From the tower (17th C.) there are extensive views.
San Pedro
Another church in Ciudad Real of high artistic quality is San Pedro (14th-15th C.), with Gothic and Mudéjar doorways. In the Capilla del Sagrario in the south aisle can be seen the fine alabaster tomb of the Coca family.
Surroundings
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Almagro
Almagro is situated 24km/15mi from Ciudad Real in the middle of the Campo de Calatrava. Almagro was the headquarters of the Calatrava order.
Plaza Mayor
The fine long Plaza Mayor is flanked by houses with arcaded passages and rows of balconies.
Corral de Comedias
This 17th C theater, where the first Spanish comedies were held, is preserved with its original structure. It was built as a comedy theatre and inn and is still used for dramatic performances.
National Festival of Classical Theater
Performances of classical plays by Spanish and international dramatists.The festival takes place each year in July.
Parque Nacional de las Tablas de Daimiel
This unusual national park lies in the La Mancha area of New Castile. The tablas are the shallow lagoons formed by rivers flooding out beyond their normal beds. Now overgrown by dense vegetation, they are linked by a network of channels which can be negotiated only in flat-bottomed punts. Scattered about in the water are numerous islands.The water is covered with a dense mat of aquatic plants known as ovas. A curious feature of the area is that the Río Cigüela brings in brackish water from the salt Parameras de Cabrejas, while the water of the Río Guadiana is fresh. Reeds (Phragmites communis Trin.) flourish in the fresh water, fen sedge (Cladium mariscus L. - the largest stand in western Europe) in the salt water. Since the canalisation of the Guadiana has reduced the inflow of fresh water the salt content is increasing, and it is feared that this may lead to changes in the ecosystem. It is now proposed to pump in additional fresh water. The only species of tree or shrub in the area is the tamarisk (Tamarix gallica L.), which grows on the islands.Over 200 species of birds nest in thisarea, and it was to protect them that the national park was established. Resident species include the kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Of the migrants which frequent the tablas the most notable are the purple heron (Ardea purpurea), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the hobby (Falco subbuteo). The marshy banks and shores are the haunt of the avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) and the ruff (Philomachus pugnax), while the reeds provide nesting-places for the fan-tailed warbler (Cisticola jundicis), Savi's warbler (Locustella luscinoides) and the bearded reedling (Panurus biarmicus).
Ermita de Alarcos
The old Ermita de Alarcos, 8km/5mi west of Ciudad Real, was built to commemorate the battle of Alarcos, probably fought in this area, in which Alfonso VIII's army was defeated by the Moorish cavalry in 1195.
Lagunas de Ruidera
These terraced lagoons, fed by the Río Guadiana, are well stocked with freshwater fish like barbel and pike. The commonest bird of prey in this marshy region is the marsh harrier.
