Province of Cuenca

Cuenca is the most mountainous province of Castilla-La Mancha along with Guadalajara. Located in the southeast of Madrid, it is in the southernmost part of the Sistema Ibérico (Iberian Mountain Range) which rises in the east of this province. Cuenca is replete with dispersed small population hubs throughout its territory, which add up all together to just over 200,000 inhabitants at a density of just 12 inhabitants per km2.

The capital, a World Heritage Site, is home to nearly 25% of Cuencans. Generally speaking, it can be divided into four large areas: the Mountains (la Serranía), la Alcarria, la Mancha and la Manchuela.

Its territory, almost entirely limestone, determines the landscapes and colours to be enjoyed during a visit to this province and its visually stunning geomorphologic elements such as the limestone deposits, the ravines or the rocky sinkholes. At the same time, the limestone substrate conditions the existing vegetation, leading to the predomination of great pine forests, especially in regions where the topography is jagged and the natural flora is not as influenced by human activity. One simply must visit the parts of the Sierra de Altomira (Altomira Mountain Range) where the hydrographic network has created deep, narrow ravines that are today used to localise the Entrepeñas and Buendía Reservoirs, an important tourist and recreational area.

Likewise, the Cuenca Mountains (Serranía de Cuenca) are a must-see, especially the Alto Tajo Nature Reserve. The source of the River Cuervo is one of the most valuable and well-known natural elements. It is also advisable to take a stroll around the Hoces de Beteta (Beteta Ravines) and Solán de Cabras, in the northeast of the province, where they form a very important environmental site and landscape, with big wavy reliefs and rocky outcroppings. They are home to the Griffon Vulture and the Peregrine Falcon, among many others.

In the province of Cuenca there are abundant prehistoric remains. Some of the loveliest places of interest are, to name a few, the Verdelpino, Boniches and Villar del Humo rock-shelter sites, dating back to the transition from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic. All of them contain human, animal and hunting scenes, in consonance with what the well-known Mediterranean Arch of the Iberian Peninsula has to offer and where, along with Cuenca, the territories of Albacete and Guadalajara are located. A visit to the Provincial Museum is always a good idea to better understand the subject. There, we can find a large part of the archaeological remains discovered in the province.
Starting from the Iron Age, there are some remains of necropolises, such as the Madrigueras Necropolis in Carrascosa del Campo. The arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century B.C. is marked by three authentic treasures that show the splendour reached by this civilisation: Segóbriga or Greek Head (close to modern-day Saelices) – one of the five archaeological sites of Castilla-La Mancha –, Ercávica (further north, next to modern-day Cañaveruelas) and Valeria (a bit further southeast, on the road toward Albacete).