Olmedillas: Caves, History and Architecture

Olmedillas lies on the border between the Sierra de Pela and the Sierra Ministra. For trip planning, three specific topics can be distinguished: caves and archaeological periods, architecture and historical records, and a cycling tourism route.

Caves and Historical Layers

At the entrance to the village are the Cuevas del Harzal, also known as “Guarzal”; they contain prehistoric remains. The Cueva Harzal in Olmedillas is one of the Eneolithic cave sites dating from 2800 to 2200 BC. It is also one of the few sites excavated in the north of the province of Guadalajara with an Andalusi chronology. Different archaeological periods are therefore represented side by side. There is also a connection to the cinema: in 1971, the Cuevas del Harzal served as a natural setting for the film “Las Troyanas.”

Church and Traditional Architecture

The parish church of Olmedillas is dedicated to the Purísima Concepción and shows Romanesque influences. The dedication identifies the building’s religious association, while the Romanesque influences describe its architectural classification.

Features of the traditional architecture include large houses built of ashlar stone and large door lintels. Ashlar stones are dressed, regularly shaped blocks of stone; a lintel forms the top of a doorway. This distinguishes two specific aspects of the construction: the stone used for the houses and a prominent architectural element above their doors. At the house at C/Estrecha 26 is a sgraffito dated 1921, featuring globular, water-droplet-like motifs. It complements the view of the large structural elements with a dated decorative detail.

Fortifications and Religious Connections

The Cuevas Fortificadas de Olmedillas belong to the category of medieval castles and fortifications with military and residential functions. Olmedillas also has remains of a possible Muslim defensive tower. The area belonged to a frontier zone known as the Marca Media. These references bring together a medieval fortification category and the explicitly tentative interpretation of the tower remains.

The parish archives preserve a bull from 1608 granting indulgences to the Brotherhood of the Vera-Cruz. In 1977, the feast day of San Simón and San Judas in Olmedillas fell on October 28. The archival bull and the feast day for that year offer two different insights into the village’s religious connections.

Getting to Olmedillas by Bike

The official BTT and cycling tourism route “Ruta 0 – Circular Pedanías” approaches Olmedillas from the SO-P-4263. After the intersection, a path leads left into the village. On leaving the village, the route rejoins the GU-128 at the cemetery and heads south towards Alboreca. From Olmedillas, the GU-128 also leads to the pedanía of Alcuneza.

The directions make the route easier to plan for yourself without specifying a journey time or distance. If you are planning to cycle the route, check the condition of the paths and roads locally.

Discover more destinations: Albares, Algar De Mesa, El Pedregal, Mirabueno, Guadalajara, Peñalén, Sigüenza, Campillo De Ranas

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