DESCRIPTION
Alcalá del Júcar is a landscape, cultural and tourist reference, not only in the province of Albacete, but at this time, in Castilla La Mancha and throughout Spain, thanks to social networks. This attractiveness has its origin in the values, known for decades, that justified that its urban area was declared a Historic Artistic Complex (CHA) in 1982.
The urban fabric of Alcalá del Júcar is a direct consequence of the geomorphological characteristics of the territory, dominated by a rock formed by a “powerful limestone group of lacustrine origin and Pliocene age, characterized by the alternation of micritic and marly strata, which favors the unleashing of differential erosion processes”. Said rock, in addition, in the framework of the gorges of the Júcar river, presents deforested slopes (although they have recently been repopulated), facilitating both the occupation of the territory and its erosion. In one of the most spectacular meanders of the river, next to the tombolo known as Bolinche de Manazas and on the east side of it, the only one whose relief allows a residential occupation, the population settled in the vicinity of what was originally the fortress. from Muslim times. Using a system of terraces of narrow dimensions, since the abrupt terrain does not favor the creation of platforms of generous dimensions, the first settlers arranged their dwellings, which undoubtedly had to be developed in the cavities and caves excavated in the rock, rather than on the surface. .
The easy excavation of the support on which the CHA of Alcalá del Júcar is located determined that a system of caves, which would possibly offer a rudimentary system of protection against inclement weather, on the surface, was developing towards the north of the fortress, occupying the eastern slope of the meander. Over time and for the next eight centuries, the primitive caves and paths gave rise to buildings with very simple architectural features and streets, still cobbled until not many years ago.
The urban fabric, characterized by buildings of popular architecture that were easily recognizable until the last quarter of the 20th century, is dominated by the silhouette of the castle, located in the southern part of the CHA, in an elevated and impregnable position. The arrangement of the built-up, narrow and long blocks and the narrowness of the streets, among which a motorized vehicle hardly circulates, make up a space where the facades are arranged following the contour lines of the territory and are only interrupted to open narrow high slope, which communicate some levels and others, within the town, in a framework where mobility is not easy and transit involves considerable effort, if it is to be done between positions of different heights.
The architecture of the CHA is currently shaped by the succession of forms that result from its historical evolution and the usual contrast in this type of ensemble, between monumental religious and civil architectures (in the case of Alcalá del Júcar, the Castle, the Parish Church of San Andrés, the Roman Bridge and outside its strict scope, the Plaza de Toros) and the simplest architectures, which make up the bulk of the urban fabric of the CHA.
The monumental buildings, rare in this town, are built with stone from nearby quarries, usually limestone or sandstone, combining masonry and ashlar masonry. For its part, in popular architecture, its ability to adapt to the climate, the available materials and the rugged relief stands out, which makes up a scene dominated by the typological harmony of the complex. This aspect is more outstanding than the individual qualities of each of the homes that comprise it.
DETAILS OF THE PROJECT
Location: Alcalá del Júcar (Albacete, Spain); Promoter: City Council of Alcalá del Júcar; Surface planned in detail: 77.460 m²; Main use: Residential; Processing status: In process
