Photos of Huéscar (Granada) (August 2021) (part 1)

=> Photos from August 2021

Huéscar is a town and municipality in the northeast of the province of Granada, in Andalusia (Spain, Europe). It is currently the capital of the Huéscar Comarca and also part of the natural region (and tourist area) of the Altiplano de Granada, the municipal association of the Huéscar Comarca (its headquarters are located here), and since 2020, it has also been part of the territory of the Granada Geopark (also known as the Quaternary Geopark of the Northern Valleys of Granada). Additionally, it is also the head of the judicial party, being the judicial party no. 8 of the province of Granada.

The Very Noble and Loyal City of Huéscar has a population of approximately 8,000 inhabitants (in 1991 it reached 10,031 inhabitants (at that time it was a city, not a town), however, in 2001 it suddenly dropped to 7,910 inhabitants, going from being a city throughout its history to being simply a large town until today) located in the middle of a fertile plain bathed by the Huéscar River (also called the Barbata River or Bravatas River) at the foot of the impressive Sierra de la Encantada and Sierra de la Sagra (the latter being the second highest mountain range in all of Andalusia after Sierra Nevada) and surrounded by semi-desert landscapes of Badlands (or Malpaís) typical of the Altiplano de Granada. The town of Huéscar is a true journey into the past mixed with the present with a great handful of stately homes and some palaces and mansions (these began with the arrival of the House of Alba in the 15th century, when many noble or wealthy families settled in Huéscar), the imposing and iconic Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor (nicknamed 'the Cathedral of Huéscar'), the Church of Santiago (historically occupied by the historic Arab main mosque), the three emblematic convents of Huéscar (the Convent of Santo Domingo, now the Teatro Oscense; the Convent of San Francisco, which today houses the Tourism Office of Huéscar, the CICOS 'Segureño Lamb Interpretation Center' museum, and the Interactive Museum City of Huéscar; and the Convent of the Dominicans, now permanently closed), the pleasant and beautiful Paseo de Santo Cristo, the beautiful modernist house of Casa Penalva, the central and popular Plaza Mayor (where the Town Hall building is located), the Calle de San Cristóbal (the commercial axis of the historic center of Huéscar), the pleasant Municipal Park Rodríguez Penalva (the great green lung of Huéscar), the Municipal Market of Abastos of Huéscar (as a point of interest, it is the only market of supplies in the Huéscar Comarca), the interesting Comic Museum or Museum of José de Huéscar (dedicated to José de Huéscar, cartoonist of comic strips like Rintintín and Cabo Rusty), the iconic Torre del Homenaje (the only remnant preserved from the historic Arabic Alcazaba of Úskar) and its splendid panoramic rooftop viewpoint, etc.

It has a population (according to data from the INE in 2024) of 7,234 inhabitants and an area of 473.07 km² (with this area, the municipal term of Huéscar is more extensive even than the entire Principality of Andorra). The municipality of Huéscar, in addition to the main nucleus of Huéscar (the municipal capital), also includes the annexes (districts and/or villages) of Barrio Nuevo de San Clemente, Duda, la Parra, Canal de San Clemente, Finca los Morales, Cortijo de Torralba and el Pinar de la Vidriera.

The emblematic and beautiful Colegiata of Huéscar (nicknamed 'the Cathedral of Huéscar'), with cathedral dimensions, is dedicated to Santa María la Mayor; it was built in the 16th century and is in Gothic and Renaissance styles; it was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the province of Granada in 1973, and that same year it was also declared a Good of Cultural Interest. And to top it off, in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor de Huéscar a Perpetual Jubilee Temple, just like the Papal Basilica of Santa María la Mayor in Rome. It thus becomes the first temple of the Diocese of Guadix affiliated with a Pontifical basilica. Thus, all those who pilgrimage to the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor de Huéscar will achieve the Plenary Indulgence, becoming today a prominent place of Christian pilgrimage, just like Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Santo Toribio de Liébana and Caravaca de la Cruz.