Cuenca

We've had Cuenca on our list of places to visit since reading Winter in Madrid, a book set during the Spanish Civil War, which reaches its dramatic conclusion there amidst the legendary scenery. The geography of the place is unique with the old city perched on a cliff at the confluence of the Júcar and Huécar rivers. It is surrounded on three sides by river gorges with a steep hill on the fourth side leading down to the newer parts of town.

Cuenca from the Castle above the town

Among the buildings clinging to the cliff face are the Hanging Houses, two fifteenth century, three storey buildings that currently house a restaurant and the national museum of abstract art. We had a look round the gallery and came back to sample the suckling pig and sucking lamb later. Having imagined a whole terrace of Hanging Houses, Su was disappointed that there were only two remaining. When inside it is best not to ponder what happened to the others as you peer into the chasm below.

The 15th Century Hanging Houses...

...look more modern inside in the Abstract Art Museum

Around the corner some smartly dressed locals were attending a Friday evening wedding. On the flank wall of the cathedral there is a ten foot high cross with an inscription remembering Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the fascist Falange party that ruled Spain for 40 years under General Franco.  The son of a previous dictator and a local MP, he was executed by the Republicans a few months after the outbreak of the Civil War in November 1936.  Such memorials can still be found across Spain but since Franco's death many have been removed - often under the cover of darkness because of continuing sympathy for the old regime.  The church was generally aligned with Franco during the War and the Bishop of Cuenca was one of many clerics murdered by the Republicans as they tried to stay in power. Understandably passions still run high about these things and, while this memorial remains, it is stained by blood that has been thrown at it.  While there is no doubt that the Republicans wanted Primo de Rivera dead, controversy still rages over how hard Franco tried to him.  Had he done so, Franco would have had a rival for power who, with his educated, aristocratic background and a strong ideology, might have been an alternative leader for the Nationalists following their military victory.

Blood on the walls at the Cathedral

Like many places in Spain therefore, some dark pieces of history lurk below the surface. Given we were inspired to come here by a novel set in the Civil War, it seems appropriate to finally mention it in this blog having largely avoided it so far (as seems customary here). Now though Cuenca seems a peaceful town of just over 40,000 people surrounded by spectacular countryside in what is Spain's most sparsely populated province, despite its location between Madrid and Valencia.  It is best to enjoy the dramatic countryside with its peculiar rock formations, breathe in the fresh air and remember, don't mention the war!