Village
Aínsa-Sobrarbe, the former head of the county of Sobrarbe, is a municipality in the upper Aragonese comarca of Sobrarbe, in the province of Huesca, with its capital in the town of Aínsa, whose historic centre was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (a heritage protection category for historic town centres, now part of the Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1965. The present-day municipality arose in 1976 from the merger of the former municipalities of Aínsa and Alto Sobrarbe, and serves as comarcal capital together with Boltaña. Its extensive area, 284.8 km² with 2,315 inhabitants, is arranged between los valles de los ríos Ara y de la Nata, which flow into the Cinca at the height of the embalse de Mediano, and a succession of sierras to the west and south, among them the sierra de Sevil, already close to the sierra de Guara. It forms part of the Geoparque Mundial Unesco Sobrarbe-Pirineos and the Parque Natural de la Sierra y los Cañones de Guara.
Monument
Castillo de Aínsa, in the Pyrenees, province of Huesca, whose remains — among them the Torre del Tenente — rise to the west of the Plaza Mayor, on the promontory where the town began, at the confluence of the ríos Cinca y Ara. Its origin dates back to the 11th century, when it formed part of the Christian defensive line that reached as far as Abizanda, and it became the core of the capital of the county of Sobrarbe, integrated first into the kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona and later into that of Aragón. In 1124 Alfonso I el Batallador granted the town its settlement charter under the fuero de Jaca. The importance of the stronghold also led to the nearby iglesia de Santa María being designed with defensive purposes, as shown by the arrow slits in its tower. The whole historic centre was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (a heritage protection category for historic town centres, now part of the Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1965.
Monument
A medieval arcaded square, heart of the Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (a heritage protection category for historic town centres, now part of the Bien de Interés Cultural) of Aínsa, declared as such in 1965. It forms at the point where the calle Mayor and the calle Santa Cruz meet, and is surrounded by arcades on both sides, presided over by the town hall building and with views of the castle. Beneath those arcades old communal wine presses are preserved, where grapes used to be pressed. The square preserves the medieval urban layout typical of Aínsa's old town and today serves as the main meeting place in the town, much visited as part of Sobrarbe's rural tourism.
Monument
Romanesque church within the walled precinct of Aínsa, built after the settlement charter that Alfonso I el Batallador granted the town in 1124 under the fuero de Jaca, a privilege that turned the borough below the castle into the economic head of Sobrarbe. Also known as the colegiata de Santa María, it is among the most outstanding examples of Aragonese Romanesque architecture in the comarca; it was begun in the late 11th century and consecrated in 1181, and the cloister was added in the 14th century. The south doorway displays four archivolts on columns with geometric capitals and a chrismon over the keystone; beneath the presbytery opens a crypt with three naves and eighteen columns, destroyed during the Civil War and later rebuilt. The tower, thirty metres high with five tiers, is its most characteristic feature.
Monument
Centre devoted to the geology of the Sobrarbe-Pirineos UNESCO Global Geopark.
Curiosity
Chiretas are lamb tripe stuffed with round rice, heart, lung and spices, parsley, garlic, a little cinnamon, salt and pepper, sewn shut and cooked in broth for an hour; they are served hot, freshly made, though they are also prepared cold, sliced and grilled, or in a chickpea stew. The name already appears in texts from the 15th century, and they were traditionally made at family lamb slaughters, with variants in the Pallars, Sobrarbe, Somontano and Ribagorza. Aragonese migas, for their part, are prepared with stale bread, fresh bacon, longaniza sausage, garlic and paprika, and are served accompanied by grapes.
Curiosity
A re-enactment of the historic trade of the navateros, who floated logs down the River Cinca to Aínsa.
Curiosity
La Morisma de Aínsa (Huesca) is a popular theatrical performance held in even-numbered years, on the last Sunday of August. It re-enacts the reconquest of the town by the Christian armies, aided, according to legend, by the appearance of a cross of fire over a holm oak. The tradition is linked to the conquest of the fortress by King García Jiménez in the year 724, a founding episode that the performance brings back to life before the public every two years.
Activity
The patronal festivities of Aínsa are held around 14 September in honour of the Exaltación de la Santa Cruz, with music, theatre, traditions, children's activities and gastronomy throughout the historic centre. The dedication recalls the legend according to which, on the promontory where the town stands, a cross of fire appeared over a holm oak that favoured the victory of García Jiménez's troops over the Muslims; in memory of that wonder, the small shrine of the Cruz Cubierta was built in 1665 beside the castle, and since then the holm oak crowned with a cross has appeared on the town's coat of arms.
Historical milestone
Alfonso I the Battler granted the town in 1124 a settlement charter and the fuero of Jaca to strengthen the defense of the frontier and attract merchants; the privilege turned the borough below the castle into the economic head of the Sobrarbe.
Food and drink
The fungus is gathered in winter with a dog in the comarca's holm-oak scrub and celebrated every first weekend of February with a fair in the castle's parade ground, with a searching competition and fresh truffle tapas.