Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Brea de Aragón

What to see and do in Brea de Aragón (Aranda, Zaragoza): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Nature · 3 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Brea de Aragón

Hermitage of Brea de Aragón 50 m
Landscape of the Aranda Valley 1.7 km

Towns near Brea de Aragón

What to see in Illueca 2.8 km · 15 places
What to see in Sestrica 4.2 km · 8 places
What to see in Gotor 4.7 km · 7 places
What to see in Mesones de Isuela 6 km · 6 places
What to see in Morés 6.4 km · 1 place
What to see in Nigüella 6.5 km · 1 place
What to see in Jarque de Moncayo 7.4 km · 5 places
What to see in Arándiga 8.6 km · 2 places

Spain › Aragon › Zaragoza › Aranda › Brea de Aragón

What to see and do in Brea de Aragón

Brea de Aragón
Village
Brea de Aragón is a municipality in the comarca of Aranda, in the province of Zaragoza, crossed by the río Aranda and with 1,517 inhabitants (INE 2025); its name may come from the Celtic word briga, meaning stronghold or settlement. The first written records date from the 12th century, when it was under the command of a tenant called Capoz, and its population was mostly Mudéjar and Morisco until the expulsion of 1610. Its economy was first linked to tanning - in the 18th century it produced more than half the hides of the kingdom - and, after the Peninsular War, it turned to shoemaking: in 1930 there were 32 artisan workshops. This trade, inherited from Celtiberians, Jews, Arabs and Christians, is displayed today in the Shoe Museum.
Museum of el Calzado de Brea de Aragón
Monument
The Footwear Museum of Brea de Aragón, opened in 2002, occupies 600 square metres spread over two floors and tells the history of footwear and the shoemaking tradition of the Aranda region. The tour reviews the evolution of this craft from Celtiberian times to the present day, and also includes a space dedicated to the culture and traditions of Brea de Aragón and the region. According to local tradition, the village's first handmade sandals date from 1606, and during the 18th century Brea de Aragón came to produce more than half of all the tanned hides in the kingdom, the basis of a shoemaking industry that shaped the local economy for centuries.
Festivities of Brea de Aragón
Activity
Patron saint festivities of Brea de Aragón in October, in honour of the Virgen del Rosario, with an opening chupinazo rocket and nine days of celebrations. In July Santa Ana is also celebrated, and in early February San Blas, with mass and the distribution of blessed roscón bread.
Shoemaking Tradition of the Aranda Region
Curiosity
The shoemaking trade, built up over centuries by Celtiberians, Jews, Arabs and Christians in the Aranda region, has its foremost example in Brea de Aragón (Zaragoza). In the 18th century the village produced more than half of the kingdom's tanned hides; in the early 19th century, the difficulty of exporting them during the War of Independence shifted production towards footwear. In 1930 there were 32 workshops in the town, and the first sewing machines did not end craft work but made it more comfortable. Handmade sandals from the village are documented from 1606. The economy is still based on footwear, to which the Footwear Museum is dedicated, with 600 m² on two floors since 2002.
Festivities of invierno de Brea de Aragón
Activity
Brea de Aragón's winter festival is held in a valley with a population mostly Morisco until the expulsion decree of 1610, today known for its shoemaking tradition, documented by the village's Museo del Calzado.
Landscape of the Aranda Valley
Nature
Landscape of the valley of the river Aranda, between the Vicort and Moncayo mountain ranges, as it passes through Brea de Aragón. The Aranda rises near Pomer and runs about 52 kilometres through Aranda de Moncayo, Jarque de Moncayo, Gotor, Illueca, Brea de Aragón and Arándiga before flowing into the Jalón. In its upper course the Lagüén spring, the rapids of the Bezocha and the Maidevera reservoir stand out, and in its lower course the so-called Salto de las Minas, near Arándiga.
Fair of el Calzado de Brea de Aragón
Activity
The Feria del Calzado de Brea de Aragón commemorates the shoemaking trade, built up over centuries by Celtiberians, Jews, Arabs and Christians in the comarca of the Aranda, and today told by the village's Museo del Calzado over 600 square metres.
Hermitage of Brea de Aragón
Monument
Hermitage in the municipal district of Brea de Aragón, a valley with a population mostly Morisco until the expulsion decree of 1610, today known for its shoemaking tradition and the village's Museo del Calzado.
Town Hall of Brea de Aragón
Monument
Historic town hall of Brea de Aragón.
Expulsion of the Moriscos from the valley
Historical milestone
The places of the Aranda had in the sixteenth century a mostly Morisco population, devoted to the huerta and to the looms. The expulsion decree of 1610 emptied much of the valley and forced the lords to resettle their places with Old Christians.