Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Villatoya

What to see and do in Villatoya (La Manchuela, Albacete): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

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Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Albacete › La Manchuela › Villatoya

What to see and do in Villatoya

Villatoya
Village
Villatoya is a municipality in the comarca of La Manchuela, in Albacete, with 114 inhabitants, which includes the hamlet of Cilanco; it lies on the banks of the Cabriel, which here marks the border with Valencia, on rugged terrain descending from 720 m to the 400 m of the town itself. It belonged to Jorquera until becoming independent around 1429; in 1576 Diego de Zúñiga y Fonseca bought the town of Toya and Cilanco with all its jurisdiction, and founded the mayorazgo (entailed estate) of the Zúñiga family, owners of the territory for generations. Its main landmark is the Balneario de la Concepción spa, whose sulphurous waters, collected in basins since 1798, were declared of public utility in 1845. It also has the province's first astronomical observatory and the church of Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia.
Concepción Spa
Monument
A historic spa in Villatoya using mineral springs. Nineteenth-century records describe its waters as containing carbon dioxide and carbonates of iron, lime and magnesia.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia
Monument
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia de Villatoya was rebuilt in the 20th century after the previous building collapsed. In the 19th century it was described as a parish annexed to that of Alborea. It is the main religious building in this small municipality on the banks of the Cabriel.
Astronomical Observatory of Villatoya
Activity
The first astronomical observatory in the province of Albacete, run by the Alba-5 astronomical association on a hill near the village. It holds open days in August and sessions of lunar and planetary observation.
The Cabriel River as it passes through Villatoya
Nature
The Cabriel marks the boundary with Valencia at Villatoya (La Manchuela, Albacete) and shapes a landscape that descends from 720 metres in the south to 400 metres on the riverbank. On its banks stand the spa resorts of la Concepción and Fuente Podrida, the main driver of employment in the municipality, alongside mineral springs such as the fuente Podrida and the fuente de las Lombrices. In recent decades rural tourism has grown with activities such as kayaking, hiking and summer camps.
Villatoya, a town since 1429
Curiosity
In the 14th century Villatoya and Cilanco came under the jurisdiction of Jorquera and obtained their own jurisdiction in 1429. In 1576 Diego de Zúñiga acquired both towns with the consent of Felipe II.
Las aguas de Villatoya, declaradas de utilidad pública
Historical milestone
The sulfurous waters that emerge beside the Cabriel, already collected in basins ordered built in 1798, were declared of public utility in 1845; the spa's golden age then began, on which the doctors published several reports.