Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Pétrola

What to see and do in Pétrola (Monte Ibérico-Corredor de Almansa, 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 Food and drink

When to go to Pétrola: festival calendar

June: Festivities of San Bernabé de Pétrola (Del 11 al 13 de junio)

How far each place is from the centre of Pétrola

Lagoon of Pétrola 1.8 km

Towns near Pétrola

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Albacete › Monte Ibérico-Corredor de Almansa › Pétrola

What to see and do in Pétrola

Pétrola
Village
Municipality of the comarca of Monte Ibérico-Corredor de Almansa, in the province of Albacete, beside a steppe salt lagoon of some 343 hectares and barely one or two metres deep, set at 860 metres above sea level and one of the few points in Spain where the greater flamingo comes to breed; on its shores remain the ruins of the old salt works. Its church of San Bernabé Apóstol, Neoclassical, was raised between 1793 and 1796 by the Murcian architect Lorenzo Alonso Franco, and the patron saint gives his name to the festivals.
Lagoon of Pétrola
Nature
The Laguna de Pétrola is a steppe, saline lagoon with hypersaline magnesium-sodium chloride waters, situated next to the urban centre of Pétrola, in the basin of the río Segura, and is one of the most important saline lagoons in Spain. It covers about 343 hectares with a depth of one to two metres depending on the time of year, at 860 metres above sea level. It is home to threatened species such as Limonium thiniense, listed as vulnerable, and is one of the few breeding sites of the greater flamingo in Spain — although it did not breed successfully there until 1999 and 2000, and then not again until 2010 — as well as the white-headed duck and the common shelduck. Because of the abundance of waterbirds, boating is prohibited, and on its shores there is a salt-extraction facility that works by evaporation.
Church of San Bernabé Apóstol
Monument
The Neoclassical church of San Bernabé Apóstol, in Pétrola (Albacete), was built between June 1793 and February 1796 by the Murcian architect Lorenzo Alonso Franco (1750-1810), in what was one of the first churches this master built entirely within the province. It has a single nave with shallow niche-like side chapels, two small structures flanking the chancel area, a façade topped by a pediment and a tower at the foot. It is the parish church of the municipality, dedicated to the Apostle Bernabé, whose patron saint's festival is celebrated from 11 to 13 June.
Historic salt works of Pétrola
Monument
The ruins of the old salt works and the abandoned salt pans that line the shores of the lagoon, evidence of the traditional exploitation of salt in the wetland.
Festivities of San Bernabé de Pétrola
Activity
The patron saint festivities of Pétrola (Monte Ibérico-Corredor de Almansa, Albacete) in honour of San Bernabé Apóstol are celebrated from 11 to 13 June, with religious ceremonies, open-air dances and popular festivities. During the festival, the Asociación Músico-Cultural San Bernabé de Pétrola accompanies the townspeople together with the La Primitiva brass band.
Flamingos in the heart of La Mancha
Curiosity
Despite lying more than 800 metres above sea level and far from the sea, the salt lagoon of Pétrola is one of the few places in Spain where the greater flamingo actually breeds.
The dry-farmed almond of Pétrola
Food and drink
The almond tree has gained ground in recent years over barley in these high, saline lands; the dry-farmed almond, small and very aromatic, is used in turrón, sugared almonds and in the sweets of the patron saint festivities.