Village
Municipality of the comarca of Sierra del Segura, in the province of Albacete, whose built-up area of Andalusi layout, with whitewashed houses, interior courtyards and an irrigation and drainage system inherited from Muslim times, was declared a Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (Spain's heritage designation in force between 1931 and 1985, applied here to an urban ensemble) in 1983, and whose church of Santa María de la Asunción, raised between the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century, has been a Monumento Histórico-Artístico Nacional since 1982. Integrated after 1242 into the commanderies the Order of Santiago held in the range and resettled with Old Christians in 1454, it suffered in October 2024 the flooding of a dana that devastated part of that old town and caused fatalities.
Monument
A town centre of Andalusi layout listed as a historic-artistic site in 1983, with whitewashed houses, inner courtyards and a system of drainage and irrigation inherited from Muslim times.
Monument
A church built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, combining Gothic features with a Renaissance doorway. It was declared a Monumento Histórico-Artístico Nacional (Spain's heritage designation in force between 1931 and 1985) in 1982.
Monument
A dead-end alley considered the finest example of Islamic architecture in Letur, with five neighbouring doorways of round arches that serve as entrance halls to the houses.
Monument
A 16th-century chapel that retains a Renaissance doorway, one of the municipality's most notable minor religious buildings. It stands on the street that bears its name, before the Cruz Blanca bridge and on the stretch just before the descent to the old town of Letur.
Monument
The Ermita del Alto stands on the calle del Alto, in the lower part of the old town of Letur. It is reached by a steep flight of steps, uncovered recently, which frames a Renaissance-style doorway with the inscription Año 1625 above the entrance, of a design comparable to that of the parish church.
Nature
The Mirador de La Molatica, in Letur (Sierra del Segura, Albacete), is a natural viewpoint from which the whole of the municipality's terraced market gardens can be seen, with their system of irrigation channels and terraces inherited from the Andalusi period, through which runs the course of the Letur stream. During the August patronal festivities, the viewpoint also hosts cultural activities.
Activity
Patronal festivities of the town in honour of the Virgen de la Asunción, held from 14 to 20 August, with religious acts, traditional competitions and bull runs along the streambed on the final days. The verbenas are held in the plaza Mayor, while on the 18th, 19th and 20th fighting bulls are released along the bed of the arroyo del Lavadero. The programme also includes cultural activities at the mirador de La Molatica and the traditional greasy-pole contest at the Las Canales swimming pool.
Activity
The Easter Sunday procession in which the meeting of the images is enacted through the narrow streets of the Morisco quarter, the central event of Semana Santa in Letur.
Monument
The fortress built in the 12th century under Arab rule and handed to the Order of Santiago after 1242 was razed in the mid-20th century despite the legal protection that covered it.
Historical milestone
Ferdinand III entrusted to the Order of Santiago the taking of Letur, which after 1242 was integrated into its network of commanderies in the range; the Islamic layout of alleys and covered passages survived the change of hands intact and has reached the present day.
Historical milestone
Under Santiago administration Letur was resettled with Old Christians in 1454, in an attempt to secure a frontier stronghold with a mostly Mudéjar population; from that period dates the growth of the township around the church.
Historical milestone
A cut-off low pressure system broke in October 2024 over the range and the flooding of the stream flattened part of the old quarter of Letur, one of the best preserved historic ensembles in the province, causing deaths and destroying houses, gardens and paths.
Food and drink
Thin cakes of sweet dough covered with walnuts from the sierra and drizzled with honey before going into the oven. They are prepared for the festivities and accompany coffee in a village that has kept homemade baking alive.