Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Campo de Criptana

What to see and do in Campo de Criptana (La Mancha, Ciudad Real): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 5 Monuments · 1 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Campo de Criptana

Towns near Campo de Criptana

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Ciudad Real › La Mancha › Campo de Criptana

What to see and do in Campo de Criptana

Campo de Criptana
Village
Municipality of the comarca of La Mancha, in the province of Ciudad Real, known for the dozen windmills lined up along the Sierra de los Molinos and the Cerro de la Paz, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) and of which Burleta, Infanto and Sardinero preserve their original sixteenth-century machinery; the Cadastre of the Marquess of la Ensenada recorded as many as thirty-four in 1752, and several of the present ones house museums, among them the one devoted to Sara Montiel, born in the town. Up towards them climbs the Albaicín quarter, of whitewashed houses with indigo skirtings.
Windmills of the Sierra de los Molinos
Monument
A group of ten windmills spread across the slope and summit of the Sierra de los Molinos and the Cerro de la Paz, at 750 metres above sea level, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) in 1978. Three of them, Burleta, Infanto and Sardinero, retain their 16th-century structure. The Burleta, nicknamed Burlapobres, stands 350 paces from the village and belonged to its own millers; the Infanto took its name from the Infantas family, one of the wealthiest in the area; the Sardinero, the only one within the town itself, rises on the Cerro de la Paz. The abundance of mills in the area -34 according to the 1752 land register- has led to the suggestion that Cervantes drew on them for the adventure of don Quixote's windmills. They operated until the mid-20th century, grinding grain and later feed for livestock.
Albaicín quarter of Campo de Criptana
Monument
An old quarter of whitewashed houses with indigo skirting that climbs the hillside up to the windmills, one of the most photographed vernacular townscapes in La Mancha.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Criptana
Monument
The main parish temple of Campo de Criptana, located on the Plaza Mayor. The present building dates from 1958, the year it was reopened after being rebuilt following the destruction of the previous 16th-century temple during the church-burning of 1936. It has three naves, the central one predominant; in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, next to the semicircular apse, the image of Nuestra Señora de Villajos is venerated, a 13th-century wooden carving found inside a wall during the restoration of the sanctuary of the Santísimo Cristo de Villajos, patron saint of the village. On the outside, the tall bell tower stands out, topped by a slate spire in the Castilian style.
Culebro Windmill and Sara Montiel Museum
Monument
A windmill fitted out as a museum devoted to Sara Montiel, the actress and singer born in Campo de Criptana. Other windmills house the Semana Santa museum and the tourist office.
Royal granary of Campo de Criptana
Monument
The former public granary of Campo de Criptana, evidence of the town's importance as a cereal producer and now a cultural space.
The thirty-four windmills of the Ensenada Cadastre
Curiosity
The Cadastre of the Marquis of Ensenada recorded no fewer than thirty-four windmills in Campo de Criptana in 1752, of which around ten survive today.
Festivities of el Cristo de Villajos
Activity
Festival of Campo de Criptana in honour of the Santísimo Cristo de Villajos, one of the most deeply rooted devotions in the municipality along with the Virgen de Criptana. The name recalls Villajos, one of the three settlements, together with Criptana and Posadas Viejas, that formed the commandery created in 1237; depopulated around the 14th century, its inhabitants ended up being absorbed into El Campo, the origin of present-day Campo de Criptana. The Villajos hermitage stands on the site of that former settlement, next to which ceramic remains from the Bronze Age have been found.
Domingo Miras, playwright of Campo de Criptana
Curiosity
The playwright Domingo Miras, winner of the National Prize for Dramatic Literature, was born in Campo de Criptana, a town that has also produced figures such as the actress Sara Montiel.
Burleta, Infanto and Sardinero
Historical milestone
Three of the mills that crown the hill of La Paz preserve the original machinery of the sixteenth century: Burleta, Infanto and Sardinero. The rest were raised anew in the twentieth century on old foundations and today house museum uses.