Logbook · 9 places

What to see and do in Villafranca de los Caballeros

What to see and do in Villafranca de los Caballeros (La Mancha de Toledo, Toledo): 9 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Villafranca de los Caballeros

Grande Lagoon, Villafranca 3.4 km
Chica Lagoon, Villafranca 4.7 km

Towns near Villafranca de los Caballeros

What to see in Herencia 6.6 km · 10 places
What to see in Camuñas 8.7 km · 9 places
What to see in Quero 13 km · 6 places
What to see in Alcázar de San Juan 13 km · 14 places
What to see in Madridejos 15 km · 9 places
What to see in Puerto Lápice 16 km · 7 places
What to see in Campo de Criptana 20 km · 10 places
What to see in Villacañas 21 km · 13 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › La Mancha de Toledo › Villafranca de los Caballeros

What to see and do in Villafranca de los Caballeros

Villafranca de los Caballeros
Village
Municipality of the comarca of La Mancha de Toledo, in the province of Toledo, whose name recalls the six years of tax exemption with which settlers were drawn in and the annual meetings that the knights of the Order of Saint John held here at Martinmas; its district, crossed by the Amarguillo, the Gigüela and the Riánsares, holds the Laguna Grande and the Laguna Chica, declared a wildlife refuge in 2003, and it preserves plantings of the saffron rose covered by the Azafrán de La Mancha denomination of origin.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Villafranca de los Caballeros
Monument
The parish church of Villafranca, the principal religious monument of this town of the lagoons.
Hermitage of el Santo Cristo de Santa Ana
Monument
Ermita in Villafranca de los Caballeros (Toledo) closely tied to popular devotion in Villafranca, one of the most cherished heritage elements in the municipality. It houses the image of the Cristo de Santa Ana, patron of the town, whose feast day is celebrated on 15 September.
Grande Lagoon, Villafranca
Nature
The Laguna Grande de Villafranca is a 72-hectare wetland in the municipal area of Villafranca de los Caballeros (Toledo), within a lagoon complex that also includes the neighbouring laguna Chica, of 37 hectares. On 20 June 2003 both were declared a Natural Reserve. It is one of the largest fluvial lagoons in La Mancha, also used for recreation, with an average depth of about 2 metres; its waters are classified as hyposaline sulphated magnesian. The complex is a wildlife refuge and the main natural and tourist attraction of the municipality.
Chica Lagoon, Villafranca
Nature
The second of the municipality's protected lagoons, covering 37 hectares, with subsaline calcium-magnesium sulphated waters. It contains reed beds, cattail marshes, spike-rush meadows and rush beds, and is home to species such as the red-crested pochard, the tufted duck, the common coot, the white-headed duck, the mallard and the common pochard. It was declared a natural reserve in 2003 and, together with the Laguna Grande, a wildlife refuge in 2006; access is restricted and dogs and motor vehicles are not allowed.
The knights of San Martín
Curiosity
The de los Caballeros part of the name comes from the custom of the knights of the Order of Saint John of gathering here every year, on Saint Martin's day, to discuss grazing rights.
Three rivers in one municipality
Curiosity
The municipal district is crossed by three watercourses, the Amarguillo, the Gigüela and the Riánsares, something rarely seen on the Manchegan plain.
The 1557 town charter
Historical milestone
Felipe II granted Villafranca the title of villa in 1557. The name came from earlier: franca for the six years of exemption from taxes with which settlers were attracted, and de los Caballeros for the annual assembly on pastures that was held at Saint Martin's.
Saffron with designation of origin
Food and drink
The district preserves plantations of the saffron rose covered by the protected designation of origin Azafrán de La Mancha. The flower is gathered before dawn in October and is stripped by hand the same day, before the toasting of the threads.