Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Almonacid de Toledo

What to see and do in Almonacid de Toledo (Montes de Toledo, Toledo): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

When to go to Almonacid de Toledo: festival calendar

August: Popular Race to the Castle (August)

How far each place is from the centre of Almonacid de Toledo

García Escalona Hospital 150 m
Castle of Almonacid 700 m

Towns near Almonacid de Toledo

What to see in Villaminaya 5 km · 3 places
What to see in Mascaraque 5.4 km · 4 places
What to see in Chueca 8 km · 3 places
What to see in Nambroca 8.7 km · 3 places
What to see in Mora 11 km · 10 places
What to see in Ajofrín 12 km · 6 places
What to see in Orgaz 12 km · 10 places
What to see in Villamuelas 13 km · 8 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › Montes de Toledo › Almonacid de Toledo

What to see and do in Almonacid de Toledo

Almonacid de Toledo
Village
Municipality of the comarca of Montes de Toledo, in the province of Toledo, dominated by the castle of possible Muslim origin that crowns the hill above the town, also known as the Almenas del Cid; beside the village a battle of the Peninsular War was fought in August 1809 whose name is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and it preserves the García Escalona hospital, a Baroque building of the seventeenth century, and the chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Oliva, the centre of the festivals at the end of August.
Castle of Almonacid
Monument
A fortress of possibly Muslim origin built on a hill overlooking Almonacid de Toledo, also known as the Almenas del Cid. The first documentary reference dates from the year 848, when it served as a watch point on an old road to La Mancha. In the 11th century it passed to King Alfonso VI of León as part of the dowry of his wife Zaida, and in 1086 it was given to the cathedral of Toledo, which remodelled it in the 14th century by order of archbishop Pedro Tenorio. It served as a prison for the count of Gijón and Noreña, and in 1809 it gave refuge to the troops of general Venegas against the French, who ended up conquering it. In 1839 the town council allowed residents to extract bricks from it for sale, which damaged the fortress; today only the keep is preserved.
The Battle of Almonacid of 1809
Historical milestone
The Battle of Almonacid was fought on 11 August 1809, during the Peninsular War, beside the Toledan village of Almonacid de Toledo. It pitted the French army, some twenty-six thousand infantry, four thousand horse and forty guns under the command of marshal Sebastiani, against that of general Venegas, some twenty-two thousand infantry, three thousand horse and twenty-nine pieces of artillery. Confident of victory after a small success at Aranjuez, Venegas gathered his forces at Almonacid on the 10th without taking the usual precautions in the face of a nearby enemy, and the French got ahead of his plan of attack, appearing before the Spanish positions at dawn on the 11th. The battle caused thousands of casualties, and the name Almonacid is inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Oliva
Monument
A hermitage with a Latin-cross plan and three naves separated by five round arches on piers, with the side naves covered by barrel vaults in bays. It is the centre of the main festivities of the second-to-last Sunday of August, the Función, dedicated to the Virgen de la Oliva, patroness of Almonacid de Toledo. Every 1 May a pilgrimage to the hermitage is also held, and on 12 October the image is carried back to the village.
García Escalona Hospital
Monument
A 17th-century Baroque building laid out around a central courtyard. It was founded as a charity hospital to care for the sick and the poor of the municipality.
Popular Race to the Castle
Activity
The Carrera Popular Subida al Castillo is a popular footrace in Almonacid de Toledo (Montes de Toledo) traditionally held on the second Friday of August. The route climbs from the town centre up to the hill crowned by the castle of Almonacid, a fortification of possibly Arab origin that belonged to the archbishopric of Toledo until the end of the 18th century.