Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Eslida

What to see and do in Eslida (La Plana Baixa, Castellón): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 2 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Historical milestones

When to go to Eslida: festival calendar

August: Patron Saint Festivities of Eslida (última semana de agosto)

How far each place is from the centre of Eslida

Towns near Eslida

What to see in Chóvar 3.3 km · 3 places
What to see in Aín 3.7 km · 7 places
What to see in Artana 4.5 km · 9 places
What to see in Alcudia de Veo 5.7 km · 9 places
What to see in Alfondeguilla 5.7 km · 4 places
What to see in Azuébar 7.3 km · 1 place
What to see in Tales 7.8 km · 1 place
What to see in Suera 8.3 km · 1 place

Spain › Valencian Community › Castellón › La Plana Baixa › Eslida

What to see and do in Eslida

Eslida
Village
Eslida is a municipality of La Plana Baixa, in the province of Castellón, at the heart of the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park, next to the peak of the same name, 1,042 m high; the village leans against the Castillo hill, amid pine and cork oak woods. Of Muslim origin, it even had a Qur'anic school; it was conquered by James I, who granted its first settlement charter in 1242, and the castle joined the revolt of Al-Azraq in 1247. The Moriscos who lived there took part in the 1526 uprising of the Sierra de Espadán, until their expulsion in 1609 left the village depopulated; a new settlement charter of 1612 repopulated it under the barony of Eslida, which passed in 1633 to the House of Medinaceli. It has 815 inhabitants, far from the peak of 1,522 reached in 1910.
Sierra de Espadán Natural Park
Nature
The Sierra de Espadán Natural Park is one of the best-preserved natural areas in the Valencian Community, in the province of Castellón, and extends across nineteen municipalities in the interior of La Plana Baixa, among them Eslida. It was declared a natural park in 1996 and covers 31,180 hectares of a mountain range about 60 kilometres long that separates the basins of the Palancia and Mijares rivers, with mountains barely exceeding a thousand metres, such as Pico Espadán. It holds the largest cork oak forest in the region, favoured by its sandstone soils, together with pine woods of pino rodeno (a local Aleppo-type pine), chestnuts, yews and strawberry trees, as well as olive, almond and cherry orchards in the valleys. The only river of any size crossing it is the Veo river.
Castle of Eslida
Monument
Castle crowning the image of the village of Eslida, atop a crag, with a triangular tower unique in the Valencian Community. Of Muslim origin, it was part of a lordship conquered by Jaime I in 1242; it has an irregular polygonal plan and its keep, of triangular plan, is one of the few known examples of this type among Valencian Muslim fortifications. It stands on the Puntal del Aljibe hill, and today only its ruins remain.
Church of El Salvador de Eslida
Monument
The parish church of El Salvador de Eslida, listed as a Bien de Relevancia Local (local-level heritage protection status in the Valencian Community), was built from 1608 onward, in the early 17th century, on the remains of a former mosque, following the instructions of the bishop of Tortosa to make use of mosque property to build Christian temples; the temple, next to the multi-arched aqueduct over the río Anna, was modified in the 18th century by Jacinto Agustí, who gave it its Baroque character with Rococo decoration. It has a basilical plan with three naves and chapels between the buttresses, the central nave covered by a barrel vault with lunettes and the side chapels by blind domes; next to the presbytery are the communion chapel, with an elliptical dome from 1710, and the sacristy, with rosettes and rocaille carved above the arches.
Spring of el Fonillet de Eslida
Nature
The only drinking-water spring in the whole of the Comunitat Valenciana, in Eslida, within the Sierra de Espadán.
Patron Saint Festivities of Eslida
Activity
Patronal festivities of Eslida (Castellón), in the comarca of Plana Baixa, celebrated in honor of the Santísimo Cristo del Calvario during the last week of August. Coinciding with these dates, the village also hosts the Mostra de Artesanía y Agroecología de la Serra d'Espadà, dedicated to the traditional products and varieties of the area.
The safety charter of the Muslims of Eslida
Historical milestone
James I guaranteed in writing in 1242 to the Muslims of Eslida, Aín, Veo, Sueras and other places of the range that they would keep their goods, their religion and their own judges: one of the most notable documents of coexistence of the conquest.