Cóbdar: La Piedra, Old Town and Río Los Molinos

Landscape and River

Cóbdar lies in the Sierra de los Filabres and is surrounded by pine trees. The town lies below the distinctive hill of La Piedra, made of bright white marble. The Río Los Molinos runs through Cóbdar.

La Piedra is associated not only with the hill's white marble, but also with the cave discovered there. The Río Los Molinos is another named feature of the town and appears again at the old ironworks of La Herrería and along the path described below.

Townscape and History

Las Morerías is the old town of Cóbdar. It includes winding corners, small Arabic-influenced lanes and whitewashed houses built in the traditional style. The townscape thus preserves the name Las Morerías for the old town and the stated features of its architecture.

A cave in La Piedra was discovered in 1959 by José Castillejo and Miguel Granero. Both discoverers were residents of Cóbdar. Evidence of a Neolithic settlement was found in the Cueva del Castillico.

Finds from the Cueva del Castillico include polished stone axes, jewellery, ceramics and marble bands. These finds are displayed at the Museo Arqueológico de Almería.

The connection between the site, the discovery and the exhibition distributes the history of the Cueva del Castillico across several specific points of reference: the cave is located in La Piedra, its discovery is linked to two residents of Cóbdar and the year 1959, while the objects mentioned can be seen at the museum in Almería.

The historical and architectural heritage also includes the Terna de Cóbdar. It represents architecture owned by the nobility that served public purposes. La Herrería, on the banks of the Río Los Molinos, is an old ironworks. It probably dates from the late 17th or early 18th century.

The bell tower of the Iglesia de Santa María is visible from various points in Cóbdar. The Lavadero Público de Cóbdar is an ethnological heritage site that recalls earlier times.

The townscape therefore includes different forms of inherited heritage: the lanes and houses of Las Morerías, the Terna de Cóbdar, the former ironworks, the visible bell tower and the public washhouse. Each name refers to a separate building, part of the town or reminder of an earlier use.

Further destinations

Find more direct destinations here: Alcolea, Velefique, Vera, Bayárcal, Oria, El Pilar, Serón and Purchena.

Path along the Río Los Molinos

The SL-A 016 Camino del río Los Molinos path is accessible on foot, by bicycle and on horseback. Those who explore it on foot follow a shady, cool forest towards Molino de la Palmera. Molino de la Palmera is considered one of the largest.

The route description therefore explicitly names three possible means of travel: on foot, by bicycle and on horseback. For the section on foot, the shady, cool forest towards Molino de la Palmera is the described part of the route. The name of the path directly connects this stretch with the Río Los Molinos, which also runs through the town and on whose banks La Herrería is located.

For the wider travel overview: Almeria.