Líjar: Hiking Trails, Towers and Local History

The short PR-A-257 hiking trail runs in the vicinity of Líjar; seven local trails also belong to this surrounding area.

The town center itself is characterized by its dense network of streets, lanes and historic buildings.

Culture

The Barrio del Castillo preserves a townscape shaped by Arab heritage. Narrow streets and lanes, single-story whitewashed houses and corrales are part of this townscape. At the highest point of the town stands the Castillo de Líjar, a stone, castle-like building from the 21st century. The Castillo houses a tourist information office and an exhibition room.

Thus, the narrow paths and low, whitewashed houses of the Barrio del Castillo lie close together. The corrales complement this townscape as a distinct element of the village’s built environment. The Castillo creates a clearly different, castle-like accent at the highest point; the tourist information office and exhibition room are located in the same building.

The Iglesia de Santa María was built between 1530 and 1550. After a flood at the end of the 19th century, it was rebuilt. The reconstruction gave it the form of a single-nave church with a wooden ceiling and two towers. One of these towers is assigned to the chapel of San Blas.

Its present form therefore points both to its construction in the 16th century and to its reconstruction after the flood. The single-nave structure, wooden ceiling and two towers are part of this rebuilt appearance; one of the towers is assigned to the chapel of San Blas.

History

The Atalaya de Líjar is the main tower of the municipality of Líjar in Almería. It is made of yellow slate from the valley. Its square body is seven meters high. At its western tip is an eleven-meter-high cylindrical tower. This tower can be climbed as far as the battlement walkway.

The transition from the seven-meter-high square body to the eleven-meter-high cylindrical tower at the western tip describes the Atalaya’s distinctive form. The material is also specified: the yellow slate comes from the valley. The battlement walkway can be reached via the cylindrical tower.

The viewpoint of the Castillo de Líjar offers panoramic views over the town. From there, the view extends across the Vega of Líjar and part of the surrounding Sierra.

The view thus encompasses several landscape levels: the town itself, the Vega of Líjar and part of the surrounding Sierra. The viewpoint is located at the Castillo, which stands at the highest point of Líjar.

A “war” was declared between Líjar and France. It ended with a peace treaty signed on October 30, 1983.

Festivals and Cuisine

The local festivals in Líjar include the Fiestas Patronales de San Blas. During the San Antón festival around January 17, communal fires are lit. Potatoes are roasted in their embers.

The two festivals combine different local names and traditions: the Fiestas Patronales bear the name San Blas, while San Antón around January 17 is associated with communal fires and potatoes roasted in their embers.

The traditional cuisine of Líjar uses produce from local gardens and livestock quarters. Typical recipes from this cuisine were collected in a local cookbook.

The ingredients of the traditional cuisine thus refer both to the local gardens and to the livestock quarters. The typical recipes are collected in a local cookbook, where they form their own written reference to the cuisine of Líjar.

Líjar can be reached via the Sierra de Macael road. At the Chercos junction, take the turnoff.

More destinations

More destinations include Costacabana, Alhama De Almería, Cóbdar, El Saltador Bajo, El Pilar, Laroya, Agua Amarga and Garrucha.

To the overview of the broader destination: Almeria.