Luque: Las Buitreras and Luque Castle

Nature

Next to the municipal swimming pool in Luque begins the 17.5-kilometre Las Buitreras hiking trail, which is of medium difficulty. It passes through cliffs where the largest colony of griffon vultures in the natural area breeds. The Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park is characterised by limestone formations displaying typical karst features. In the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, various hiking and mountain trails offer the opportunity to explore the distinctive landscape and diverse flora and fauna. The Laguna del Salobral, also known as Laguna del Conde, lies within the municipality of Luque.

Culture and history

Luque Castle, Hisn Lukk, appears to have originated in the late period of the Umayyad Emirate in the 9th century and stands on the foundations of an ancient Roman fortification. The remains visible today date mainly from the 13th century. Guided tours of Luque Castle, Hisn Lukk, can be arranged on any day and at any time for groups of ten or more people. Next to Luque’s old city wall and at the foot of the castle stands the Parroquia de Ntra. Sra. de Asunción; construction began in 1557 and continued until 1598. For groups of ten or more people, a guided tour of the parish church must be arranged outside liturgical hours.

The Cueva de la Encantada is a roughly 40-metre-deep rock fissure in the centre of Luque, containing schematic paintings from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Workshops on prehistoric painting and the production of marrow-bone lamps are offered in the Cueva de la Encantada. Guided tours of the Cueva de la Encantada can be arranged on any day and at any time for groups of ten or more people.

Next to the Vía Verde del Aceite stand the Búnkeres del Alamillo, featuring several casemates, a Reduit-type bunker, trenches and underground passageways. The Búnkeres visible today were built at the end of 1938 and the beginning of 1939. The Ermita de San Bartolomé has a single-nave transept covered by a barrel vault and contains a 17th-century stuccoed and polychrome statue of Saint Bartholomew. The Museo Municipal Luque Tierra de Fronteras is open to the public. During Holy Week in Luque, some brotherhoods and religious statues date back to the 16th century.

Getting around

The Ruta del Califato passes through Luque. Bicycles can be rented at Luque railway station for tours along the Vía Verde. The Centro de Interpretación del Aceite de Oliva de Luque is located at Luque railway station next to the Vía Verde and the town’s olive groves; guided olive oil tastings are offered there.

Traditions

The Los Hermanos de la Aurora tradition, revived in Luque in 1982, consists of a group of men walking through the town’s streets at dawn on summer Sundays and singing traditional Aurora coplas.

Other destinations: Cabra, Fuente Obejuna, El Carpio, Adamuz, Torrecampo, Almedinilla, La Guijarrosa and Dos Torres.

To the main travel overview: Cordoba.