Linares

The area of Linares sits above the ancient Iberian-Roman city of Castulo, one of the most important pre-Roman cities in the southern Iberian Peninsula — capital of the Oretani tribe, ally of Carthage, and later a major Roman mining centre for silver and lead. The Roman writer Pliny called the surrounding area one of the richest sources of lead in the known world. Castulo was eventually abandoned in the early medieval period and its ruins lie unexcavated or partially excavated outside the current town.

Linares as a separate settlement grew up in the medieval period and developed strongly in the 19th century when British and French companies reopened the lead and silver mines, bringing engineers, capital, and workers from across Europe and creating a cosmopolitan mining city. The mines closed in 1991, leaving Linares with a significant industrial heritage.

The archaeological site of Castulo, 6 km from Linares, is the primary heritage attraction: ongoing excavations have revealed forums, temples, baths, and domestic structures from both the Iberian and Roman periods. The site museum is excellent. In the town, the Church of San Francisco and the Municipal Museum contain finds from Castulo and document the mining era.

The Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the 19th-century civic buildings reflect the wealth of the mining boom. The Manolete Museum (a small shrine in the bullring) commemorates the 1947 corrida. Linares also claims to be one of the cradles of flamenco; the distinctive 'linares' style is one of the malagueñas family of flamenco forms.

Linares is 50 km north of Jaén on the A-32 and has a train station on the Madrid-Cádiz line. It is the most accessible way to reach the Castulo archaeological site. The Castulo museum is open Tuesday–Sunday.

Linares is a working industrial city with a somewhat gritty character; the heritage sites are worth the visit.