Cuenca

Human presence in the Cuenca area goes back to the Upper Palaeolithic. Before the Romans, the territory was divided among several tribes — the Beribraces and Arévaci worked as shepherds and farmers, while the more warlike Olcades took control of much of the region. Under Moorish rule, Cuenca grew into the capital of the administrative district of Santaver, though after the Caliphate of Córdoba collapsed in 1031 it passed to the Taifa of Toledo. Alfonso VIII besieged the city on Epiphany 1177 and entered it that September, and Alfonso X granted it city status in 1257.

Medieval Cuenca prospered through wool and textile production — cloth trading and carpet-making built a substantial weaving industry — and the city gained a vote in the Castilian Cortes. When wool prices rose and transhumance declined, the industry collapsed. Of 80 looms recorded in 1735, only 22 remained by 1763. A later attempt to revive textile manufacturing was blocked by Carlos IV to protect the Royal Tapestry Factory.

Cuenca became provincial capital in 1833. During the Civil War it held for the Republic; the Episcopal Palace and cathedral were looted in the early chaos, and the city fell to Franco's forces in March 1939. Post-war depopulation left the old town largely abandoned, but its 1963 designation as a Scenic Landscape, followed by the opening of the Museum of Abstract Art in 1966, began its recovery. In 1996 UNESCO declared the historic walled city, its outlying quarters, and the river gorges a World Heritage Site.

The entire historic centre — the walled intramuros district, the Castillo quarter, San Antón, and Tiradores — forms part of Cuenca's UNESCO listing.

The Cathedral is the architectural centrepiece. Built on the site of the former main mosque and consecrated in 1208 by Archbishop Ximénez de Rada, it was not completed until 1271. It stands as one of the earliest Gothic buildings in Spain, with clear traces of the Romanesque-to-Gothic transition still visible. The Renaissance arch of Jamete leads to the cloister, and the interior contains the Transparente, a Baroque work by Ventura Rodríguez.

San Andrés church, designed by Pedro de Alviz, has an octagonal plan with a large domed drum and a striking Mudéjar coffered ceiling. The Convento de San Felipe Neri, directed by José Martín, is considered one of Spain's main examples of Rococo architecture; during Holy Week its steps are the setting for the traditional singing of the Miserere.

The Torre de Mangana, the city's clock tower, stands on the site of the old Moorish alcázar. The Templar-built church of San Pantaleón de Jerusalén survives only as ruins. Santa Cruz church, remodelled several times since its original construction, now serves as an exhibition and craft sales space.