There are towns in Morocco where the surname Banu Razin is perpetuated. They are remote relatives of a Berber lineage that crossed Gibraltar back in the 8th century to conquer the Iberian Peninsula. An adventure that took the Razins far north, to the lands of Teruel where they settled and ruled with an iron fist. There they left their mark, so much so that one of the jewels of Aragonese heritage evokes their name: Albarracín.
Although Albarracín was not founded by Muslims. Not at all. In the surroundings you can see a good repertoire of rock shelters painted in prehistoric times. Or a Roman aqueduct is preserved that runs through the mountains for 25 kilometers to the town of Cella. However, although they were not the first settlers of Albarracín, they originated the medieval atmosphere that surrounds the hamlet.
Before his arrival there would already be a town with its pre-Romanesque church. However, with the Muslim rule, construction of the castle began. A first fortress that, as Albarracín gained strength, increased its towers and walls. Today, the remains of its defensive framework are an icon of the town. And although the fortress has not arrived intact, it transmits its power. So much so that when in the 11th century, the Cid wanted to conquer this square from the Banu Razin, he ended up seriously injured and fled.
And just as the castle grew, the city at its feet developed. Given the rugged terrain, the neighbors wove a tangle of alleys to build each house in a different and unique way. They adapt to the relief as best they can and manage to gain surface area in height. In Albarracín the upper floors are usually wider than the lower ones. This is evident in the overhangs that overlook the side of the river, but also in relatively wide streets that are almost covered because the roofs of the facing houses practically join together.
The convoluted urban planning of Albarracín, as well as the reddish color of its architecture, is a legacy of its Muslim past. But his story did not end there. On an undetermined date in the 12th century and peacefully, the city fell into Christian hands. However, its urban center did not stop growing. On the contrary, it gained political weight given the strategic value of this Sierra de Albarracín where Castilla is just a step away and where important rivers such as the Tajo, the Cabriel, which is a great contribution of the Júcar, and the Guadalaviar that bathes Albarracín originate to become the Turia downstream.
That is why it is not surprising that, for a few centuries, even though it belonged to the kingdom of Aragon, Albarracín maintained a certain independence and its own jurisdiction. Which meant splendor. It even had its own cathedral, that of the Savior, which today is the monument par excellence of the town. And if there is a cathedral, there is a bishop, who obviously built an elegant episcopal palace that today is the headquarters of the Santa María de Albarracín Foundation.
Although the episcopal palace was not the only great mansion from those times of glory. The Monterde house would also be built, which still has an impressive coat of arms over the entrance arch, or the Community house would be conceived, labyrinthine inside and out. And near the funambulist Torcida house on Chorro Street, the palatial building of the Navarro de Arzuriaga family was built, whose blue façade is an island in the sea of ??reddish plaster that uniformizes and gives personality to the urban case.
The appeal of Albarracín lies in its harmony and the sensations that the whole provokes. Places such as the cathedral, the neighboring Diocesan museum with its collection of Flemish tapestries or the Doña Blanca tower as an imposing vestige of the wall of yesteryear shine. But beyond the individualities, what is memorable is the fusion of history and tradition that is breathed during the walk through its streets.
Because it is a town to walk and be surprised. For example, when you reach the Molina portal and see the balance of the photogenic Julianeta house standing at the intersection of two slopes. It is also worth visiting the Pérez y Toyuela house museum, whose interior recreates how the nobles and gentlemen of other times lived. Or you have to go up to the church of Santiago which offers unbeatable views of the walls.
And sooner rather than later it’s time to stop in the Plaza Mayor. A wide, flat space dominated by the large volume of the Town Hall, whose ground floor was the local jail for centuries. The rotundity of the town hall contrasts with the delicacy of the Balcón Esquinero house. Obviously located in a corner of the square and which links this little piece of Teruel with buildings in Valladolid and even Úbeda, in Jaén. And at the opposite end of the square there is a viewpoint with views of the church of Santa María, the Guadalaviar river and the mountain forests declared Protected Landscape of the Pinares de Rodeno.
