A six-meter-deep ice house, a Gothic tower and a restored oil mill reveal very different sides of La Muela’s history. They are joined by an old town whose street layout responds to strong Cierzo gusts, and a plateau dotted with almond and olive groves as well as wind turbines. The area’s architectural history, museums and landscape provide a specific thematic context for choosing accommodation.
Buildings from Different Periods
The Palacio de las Torres de La Muela is a Gothic building dating from the late 15th century. Only the façade remains, bearing the Torres family coat of arms. The Iglesia de San Clemente dates from the 16th century and has a square Mudéjar tower divided into three sections. In 2002, it was designated a Bien Catalogado del Patrimonio Cultural Aragonés. At the palace, the focus is on the surviving façade and coat of arms; at San Clemente, it is the tower’s segmented architecture.
The Ermita de San Antonio Abad adds another distinctive feature: a Baroque religious building constructed in 1701. The route there is marked by several peirones. Their ceramics from Muel and Manises depict the Stations of the Cross. The buildings therefore differ not only in period: the route to the hermitage also tells its own religious story through its ceramics and sequence of images.
An Ice House and Museums with Distinct Themes
The ice house is a restored ice or snow storage facility, more than 300 years old and six meters deep. A staircase leads down to its lowest point. Visits are possible by prior appointment with the municipal offices; arrange your visit directly with them in advance. This means a visit requires a specific arrangement and cannot simply be planned as a spontaneous stop.
The Museo de la Vida explores the origins and development of the planet and the different species that live on it. It is housed in an unusual building shaped like a dragonfly. The Museo del Aceite covers a different subject: it is located in a restored oil mill that operated until 1946. The museum is in the center of town, next to a 1,300-year-old olive tree. Here, a former place of work and a distinctive tree stand side by side, while the Museo de la Vida turns its attention to the planet and its species.
The Museo del Viento is also in La Muela, surrounded by extensive landscaped green spaces. The three museums have clearly distinct themes: the development of life, an oil mill and the wind. This makes it easier to choose based on whether you are more interested in natural history or in traces of local work and landscape.
The Old Town, Plateau and Earlier Traces
La Muela lies on a plateau. The landscape alternates between old almond and olive groves and large white wind turbines. The layout of the old town also responds to local conditions: its parallel streets and right-angle intersections were designed to reduce the impact of strong Cierzo gusts. This describes the purpose of the street grid, not a guarantee of protection from the wind. Another facet of rural history can be seen at Parque de los Pozos, with its restored wells, which date back to the 18th century.
The timeline reaches further back still. The archaeological site of Cabezo de la Cruz lies within the municipality of La Muela. It contains traces of settlement from the Epipalaeolithic, the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age, which here spans the 9th to the 6th century BC. Its archaeological history thus operates on a different scale from the surviving buildings and restored oil mill: it points to several early settlement phases, not a single building.
For travel planning focused on local traditions, the first half of June is another useful date: this is when the patron saint celebrations in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua take place. Check the dates for the relevant year when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: Mesones De Isuela, Caspe, Villalba de Perejil, Bureta, Zaragoza, Puebla De Alfindén, Las Cuerlas, Alera.
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