Five preserved sections of medieval city wall, a Gothic gateway and cave houses on the upper edge of the old town give Hita a richly layered historic character. The town also has church architecture, museum spaces and routes leading from the town centre to a spring and a medieval bridge. This makes it possible to plan a cultural stay that takes in both architectural history and the surrounding landscape.
City walls, gateway and historic square
A total of one kilometre of the city wall is currently preserved, divided into five sections. The Puerta de Santa María, built from 1441 onwards, is one of the outstanding landmarks of Hita’s Gothic military architecture. Together, the wall and gateway illustrate different forms of historic fortification. From the hilltop where a mighty castle once stood, the view stretches across the wide Henares plain to Alcalá. Only a few remains of the fortifications and tower have survived.
Plaza del Arcipreste, Hita’s Plaza Mayor, also brings together different aspects of the town’s history. In the 15th century, it was the town market; it was also Hita’s main Jewish quarter. The old town is designated a Bien de Interés Cultural, a protected cultural asset of cultural interest. Those interested in urban history will find not only individual buildings here, but also a place whose significance emerges from a range of historical contexts.
Church architecture and traces beneath the old town
The Iglesia de San Juan was built in the 15th and 16th centuries in the Mudéjar style. The tower is an important exception, as it is designed in the Herrerian style. This combination makes the church a distinctive architectural feature of the historic townscape. In Hita, exploring the religious building can be complemented by a look at the more secular history of buildings and their use.
At the upper edge of the old town are cave houses known as “bodegos”. They are accessed through façades made of adobe brick or stone. More than a hundred wine cellars were also built beneath the houses of the old town during the Middle Ages. The cave houses and cellars illustrate different ways of using spaces in and beneath the historic town centre; the wine cellars are specifically part of Hita’s medieval history.
Museum and festival history
Hita has a tourist information office, the Oficina de Turismo, as well as museum spaces dedicated to the archaeology of the comarca and to ethnography. The room about the Libro de Buen Amor in the Casa-Museo del Arcipreste displays reproductions of medieval manuscript pages and several editions of the work. The exhibition may be rearranged. Alongside the buildings, visitors can therefore explore archaeological, ethnographic and literary themes.
At the foot of the city wall, the Palenque de Hita was built in 1970 as the venue for the jousting tournaments of the Festival Medieval de Hita. Equestrian games are held there every year, on foot and on horseback. The participating knights’ challenges include ring jousting, combat against the Estafermo, and throwing javelins at targets or small wooden towers. The festival also includes temporary exhibitions, theatrical guided walks and other activities that explore Hita’s history and literary significance. During the Botarga de Hita, a procession accompanied by music makes its way from the Plaza to the Palenque on Saturday afternoon, where a battle between good and evil is staged. The festival also includes medieval lunches and dinners on the hill. As programme events may vary from one edition to another, it is advisable to check the specific dates and programme before travelling.
Routes around Hita
Local routes start in the old town, run along the foot of the hill and lead to a stream, a spring and a medieval bridge. The Camino del Cid is a separate route: the section “La algarada de Álvar Fáñez” passes through the Hita area. The route can be walked along the long-distance GR-160 trail, marked with red and white waymarkers. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between a local route with specific destinations and a section of a long-distance trail that extends across a wider region.
The sightseeing and cultural themes can also be explored separately: the city wall, gateway, square and church take you through the architectural and local history, while the Palenque and festival draw on medieval pageantry and literature. If you are planning a trip to Hita, you can arrange these highlights around your interests and take the particular edition of the festival into account.
Discover more destinations: Villares de Jadraque, Fontanar, Valdesaz, Mandayona, Alcoroches, Zorita De Los Canes, Alhóndiga, Uceda.
For the main travel overview: Guadalajara.
