At the entrance to Olmedillas lie the Cuevas del Harzal, also known as “Guarzal”, with prehistoric remains. The village lies on the border between the Sierra de Pela and the Sierra Ministra. For your travel plans, landscape, archaeological history and architecture come together here; a mountain biking and cycle tourism route offers another perspective.

Caves and traces of the past

The Cueva Harzal de Olmedillas is one of the Eneolithic cave sites in the north of Guadalajara province. Its materials are dated to between 2800 and 2200 BC. At the same time, the site is among the few places excavated in the north of the province with an Andalusian chronology. These classifications point to different historical periods associated with the site. The Cuevas del Harzal also served as a natural setting for the film “Las Troyanas” in 1971—a distinct, precisely dated connection to film history. If you are considering visiting the caves, check in advance whether access is possible and under what conditions.

Church, houses and a façade detail

The parish church of Olmedillas is dedicated to the Purísima Concepción and has Romanesque influences. The village’s traditional architecture also has distinctive features: large houses built from ashlar stone and large lintels. Ashlar stones are dressed building blocks of regular shape; a lintel forms the upper part of an opening. One particularly precisely dated detail is the sgraffito on the house at C/Estrecha 26: it dates from 1921 and features globular motifs reminiscent of water droplets. The church, masonry and façade decoration offer different points of interest if you are interested in sacred architecture, traditional architecture or individual artistic details.

Cycling to and through Olmedillas

The official mountain biking and cycle tourism route “Ruta 0 – Circular Pedanías” approaches Olmedillas via the SO-P-4263. After the junction, a path leads left into the village. The route also specifies concrete landmarks to help you follow its continuation: it leaves Olmedillas at the cemetery and reaches the GU-128 again, heading south towards Alboreca. From Olmedillas, it continues along the GU-128 to the pedanía of Alcuneza. This makes it possible to locate Olmedillas along the route using its roads and landmarks. Check local road and trail conditions before setting out.

A historic feast day

Alongside the archaeological periods, there is also a precise calendar reference from more recent times: in 1977, 28 October was the feast day of San Simón and San Judas in Olmedillas. This date adds a distinct aspect of local cultural life to the history of the caves and architecture. Together, these details offer several reasons to explore Olmedillas: its location between two mountain ranges, its prehistoric and other archaeological classifications, the church’s Romanesque influences, its stone architecture and a specific cycling route.

Discover more destinations: Sigüenza, Peralejos De Las Truchas, Albares, Corduente, Alhóndiga, Matillas, Aldeanueva de Guadalajara, Majaelrayo

For the main travel overview: Guadalajara.