Peñacerrada Medieval Town and open air Ethnographic Museum

Peñacerrada Medieval Town and open air Ethnographic Museum

A town of medieval origin located on a strategic crossroads on the borders of the old kingdoms of Navarre and Castile, which ultimately determined the course of its history.

MONTAÑA ALAVESA TOURIST OFFICE

Carretera Vitoria-Estella 7, 01110 Santa Cruz de Campezo

 945 40 54 24 | 945 41 05 77

 arabakomendialdea@arabakomendialdea.eus 

Web arabakomendialdea.eus  arabakomendialdea.eus

The tradition attributes its foundation to the kings of Navarre, however, the village changed hands from one kingdom to the other throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, finally ending up under the control of Castile.

It was fortified at the beginning of the 14th century with a wall, rampart, moat and barbican, today only the south gate, the rampart walk and a small section of the defensive wall remain in good condition, given that the rest were destroyed during the Carlist Wars. The size of the south gate gives an idea of the scale of defences that had such large turrets.

Peñacerrada, nestled in an outstanding natural environment at the foot of the Cantabria mountain range, features several examples of traditional 16th century architecture, most notably among which the house of the Duke of Hijar. The church of Our Lady of the Assumption is also noteworthy, with its two main doors: the 13th century Romanesque styled south door and the 18th century north door.

The town has an  open air ethnographic museum  that features an exhibition of traditional farming tools and implements, as well as a working water-driven flour mill.

The surroundings offer a wide range of routes and paths for hikers, mountain bikers and cyclists.

Location

The main access road is the A-2124 both from Vitoria-Gasteiz or Rioja Alavesa and Logroño.