Cantavieja is a town full of history, customs, and monuments worth visiting. The town was declared an Asset of Interest Cultural in the category of Historic-Artistic Site in 1981. Later, in 2014 it joined the association of “Most Beautiful Villages in Spain”. In the heart of the urban area lies the main arcaded square, one of the most beautiful in Aragon, the Church of the Assumption showcasing the Baroque style from the eighteenth century, the Church of San Miguel, from the fifteenth century Gothic era and the manor houses or La Nevera, also recently declared of Cultural Interest.
All this heritage is the result of a particular historical evolution, marked by the dominance of the military orders between the thirteenth and nineteenth centuries: first the Templars and later the Sanjuanistas. The Carlist Wars of the nineteenth century also had great importance at which point the town had a prominent role nationally and even internationally.
Its enclave within the Iberian system gives the municipality a wide environmental wealth, highlighting areas included in the Natura 2000 Network, such as the place of the Muela and the Cuarto Pelado specifically in the ZEC Muelas and Straits of the Guadalupe River. Another part is the area known as “La Nava”, in the ZEC Maestrazgo and Sierra de Gúdar and ZEC Rambla de las Truchas. In both spaces, the Mediterranean pine forests stand out.
Its natural characteristics make the municipality the perfect setting to host a great variety of monumental trees including junipers and quejigos with both growing to great heights. Regarding the biotic environment, we find species such as the ibex, the roe deer, the wild boar or the foxes, mustelids such as the garduña, the marten or the otter, a rich population of griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, golden or road eagles. As part of the municipality’s recovery plan, it has reintroduced the bearded vulture into the territory of the Guadalope-Maestrazgo River SPA. Its rich geology makes it worthy of being inside the Maestrazgo Geopark of UNESCO.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Conservation and Digitisation of Heritage
In recent years, Cantavieja has carried out important work in restoring and conserving its historical, ecclesiastical and civil heritage. In addition, it has implemented a plan for the digitalisation of its monuments, so that complete information on all of them can be obtained through a QR system.
The Comarca and the municipality run guided tours for children and in 2022 published a children’s book on heritage under the title “Reinterpreting cultural heritage”.
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Reduction of Environmental Impact
Tourism entrepreneurs have an active carbon footprint offsetting campaign in associated establishments, and with the proceeds they carry out a tree planting action each year in a municipality. The website www.thesilentroute.com also includes a tool to donate and offset the carbon footprint of visitors.
The City Council has drawn up an Action Plan in which it is committed to reducing the use of plastics and single-use packaging within 5 years. To this end, it will design campaigns to raise awareness among tourists,
tourism entrepreneurs and propose alternatives to their use.
A new water treatment plant will clean and purify the water and prevent contamination of rivers and aquifers.
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Governance
The town council and the Comarca del Maestrazgo, with the participation of the tourism sector and the residents, have drawn up, by consensus, a Strategy and an Action Plan, which sets out the lines to be followed in the development of tourism in the town. Moreover, once it has been set in motion, actions can be added or modifications introduced so that it is a living document that can be adapted to the needs of the municipality and the business community, and possible changes in tourism trends.
The town council disseminates aid, job offers and training activities, especially in the tourism sector, as this is the sector that generates the most employment.
It has a Civil Protection Plan. This is a preventive and organisational instrument for responding to emergencies, disasters or calamities, which contains the mechanisms for mobilising and organising the necessary human and material resources. In addition, in order to improve communications and the evacuation of possible patients, the construction of a heliport has been financed.
Cantavieja develops an active policy of alliances and participates actively in several supra-municipal product clubs (regional and national) such as Pueblos Más Bonitos de España, Camino del Cid, The Silent Route, Geopark and Parque Cultural del Maestrazgo.
