|
|
Basic
data
Size:
173.60
Km²
Population:
4,500
Residents known as:
Cortesanos
Monuments:
Town Hall, Church of Nuestra Señora
del Rosario, Casa de los Valdenebro, Casa de Piedra (Stone House) and Casa
Parroquial (Parochial House).
Geographical
situation: In the Ronda Mountains, 40 kilometres from
Ronda and 20 from Benaoján, at 633 metres above sea level.
Tourist information: Town
Hall, Plaza Carlos III, 1. 29380.
Phone: 952 154 000 Fax: 952 154 342.
On the
Internet:
www.cortesdelafrontera.com
|
View of the town
with the church in the background |
The privileged position of Cortes de la Frontera
between the Nature Parks of the Sierra de Grazalema and Los Alcornocales
makes it a very attractive place to be in summertime. The forested land
around the town keeps it humid and cool, especially in winter, while the
local climate is dry and warm in summer. In effect, Cortes is a small oasis
in the Costa del Sol region, where the visitor can relax without suffering
the very high temperatures of the rest of Andalucía in the height of the
summer season. There are three urban centres in the municipality: the main
one, Cortes de la Frontera; El Colmenar and La Cañada del Real Tesoro or La
Estación de Cortes.
The origin of the town goes back to the 12th and11th centuries
B.C., when the Phoenicians passed this way and settled here. The town did
not develop as such, however, until the arrival of the Romans, who named the
place Cortex, which means defence or protection. The ruins of the town of
Saeponia, and of what is known as Cortes el Viejo date from Roman times. In
Moorish times, Cortex came under the jurisdiction of Seville, later Granada
and finally Ronda. It was conquered in 1248 by San Fernando, but fell into
Moorish hands again shortly afterwards, until it was finally conquered again
by the Christians in 1485. Important Moorish remains include the Torre de
Paso. The present town dates from the closing years of the 17th
century, evident in the rational and well-designed town planning that is
notable by its absence in other Ronda Mountain towns.
Places
to be visited
 |
Town
Hall
The Town Hall is a beautiful stone building with the rather severe
neo-classical façade of the late 18th century, ordered
to be built by Carlos III. It was publicly financed and built with
stone blocks, the façade showing five semicircular arches on each
of the two storeys, each arch supported by plain pillars. The
central part of the façade stands out from the main structure,
with three arches on each floor, topped with a triangular pediment
holding a clock and royal coat-of-arms.
Plaza de Toros
The bullring was originally built in 1894 and restored in 1921,
becoming one of the biggest in the Ronda Mountains region, the
reason for such a large bullring in such a small town being its
importance as a cattle-breeding area, and bullfights have been
held here since ancient times. The diameter of the ring is 27.20
metres.
The Casa de Piedra and other monuments
This structure is known as the Stone House because it was
excavated out of a huge rock, dating from between the 6th
and 7th centuries A.D. Of special interest is the
detailed work on the inside to make the house habitable. The
Torre de Paso is a defensive tower built by the Moors in the 13th
century to keep watch on the road from Gaucín to Jubrique,
passing over the Puerto del Espino. Another interesting spot here
is in Cortes El Viejo, four kilometres from Cortes, where there
are Roman and Moorish remains.
|
| Where
to eat |
Mesón Alameda.
Specialising in home cooking. Plaza Carlos III, 2. Tel:
952 154 480.
Mesón Los Alcornocales.
Specialising in local Serranía cuisine. Avda Libertad, s/n. 952
154 443
|
| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Sol y Sierra. Tel: 952 154 523.
Hostal La Sierra. Tel:
952 154 143.
Rural Houses. Tel: 952 154
345.
Aparthotel Carlota. Tel:
952 154 141.
Albergue Municipal "El
Parador". Tel: 952 154 345.
Albergue and Municipal Camping Grounds
"Las Camaretas". Tel: 952 154 345.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
A Fountain with
mosaics |
FIESTAS
The annual feria in honour of the patron
saints of the town, San Roque and San Sebastián, takes place in the month
of August, with the traditional running of the calves through the streets.
For a full week, everybody in the town is out in the streets, with music
and dancing until the early hours. The Barriada de El Colmenar celebrates
its feria during the last week in July, while the first week in August is
the time for the feria in La Cañada. The Romería in Cortes, in honour of
its patron, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, takes place at the beginning of
June, while that of El Colmenar is in the last week of May, and in La
Cañada during the first week of July. Another interesting festival here
is Carnival, with performances by groups from the area and from Cadiz.
GASTRONOMY
The traditional cuisine of the area includes soups, wild rabbit, mountain
lamb and many other dishes made from vegetables that are both cultivated
here and grow wild. The area is also well known for its pastries, many of
which are home-made, using local produce like honey and local aguardiente
liqueur.
NATURAL SORROUNDING
The municipal area of Cortes is one of the largest in the region, covering
17,000 hectares of land that juts into the province of Cadiz. The wealth
of the town is in the cork oak forests around it, from which cork is cut
for manufacture and exportation. The acorns that grow here also feed the
large number of pigs in the area. Among the most beautiful of the natural
surroundings are the Guadiaro Valley region and the Sierra de los Pinos
mountains. The recreation centre "La Sauceda" is an old bandit
camp in the heart of the forest. One can enjoy here too the Laueisilva
Woods, with vegetation dating from the Tertiary period, the Pileta de la
Reina and the Peñón del Buitre. In recent years Cortes has improved its
tourism infrastructure and is able to take care of the large number of
visitors that come here every year.
|
