Teruel: the most romantic city of Spain

The most romantic place in Spain is Teruel, in the region of Aragon. Here were born the Spanish Romeo and Juliette, protagonists of a very tragic love story. But Teruel is a gorgeous city too, home of beautiful buildings that have been awarded with UNESCO Patrimony. Also, if you are a dino fan, you will be excited to acknowledge that the province of Teruel holds the biggest concentration of dinosaurs per square metre in all Europe. Plus, you can travel back in time and get to know them in Dinopolis! To complete the whole thing, there is a huge party in July that will make you forget about Pamplona’s San Fermin. Are you ready to discover all these things in Teruel: the most romantic city of Spain?

Teruel: legend and history

The origins of Teruel are a bit mythic, worthy of a Greek legend. In the 12th century, this area of northern Spain was held by the Moorish, until King Alphonse the II conquered a fortress called Tirwal (tower, in Arabic). Then, he decided to build an actual city in the area, so a group of wisemen gathered and decided to let the omens act. Immediately they heard a bull roaring from the top of a mountain, with a star shining above. This was, according to the legend, the location of the current Torico square, the place where every happens in Teruel. “Torico” means, obviously, little bull, represented by a tiny statuette on top of a column, 37cm high. Since the 17th century there has been one there. 

As a matter of fact, bulls have always been very important to this city. Some theories point out a sanctuary where the bull and the moon received worship. Then, in the Medieval Ages, the rich people donated a couple of bulls for the prisoners to have some fun running around the bulls and then getting to eat them. However, it was dangerous to drive them through the city, therefore the cowboys kept the bulls tied with huge ropes, and so was born the current tradition of the Vaquilla del Ángel. It is impossible to describe how the locals from Teruel love this party, so I will show you a video instead! Here, they are placing the “pañuelico”, the handkerchief, over the little “torico”. If you are ever in Spain in July, it will make your trip unforgettable.

La Vaquilla - Fiestas del Ángel de Teruel

Teruel, 44001 Teruel, Spain

Plaza del Torico (Teruel)

Plaza Carlos Castel, 14, 44001 Teruel, Spain

Mudejar, the architecture of conviviality 

In the Medieval Ages, the three “people of the book” shared their lives in Teruel: Muslims, Christians and Jewish. This is why Teruel is nowadays so unique: they combined their building techniques in order to create an impressive style, the Mudejar. Even though it exists in other parts of Spain, like Zaragoza, this one is special, and has been accordingly awarded as UNESCO Patrimony. This prize extends to the protagonists of Teruel’s skyline: the Salvador, San Martin and San Pedro towers, together with the tower, dome and roof of the cathedral. This roof is considered the most important wooden Medieval roof of the whole world, so keep that in mind when you visit it! 

Mudejar cathedrals are very rare in Spain. Do not forget this style has a lot of the Moorish’ essence, so it was not considered appropriate to be used on a Christian building. Except, of course, in Teruel, where conviviality was good for many years. The privileges King Alphonse the II had granted the city allowed the Muslims to live there safely, and for their rights to be respected. 

The Salvador and San Martín towers imitate the Moroccan minarets. And as for the San Pedro church, the other must in your tour, you will see in awe its beautiful roof full of shining stars. The reason behind this and dozens of other details will be explained in this tour. However, despite its architectural wonders, it is the most popular tourist attraction of Teruel because it contains the Mausoleum of the Lovers of Teruel.

The lovers of Teruel

Now, as promised, our own Romeo and Juliette. Our Spanish doomed lovers are called Isabel and Juan, or Diego according to other sources. He was poor and she was rich. They were secretly in love and swore to marry each other. But first, Juan had to become a rich man, so Isabel’s father would agree to the wedding. Therefore, he made her promise to wait for him for five years, while he helped Aragon’s King to fight the Moors to earn the money he needed. He was gone for five years and one day. She had been faithful, but the agreed amount of time had gone away, and Juan was not back, so Isabel finally gave in and married another guy. At the wedding night, Juan returned to the city and entered her room. He wanted her to kiss him, but she refused: she could not betray her recent marriage. He insisted, said he would die otherwise. She did not believe him… and he passed away right there. The husband woke up, saw the whole thing and feared everyone would accuse him of killing the ancient lover of her wife. He even asked her why she had not kissed him, if that was the only thing he had asked. She was feeling really bad about it, so they moved him to his house and then attended his burial. They agreed she would kiss him on the coffin, as it had been his last wish. She entered the church, walked and all the ladies stood up, shocked when they saw her, a non-relative of the deceased female, leaning towards the body. Eventually, since she was not moving, they went to separate her… but she too had died. Man, people were really intense back in the day! 

The husband told the story to everyone, and it was decided to bury them together. In the 15th century, two mummies were found together under the San Pedro ground, and assumed it was them. 100 years ago, an artist built the current Mausuleum that hosts their alleged bodies. With this tour, you will learn everything about the most tragic couple in Spanish history.  

Teruel, land of dinosaurs 

Moving on to less dramatic issues, Teruel, as I said before, holds the biggest concentration of dinosaurs’ fossils of Europe. If you are on a family trip, or you just loved the Jurassic Park movie, you cannot leave town without paying a visit to Dinopolis, with real-life representations of dinosaurs and an interactive journey to the past!

As you can see, there are so many items to visit in Teruel that you will need a place to stay. Whether you travel light or travel and work, I recommend this apartment in the city centre: you will be within walking distance to the main monuments! Plus, you get to live the evening ambiance. Do not hesitate to go out and try the local delicacies. There are bars for all tastes and budgets. 

Romance, iconic buildings, spectacular parties and giant dinos. Is there anything more to wish on a destination? Come and meet Teruel, the most romantic city of Spain!