Albacete, with about 175,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in Castilla-La Mancha. It lies on the La Mancha plateau at about 680 metres and is an important crossroads between Madrid, Valencia and Andalusia. Its name comes from the Arabic al-Basit, "the plain".
History and economy
A small farming town for centuries, Albacete grew in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway and became a modern city. During the Civil War it was the headquarters of the International Brigades. It has long been famous for cutlery: Albacete navajas, scissors and knives were sold by hawkers at railway stations and are still an important industry.
What to see
- The Cutlery Museum, in a modernista mansion, with thousands of historic pieces, and the monument to the cuchillero outside the station.
- The Pasaje de Lodares, a 1925 modernista shopping arcade with columns, glass and decoration.
- The cathedral of San Juan Bautista, begun in the 16th century and finished in the 20th.
- The Albacete Museum, with Iberian and Roman finds and the jointed ivory dolls of Ontur.
- Abelardo Sánchez park and Calle Ancha.
- The Feria grounds, with the circular enclosure of 1783.
The Feria
The Albacete Feria, from 7 to 17 September, is of international tourist interest and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The fairground, shaped like a frying pan with a handle, hosts stands, bars, music, rides and bullfights.
Food
La Mancha cooking is hearty: gazpacho manchego, a game stew with unleavened flatbread, atascaburras, a potato and salt cod purée, miguelitos de La Roda, puff pastries with cream, Manchego cheese and La Mancha wines.
Around Albacete
- Chinchilla de Montearagón, a medieval town with a castle.
- Alcalá del Júcar, a village with houses carved into the rock above the river.
- The Ruidera lakes, a chain of turquoise lagoons.
- The Nacimiento del Río Mundo, a spectacular waterfall in the Sierra de Alcaraz.
Getting there
The AVE links Albacete with Madrid in about an hour and a half and with Valencia and Alicante in about an hour. The city has a small airport.