{"id":20646,"date":"2010-05-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/cuenca-the-city-of-hanging-houses\/"},"modified":"2018-02-25T21:53:35","modified_gmt":"2018-02-25T21:53:35","slug":"cuenca-the-city-of-hanging-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/cuenca-the-city-of-hanging-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuenca – the city of hanging houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Overview<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The city of Cuenca\u00a0is in the\u00a0autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha<\/strong><\/a> in Spain. This is the capital of Cuenca province which is one of the largest Spanish provinces. Cuenca is located at 956 m above sea level. The origin of the word Cuenca could either be from the Latin word Conca meaning two rivers in this city or from Kunka, the fort built by Arabs.<\/p>\n

Since the city is located precariously on the gorge\u2019s edge, it is called The Eagle\u2019s nest<\/strong>. Las casas colgadas\u00a0are the hanging houses that were built in the 15th century above the river Hu\u00e9car on a rock and this building is the most popular one. At present there is a Museum of abstract arts and a restaurant in this building.
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\nHistory<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the time when the Roman Empire contained Iberian Peninsula,<\/strong><\/a> Cuenca was not inhabited. Muslim Arabs captured this area in 714 and they built Kunka, a fortress in this strategic location. The economic prosperity of Cuenca grew because of agriculture and textile manufacture. This city has been declared as a World Heritage city in the year 1996.
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\nClimate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cuenca has the continental Mediterranean climate. It has hot summers and cold winters. The average maximum and minimum temperatures in the year are 30 \u00b0C and -1 \u00b0C respectively.<\/p>\n

Art and culture <\/strong><\/p>\n

Museo Diocesano and Museo Arqueol\u00f3gico are some of the museums you could visit in this city.<\/p>\n

Parks and Playgrounds<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Some of the parks in the city are as follows:<\/p>\n

1.San Juli\u00e1n<\/strong> \u2013 This is the oldest park in the city; there is no grass in the park but the park has a large number of trees, bush rows and sand path.<\/p>\n

2.San Fernando<\/strong> \u2013 has 3 lakes and is located on an incline.<\/p>\n

3.Santa Ana<\/strong> \u2013 is a welcome place in summer because of the shadows of the trees.<\/p>\n

4.El Escardillo<\/strong> \u2013 has trees and fountains.
\n\"\"<\/a><\/strong>Cuisine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Popular dishes in this city are as follows:<\/p>\n

1.Ajo arriero<\/strong> \u2013 contains cod, garlic and potato.<\/p>\n

2.Morteruelo<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 made from hare, hen, pork and partridge.<\/p>\n

3.Cordero<\/strong> \u2013 lamb pieces roasted in oil.<\/p>\n

4.Pisto manchego<\/strong> \u2013 vegetable preparations using tomato, pepper and courgette.<\/p>\n

5.Alaj\u00fa<\/strong> \u2013 is an Arab cake made from almonds, grated orange, honey and nuts.<\/p>\n

Sports and Entertainment <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Some of the popular festivals in this city are Saint Julian’s Day, Jueves Lardero and St. Matthew’s Day.<\/p>\n