1. City Hall
It is a neoclassical construction built between 1865 and 1876 by the architect Jorge Porrúa Moreno. It has decoration in modernist terracotta and an imperial staircase. With a square floor plan and a central triple arcade courtyard structured in two sections, the lower façade has a great front door and a row of three semicircular arched windows with lattices on both sides and Corinthian pilasters.
The top section has the same window alignment as the lower one but with Corinthian pilasters. The central nucleus built in 1879 is projected out from the façade. Over the main balcony, there is a small structure with a clock designed by the artist from Linares Francisco Baños Martos. Every hour an extract from the melody “Estudio sin Luz” sounds. It was composed and performed by the great guitarist Andrés Segovia.
2. Royal House of Ammunition and Mint
This stonework building from the 18th century has baroque reminiscences and stunning glazed tiles that picture St Bárbara. Carlos III ordered its construction so he could manage the mine of Arrayanes. It still preserves gothic dockyards and a sundial inside.
According to the documents preserved, the House of Ammunition supplied the Spanish army over the centuries, even during the Peninsular War, although this time it was secretly destined to the Spanish guerrilla. Nowadays the building houses the Tax Office.
3. Santiago Old Market
It is a building erected during the first decade of the 20th century. Francisco de Paula Casado y Gómez, council architect of Linares, designed the building in accordance with the style of the era. You can appreciate the combination of materials such as sandstone and brick. The result is an eclectic building with mudéjar remains.
4. Pajares’ Ancestral Home
Fernando Delgado, known as “El Pajares” ordered its construction in the 18th century. Made in excellent stonework, on the front façade we can see the balcony with twinned arches divided by a mullion. The gargoyles attract the passer-by’s attention and some researchers consider them to have esoteric remains.
It was a private home and then it turned into the first hospital in Linares since the last owner transferred it charitably as a last will. From this building, the revolutionary board came out in 1868 to form the city council and proclaim the 1st Spanish Republic.
5. St María la Mayor’s Church
This is the oldest building in Linares. According to some historians this Christian temple was built in the 13th century over an old mosque. The church reflects the historical evolution of the city through its different architectural styles: Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.
At the beginning, a gothic temple with three naves was built in the 16th century, when Linares was granted the privilege of becoming a borough. In 1573, the most important architect of that time, Andrés de Vandelvira, was hired to extend the temple. The lack of financial resources interrupted the building work, leaving it joined with the previous one.
The sculptor José Navas-Parejo Pérez restored the temple with a historicist criterion after it was razed during the Spanish Civil War. The main altarpiece, with a plateresque style and a strong Italian influence, has a collection of panels with scenes from the Old and New Testament. Over them, the Assumption of the Virgin in high relief stands out. He also made the tabernacle using silver extracted from the mines in Linares. The sacramental chapel and many altar pieces –as the ones of St Isidore, the Immaculate of the Miraculous Medal, the Souls or Our Lady of Mount Carmel– are his works too.
The church has nowadays a great silversmith’s craft collection. Made by the silversmith Morales, the monstrance is one of the most important pieces. It dates from the 16th century and was finished in the 20th century.
In the Renaissance baptismal font of the church many outstanding figures were named, as for example Friar Pedro de Padilla, the musician Fabián Ximeno, St Pedro Poveda or the blessed writer Manuel Lozano Garrido Lolo. In the inner courtyard the mortal remains of the distinguished doctor Juan Huarte de San Juan lie.
6. Pósito
Built in 1757, El Pósito has a severe stonework façade and a door crowned with a depressed arch over imposts. The coat of arms of the city stands out, in which the slogan of the city was seen for the first time: Nunc Coepi Haec Mutatio Dexterae Excelsi. It means “now begins mi change to the right of the Almighty” in Latin.
The building housed a prison and a special education school. Now it has a new purpose: it was restored to be a tourist and museum meeting point. It offers information about the city as well as shows visitors the life and work of famous people from Linares such as Raphael or Carmen Linares among others.
7. Dávalos Biedma Palace
The main remains of the archaeological site of Cástulo are kept in this emblematic Renaissance aristocratic building from the 16th century, which used to belong to the Dávalos Biedma family. This family settled in Linares during the Christian Conquest.
Now the building is the seat of the archaeological museum and owes its creation to the initiative of Rafael Contreras de la Paz, who was worried about the constant plundering of the ancient city of Cástulo.
8. Zambrana’s Palace
This building from the 16th century made in stone masonry has noble coats of arms and a mannerist turret. The property consists of a great rectangular structure and an impressive backyard. The building itself has two floors and two inner courtyards.
It belonged to the Zambrana family and after they abandoned it, the building served as an infantry quarter, an old people’s home and an industrial school among other things.
9. Plaza del Gallo
It is a small square with a rooster on top of a column. It is a friendly reminder of an old inn located there and named after the animal.
Right before reaching the square and leaving behind Álamos Street, we find on the left side a Renaissance style building from the 16th century. It has a stone masonry façade, two floors and a turret with a pinnacle, and an ornamental top of sandstone and wrought-iron. It belonged to the bachelor Francisco.
10. Plaza Nueva
Near Plaza del Gallo we can find Plaza Nueva, also known as Alfonso XII square. When the city council decided to build this garden square, around it, the mining and industrial development favoured the creation of the first British consulate with Thomas Sopwith at its head (1872). Some members of the British community living in Linares agreed to build a statue in 1890. It is an allegory of the agriculture by an unknown artist.
11. Orozco’s Palace
The international artist Andrés Segovia expressed his wish to be buried in his city and bequeathed part of his professional and personal belongings. This led to the institution of the Andrés Segovia Foundation, constituted 8th May, 1995.
With the main aim of promoting culture, music and the study of Andrés Segovia’s work, the Foundation offers visitors a museum to learn about the international guitarist and composer through personal memories, furniture and intimate documents related to the artist: scores, press, programmes of concerts, photographs and much more.
The museum is located on a building erected by the Orozco Family in the 17th century. It was declared National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1962 and has a magnificent stone masonry façade. The front door with a jack arch is especially beautiful. Over that door, there is a balcony with twinned arches divided by a mullion, and the coat of arms of the Orozco family above them.
Inside the building, there is a lovely central courtyard with a square floor plan and stone Tuscan columns. The mortal remains of Andrés Segovia lie nowadays in what used to be the oil cellar.
12. Marquises of Linares’ Hospital and Crypt
The large negothic chapel and neobyzantine crypt stand out. Inside the crypt we find a mausoleum with the recumbent figures of the Marquises, made in marble and bronze by Lorenzo Coullaut Valera. The artist was awarded the second prize of the Spanish National Exhibition of Fine Arts thanks to these sculptures.
The Marquises of Linares expressed their wish to be buried in Linares. Thus, in 1918 their mortal remains were moved from Madrid to this city, where they currently rest.
This hospital is also a symbol for bullfighting fans, since that was the place where the matador Manolete died.
13. St Juan de Dios’ Old Hospital
The broken pediment of the 17th century façade is work of the architect Eufrasio López Rojas. In it we can see a niche holding a statue of St John of God made by Víctor de los Ríos.
The interior of the building is surprising: the paintings decorating the main vault made by A. Pueyo represent different scenes of the life of St Francis of Assisi. Other paintings represent the saints of Assisi, St Bonaventure and Duns Scotus four centuries before he was beatified. José Yanguas Messía donated a Baroque altarpiece with Solomonic columns where the main motif is St Francis embracing the crucified Christ, a version in relief of Murillo’s painting. It was carried out by Navas-Parejo. The López Viñau family ordered Víctor de los Ríos the Christ in Penitence. In the chapel of the sacrarium there are works by Félix Granda.
14. St Francisco de Asis’ Church
The façade was finished in 1763. Built in stone masonry and with two well differentiated floors, niches and all kind of ornamentation, it has in the lower floor a door with a semicircular arch adorned with geometric figures and flanked by pilasters on top of pedestals.
Above the arch, there are a large tympanum and a medallion with the coat of arms of the order of Saint John of God over a flamboyant globe and the cross, symbol of charity. The top floor continues the ornamental exuberance. The work done on the saint inside the central niche is especially beautiful.
The artistic richness of this church is completed by the magnificent wooden statues that belong to the different brotherhoods that take part in the Holy Week in Linares. Examples of these are the Nazareno, the Virgen de la Esperanza, the Expiración or the Santo Entierro.
15. Statue of the Immaculate Conception
In the centre of St Francisco’s square flanked by the Telecommunications Palace and St Francisco’s Church, a large statue devoted to the Immaculate Conception can be found. The sculpture was made of sandstone and marble by Francisco Palma Burgos.
16. Telecommunications Palace
Formerly used as the cloister of the Franciscans convent, this building houses today the Post Office. It was restored to fulfil its new function. Its classical façade with modernist nuances has on one side two large lion heads that work as postboxes. The stained glass that covers the whole inner central courtyard is impressive.
17. Cervantes Theatre
The Cervantes Theatre has its origin in the San Ildefonso Theatre, which was built in 1864 by Ildefonso Sánchez y Cózar in the enlargement area of the city. It had a rectangular floor plan, two façades on two parallel streets and French theatre style with a horseshoe shape and a roomy and proportional stage.
It was restored in 1930 to improve the security and hygiene conditions. The theatre turned into a cinema in 1952 and finally closed down in the 80s.
In 1993, the City Council bought the theatre for approximately €480,000. The building works for its complete restoration started some decades later and they are said to have cost €4.1 million.
Currently, the theatre has 558 seats and several boxes, and the acoustics are comparable to the Manuel de Falla Theatre from Granada. The artist Carmen Linares performed in the reinauguration.
18. St Margarita’s Square
St Margarita’s square and gardens were built in 1880 thanks to the generosity of the Marquises of Linares. In the entrance of the gardens we can find the busts of José Murga Reolid and Raimunda Osorio sculpted by Víctor de los Ríos.
19. St Margarita’s Gardens
The initiative of Luis María Granados that defended the construction of a bullring for the city had its deserved result between 1866 and 1867.
This emblematic arena, which can seat 9,392 people, had its façade in white and yellow finished in 1949 and is still preserved.
Although it had the biggest ring in Spain, the seats were dramatically reduced during the 70s since the matador Manuel Guerra Guerrita refused to fight in the arena of Linares.
St Margarita’s bullring is known, among other things, because the bullfighter Manolete died there on the afternoon of 28th August, 1947. Since then, many people remember that afternoon thanks to a commemorative plaque in the façade that reminds the sad event. Manolete’s presence is still alive inside the bullring, due to a small chapel devoted to him. In it, a mass is said every St Agustín Fair in memory of the matador.
Linares’ bullring has always been a compulsory visit for bullfighting lovers. Great prestigious writers and intellectuals, such as Ernest Hemingway, have enjoyed glorious afternoons in this bullring.
20. Constitution Square
It is an allegoric monument in honor of the Spanish Constitution. It comprises a white marble fountain and a sculpture that symbolizes peace.
21. Linarejos Esplanade
Its design and construction date from 1843 but it wasn’t finished until 1875. This date is special since it was the year when Linares was granted the status of city, during the reign of Alfonso XII.
This esplanade and its extension, which leads to the Hermitage of the Virgin of Linarejos, have a line plan that links the old and the new city.
It is 500 metres long and 30 metres wide, and has a central street and two side narrower ones, being the three of them pedestrian. The whole esplanade is flanked by palm trees, vegetation, modernist cast iron street lamps and the benches with glazed tiles that reflect the history of Linares with old pictures.
22. America Circus
At the end of Linarejos Esplanade, on the way to the Hermitage of the Virgin of Linarejos, we find America Circus. In the centre, the monument in memory of the musician Andrés Segovia is erected. The sculpture was made in bronze by the artist Julio López Hernández.
23. Hermitage of the Virgin of Linarejos
The statue of the Virgin was located far from the city and even though it was brought several times to St María’s Church, the statue kept coming back to the place where it was found. Thus, it was decided to build a small hermitage in that place.
After it was modified and extended several times, the current building dates from the 18th century. It has three naves, a transept and a Baroque chapel where the Virgin is kept. Impressive paintings by the artist from Linares, Francisco Baños, and sculptures by the Catalonian artist Francisco Carulla Serra decorate the inside of the Hermitage. The temple has the only elliptical dome in the city, interesting wrought-iron works and sinopias from the 14th century –the oldest evidences in Linares.
24. Old Madrid Railway Station
Madrid Railway Station is located in one side of Linarejos Esplanade due to the necessity of transporting the lead extracted from the mines of the city. Its façade, made of stone and red bricks, reproduces an inverted railway carriage. This building has two floors and a central façade with neomudéjar remains and modernist innovations.
25. Mining Interpretation Centre
It is located in the old loading zone of the Madrid Railway Station. This centre contains a permanent exhibition of the mining activity. In it, visitors will be able to learn, through its different rooms, the processes by which the mineral is extracted.
The Mining Interpretation Centre is divided in four rooms that give visitors a general idea of what mining meant to Linares.
In Room 1, visitors can find information about the historical background or the first mining settlements as well as the main concessions, the formation of the deposits and its way of exploitation.
Room 2 shows the constant transformation that the city suffered, the economic development and the splendour of that time.
Room 3 describes the activity in the mine as well as the mechanisms used in the mineral extractions and the technological advances of that period.
Room 4 introduces us in the processes of separation, treatment and preparation of the mineral which will give us an idea of all the methods used to bring the metal to its purest state.
The visit is completed with a spectacular mock-up model that depicts all the mining exploitations.
Visitors can also find here a Tourist Information Point.
26. Spanish Bank of Credit (Banesto Building)
It is a historicist building made of sandstone. It presides one of the flanks located in the Constitution Square, near St Margarita’s Gardens. It recalls the first branch office of the Spanish Bank of Credit (Banesto), originally built in Calatrava Street (1908), close to its current location.
27. Bank of Spain
It is a building of large dimensions located in the high part of the Corredera de St Marcos. It was built as a branch office of the Bank of Spain due to the great importance that the mining industry acquired in the city. Currently renovated, it is the office of the Cultural Centre, where the Municipal Archive and the Library are.
28. Ocho Puertas (the Eight Doors)
Under its clock is the meeting place for people in Linares. It is the intersection where San Marcos Street and Isaac Peral Street meet. Here, on the corners, there are four modernist buildings of great beauty.