He Burgalimar Castle rises imposingly over the town of Jaén Baths of the Oak. The town, which since 2021 belongs to the association of the most beautiful towns in Spain, owes its name to the castle itself, which comes from the Arabic Bury al Hammaliterally “Castle of the Baths”.
The castle is considered to be the best-preserved fortified complex from the time of the Caliphate of Córdoba and, therefore, one of the best preserved Muslim castles in the world. Its enormous wall, with fourteen towers –to which must be added a fifteenth, larger, Christian-made– has hardly suffered any damage since its construction in the X centuryin the Middle Ages.
The castle can be can be visit freely paying a ticket at the box office (€4.50), although, as usually happens with many of the castles of this time, the interior is worse preserved than its walls. It is not difficult, in any case, to imagine what the spaces of this fortress were like, especially if we opt for one of the guided tours that take place every 45 minutes and have the same price as free admission.
An ideal town for a getaway
Although the castle is, without a doubt, the most striking monument in Baños de la Encina, it is not the only attraction in a town that has accumulated a rich artistic heritage, which is also very well preserved.
The historic center of Baños de la Encina was declared Historical-Artistic Complex more than half a century ago, in 1969 and, unlike other municipalities whose protection came later, the town retains much of its monumental identity.
Among its main attractions stands out the parish church of San Mateo, a beautiful Gothic church from the 15th century, and the hermitage of Christ del Llano, a Baroque jewel that is for many visitors the great surprise of Baños de la Encina. Its dressing room, decorated with rich polychrome plasterwork with hundreds of allegorical figures, saints, musical angels, together with natural motifs among which exotic birds, fruits and vegetables can be seen, is the great work of this hermitage.
The dressing room of the hermitage of Cristo del Llano is one of the greatest exponents of Andalusian Baroque.
Eating in Baños de la Encina
Located very close to Sierra Morena, three hours from Madrid, Baños de la Encina has a very peculiar local gastronomywith specialties that differ from the nearby towns of Bailén, Linares, Baeza or Úbeda – all of them highly recommended if we want to extend our visit.
The town is famous for its spoon: a bread that is emptied of crumbs and filled with oil and grated tomato, to accompany it with seasoned olives, broad beans, radishes, cod or bacon. It is not prepared anywhere else in Jaén.
Jaén, Úbeda and Baeza (GUIARAMA COMPACT – Spain)
Apart from this curious typical dish, its proximity to the mountains makes Baños de la Encina a great place to eat game dishes. The venison a la bañusca – the name of the town – is legendary, a venison stew marinated with vegetables, aromatic herbs and wine.
Although the town does not have restaurants that appear in the guides, as is usual in the province of Jaén, Baños de la Encina is a great town for tapas. La Despensa de la Abuela, the Bury restaurant or El Olivar de Guzmanes have good press.
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