Los Barruecos Natural Monument

Did you know that... the Los Barruecos Natural Monument

It is located in the middle of the Cáceres peninsula, in the municipality of Malpartida de Cáceres. This place, relatively flat, is characterized by the amount of large granite pebbles that furrow it, which, together with the pools and ponds that dot it, some generated spontaneously and others with the help of man, give it a unique and extraordinary landscape inhabited by a rich biodiversity. The formation of the Natural Monument of Los Barruecos began millions of years ago when in this area, then covered by marine waters, sands, clays and silts began to be deposited, then the fractures and land uprisings helped to emerge from the waters the granitic deposits that make up the landscape of this magical place. But in this spectacular natural creation the hand of man has also contributed, because Los Barruecos not only treasures rocks of diverse forms, but it is also an authentic testimony, a book of the history and culture of the area, where its multiple archaeological sites or its particular works of art that are scattered throughout it, is the content.

What to see in the Los Barruecos Natural Monument?

Archaeological sites from the Paleolithic, walled settlements, engravings and schematic paintings from the Calcolithic; from the Roman period a magnificent villa that is identified with the Norba Caesarina colony; Anthropomorphic tombs and more recently the constructed reservoirs, the Barrueco de Arriba and Molinillo in the 16th century, the Barrueco de Abajo, to serve the Wool Washing Place in the 18th century and the Pool of Frasco Diez in the 19th century, testify to the important value that the place has had, throughout history, for the development of the life and customs of the people. All this has made that in the year 1996 it was declared Natural Monument by the Junta de Extremadura. Different paths and signposted routes will take the visitor into this spectacular place, where every stone invites you to discover a magical treasure, a remnant of the past, a sanctuary or the home of one of the largest colonies of storks in Europe that find in Los Barruecos the ideal place to nest. Routes like the one of Las Charcas, that borders the two big ponds, in which we will find in the bank of the Barrueco de Abajo the old Wool Washing Place, today the Vostell Malpartida Museum whose activity and exhibition is extended in the landscape of Los Barruecos with two sculptures installed both between the rocks, one is the VOAEX, Journey of (H)ormigón by the high Extremadura, made in 1976 by Wolf Vostell and that was the one that started the museum and the other one 'The Dead who is Thirsty' from 1978; the rooms of the museum conserve the names of the old functions to which they were dedicated, like shearing, weighing, boilers...

To discover

The route of Los Sentidos will take us to the Rocks of the Treasure, which are the highest and where the largest number of stork's nests can be seen. On this route we will also discover cave paintings and engravings or the remains of a Neolithic settlement; the route of the Barrueco de Arriba, where battle scenes of the series 'Game of Thrones' have been filmed or the route of the Natural and Archaeological Patrimony, where not long ago a researcher from Cáceres discovered in one of its rocks a true astronomical observatory of the Copper Age in which the rays of the sun pass through a natural hole in a rock and illuminate, in the spring equinox and in the autumn equinox, an anthropomorphic engraving located inside the rock. This magical natural area of Los Barruecos also delights bird lovers as it is located between two large SPAs, the Special Protection Area for Birds, the Sierra de San Pedro to the west and the Llanos de Cáceres to the east. It is a great place to enjoy mallards, herons and egrets as well as small birds of prey such as booted eagles, ash eaglet, milanos...

Traditions

Since 1990, the Week of the Stork has been celebrated in Malpartida de Cáceres, during which environmental education activities, exhibitions, conferences... and the International Photographic Contest are carried out.

Curiosities

The name of Los Barruecos comes from berrueco, which is a large isolated granite rock, granitic bolus, and a berrocal is an area with a lot of berrueco.

The Legend

The people of the place say that in the surroundings of Los Barruecos strange lights have been seen, they call it "the colors" and it is said that there were sightings of supposed UFOs and that in the year 1990 it was the meeting place of a large group of ufologists who tried to invoke visitors from space... coming from the star Tau Ceti, no more and no less.

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