Puente de Génave
Puente de Génave is the name given to a bridge built by the Romans linking the Guadalquivir Valley with Cartagena. It stands out for the excellent workmanship of its ashlar masonry and shows the technology developed in Spain during that century. The town has about 2200 inhabitants.
HISTORY
The town has very different origins and history than the rest of the province. The decision was made to build a road that linked Jaén with Albacete and as part of it, a bridge, the “new bridge”, was completed in 1889. This signified the birth of the town and it was accompanied by immense growth, such that in less than 50 years, it was already a municipality, thus becoming the only town in Jaén of the twentieth century. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Puente Romano
The “old bridge” or Roman Bridge, lies over the Guadalimar River, made of stone, with a lowered arch and a single eye, in which masonry alternates with ashlar. The bridge is one of the emblems of this town, which also offers us a beautiful walk along the banks of one of the largest tributaries of the Guadalquivir. Next to it is the “new bridge”, which with a larger span was built to support road traffic and make the workload of the “old bridge” lighter. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Puente Nuevo
The bridge corresponds with the engineering approaches developed in Spain in the nineteenth century. The excellent workmanship stands out and features a lowering of the vaults and a narrowing of the supports to facilitate the passage of water. It has three openings covered by segmental arches, the central one being larger; very low barrel vaults, resting in the centre on two piers with semicircular cutwaters and at the ends in abutments. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Cueva de “Paco el Sastre”
The cave was a refuge for the poor to survive and spend the night. Above the cave there were two families living, one quite poor and the other who were better off as they made a living sewing men’s clothing. When their parents died, the daughters left, and over time the cave house has been restored in a different style. The cave is part of an old large lead and silver mine that reaches below the neighbourhood of Las Animas, where the entrance is covered with concrete beams to the bank of the river where the cave is situated. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Iglesia Parroquial de San Isidro Labrador
The church was built at the end of the nineteenth century, with a whitewashed masonry temple and a single nave with a hipped roof. The simple façade has a door with a semicircular arch flanked by pilasters, as well as windows and a triangular pediment on the epistle wall. Next to the door is a small square tower with several separate bodies with cornices. Located on Calle de San Isidro.
Arte Kitsch
The building is the headquarters of Unicaja Bank, built in the 60s, it is particularly unique as an example of what has been called kitsch art. It is built with asymmetrical openings, a semicircular tower with an external helical staircase and a garden with a checkered wall. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Ayuntamiento
The Town Hall is a regionalist building from the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, emblematic of the town, it is eclectic in style. It has three bodies, the central one protruding with two semicircular arches on the lower floor and two windows on the upper floor, crowned with a triangular pediment with a clock in the tympanum and a setback bell tower. It has a balcony on the terrace with plinths and balusters. The two lateral bodies are made up of two streets and two floors ending in a parapet or attic. Made with brick framing and continuous lining of the interior panels. The second height of the central body is decorated with painted tile detail. The façade features a glazed ceramic mailbox that represents a bearded figurehead with plant decoration. Located on Avenida Andalucia.
Fábrica de Aceites Cortijo La Vicaría
The oil mill was built in 1910 by the Parra family who owned the La Vicaría estate from 1888; it was constructed with the most modern technology of the time. It maintained its activity until 1968 and in 2008 it was acquired by the Town Hall and rehabilitated by the Provincial Council of Jaén in 2014. It has an area of 1,500m2 distributed in two rectangular warehouses and a central patio. In one of the exhibition rooms, visitors can see the machinery of the old oil mill dating back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The ground floor houses the Santiago Ydañez Exhibition Hall, named after the artist born in Puente de Génave. This room is becoming known nationally thanks to the different important works that have passed through it. Located on Camino La Terrera.
THINGS TO SEE OUTSIDE THE TOWN
Fuente Vieja
This fountain was built more than a hundred years ago due to their being no water in the town and locals had to walk with jugs to look for water. Originally it had four pipes but since the last years of drought, the water was cut off, leaving the fountain with only two pipes. It has been restored many times and the water comes out very cold in the summer.
Torres de Peñolite
The complex dates to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and is situated on a small escarpment that dominates the valley of the Peñolite stream. The construction has a rectangular plan 30m long by 15m wide. What we see today is reduced to two of these south facing towers and vestiges of the third that were used as the main wall of the current hamlet. The deterioration of the building is evident in view of the dilapidation of the complex in which recent collapses and very unstable wall panels can be seen that require urgent work. Due to the characteristics mentioned, it is of Muslim origin from the Almohad period, surely related to the road forts that are imitations of Roman-Byzantine works from North Africa. The layout and dimensions of the towers are very similar to those of Santa Catalina between Orcera and Segura de la Sierra. Located south of the town.
Molino de Abajo o de la Vicaría
This flour mill is situated on the right bank of the Guadalimar River, upstream from the centre of Puente de Génave. Off the sights to see listed on this page it is arguably the most interesting from an architectural and historical point of view. It is mentioned in the Relations of Felipe II in which it is said to be “a private flour mill for all the residents of Génave”. The complex consists of a wheel and two grinding stones, the first for grinding wheat and the second for other types of grain. The network of irrigation ditches and canals that fed it are still in use today, although only for irrigating the adjacent orchards. Located west of the town.
NATURAL AREAS
Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas
Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas
With a total surface area of 209,920Ha and covering almost a fifth of Jaén province, this is Spain’s largest protected area and one of its most extensive forested zones. Located in eastern Jaen province, it connects the Sierra Morena and the Subbética mountain ranges. The highest peak in this immense park is Pico Empanada at 2,107m and the entire park is higher than 600m.
Recognising its exceptional ecological importance, it was designated a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1983 and it was deemed a natural park in 1989. First impressions of the park may consist of barren rocky crests and vast pine forests, but the area’s botanical importance within Andalusia is matched only by the Sierra Nevada, with a fifth of the vascular plants in the Iberian peninsula being found in the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park. It is also home to 51 species of mammals, 185 birds, 21 reptiles (including an endemic lizard), 12 amphibians, 11 fish and one of the highest number of butterfly species in the Iberian peninsula, with 112 varieties found here.
Cuenca del Arroyo de Peñolite
The Peñolite stream has a basin limited by peaks from which the beautiful panoramic views of the surroundings of the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park and the neighbouring Calar Alto Park in Albacete stand out, as well as magnificent sunsets to the west, with the Jaén countryside in the background. It is accessed via the forest track that connects Peñolite with Cañada Catena. At its highest peak this range reaches 1,143m.
COUNTRYSIDE WALKS
Collado de la Piedra de la Alega (PR-A 187)
Belonging to the Sierra de Segura Trail Network, this 15km linear route connects the town of Puente de Génave with the Piedra de la Alega pass; a very representative area of the Segura mid-mountain, where one will find one of the Long Distance Trails (GR) of the region that goes from Villarrodrigo to Hornos de Segura. Walkers can enjoy magnificent views of the Guadalimar River valley and the Sierra Morena range, coming across farmhouses such as La Torre (where remains of a tower from the Muslim era are preserved) or Las Tinás. During the route it is possible to spot the ibex, wild boar, fox, the Segureña squirrel, badgers, hares and a multitude of birds such as jays, partridges, crows, magpies, buzzards and woodpeckers.
Other routes include Arroyo del Ojanco-Peñolite and Circular de las Hermanillas.
GASTRONOMY
Visitors to Puente Génave can try traditional dishes such as ajo harina con níscalos (mashed potato with wild ceps), ajo atao (mashed potato), ajo pringue (liver), andrajos (pasta stew, often made with cod or rabbit), gachamiga (savoury porridge), ensaladilla de pimientos asados (roast pepper salad), and estofado de cordero (lamb stew). Sweet treats include roscos fritos (aniseed doughnuts) and arroz con leche (rice pudding).
BUS SERVICE
There are bus services from Puente Génave to Albaladejo, Becerril, Benatae, Casa Peones, Cortijo Moralico, Cozar, El Alamillo, Jaén, El Cruce, La Guardia, Llanos del Caudillo, Madrid, Madridejos, Manzanares, Orcera, Puebla del Principe, Puerta del Segura, Puerto Lapice, Siles, Tembleque, Terrinches, Torre de Juan Abad, Valdepeñas, Villamanrique and Villarta de San Juan. More>
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Puente Génave are Fiestas de San Isidro, Fiestas de Agosto and Fiestas de San Juan Bautista. More>
WEATHER FORECAST
The weather forecast for the next few days for Puente Génave. More>
TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office of Puente Génave is located in the Town Hall. More>
NEARBY PLACES
The neighbouring villages to Puente Génave are La Puerta de Segura, Génave and Arroyo del Ojanco.