Matabuena can be explored through a variety of traces: historic routes, mill remains and distinctive buildings. When choosing the town as a travel destination, you can focus on the landscape and routes or on the history of individual buildings and fountains.

Shepherds’ Routes and Trails

The Cañada Real Soriana Occidental passes through the municipality of Matabuena. Every year, transhumant livestock from the province of Soria travelled along this route towards Extremadura. The Senda de los Pastores also passes through Matabuena and is part of a 154.90-kilometre trail. The Fundación Starlight has certified the Senda for the quality of the night sky along the route.

Other routes offer different highlights: the scenic route that includes Matabuena lies entirely within the Parque Natural Sierra Norte de Guadarrama. Route 5, “Carreteras y castillos para adornar el paisaje,” runs from Pedraza via Matabuena to Puerto de Navafría. The Matabuena–Puerto de Linera route follows the old road to the mountain pass; check its conditions locally. The N-110 national highway also helps you locate the town: Matabuena lies along it between Plasencia and Soria.

Mills and Buildings

The history of the mills is reflected in two different traces. Molino de Abajo was in operation until the 1970s and was known as molino del Habanero; its walls still remain. Only a few remains of Molino de Arriba survive. The Museo del Molino opened in Matamala in 2002 and is closed to the public. Its exhibition featured used mill parts and machinery and explained how they worked.

The Romanesque portal of the parish church of San Bartolomé has been preserved, while the rest of the building dates from several later construction phases. The base of the façade cross at the Ermita de San Martín bears the year 1794. The Ermita de San Martín in Cañicosa is rectangular, with a round-arched portal and a bell gable. La Fragua in Matabuena also preserves specific details: its bellows and a stone.

Fountains, Festivals and Earlier Traces

The abundance of water gives Matabuena plenty of vegetation and numerous fountains. Fuente San Pedro has stood in the central square since 1951; its water comes from a spring beside Peña del Castillejo. In Cañicosa, the water at Fuente Buena comes from Prado de la Tolla. The fountain was built in 1933 during the Republic.

Local traditions in Cañicosa include the Fiesta de San Martín on 4 July, a celebration in honour of the town’s patron saint. It includes a mass at the hermitage, a shared meal and music. On 1 May, the Romería to Cruz de las Reliquias leads to a cross at an altitude of 1,957 metres; afterwards, there is a shared meal in the Los Bardales area. If a festival date is important for your trip, check in advance whether it is taking place.

Evidence of earlier settlement is also part of Matabuena’s history: people were already living here in the Bronze Age. During excavations in 2003, caves with schematic engravings on their ceilings and walls were discovered ahead of the construction of the Frontón. The buildings, fountains and routes offer different ways to include the town and its history in your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: La Pradera De Navalhorno, Trescasas, Corral de Ayllón, Fuentidueña, Mata de Quintanar, Bernuy de Porreros, Navas De Oro, Ayllón.

For the regional travel overview: Segovia.