La Calera: Hotels and historic lime kilns
Accommodation in La Calera
La Calera combines a clearly identifiable local history with a distinctive location at the meeting point of two mountain ranges. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, the purpose of your trip may be the deciding factor: in the village, lime processing, its historical significance and the Iglesia Virgen de los Dolores take centre stage; the mountain ranges also place La Calera within a wider landscape. This makes the village interesting to travellers who would like to explore cultural history and landscape together.
The Centro de Interpretación Hornos de la Calera
The Centro de Interpretación Hornos de la Calera is located on the road from Alía to La Calera, at the entrance to La Calera. The centre shows an audiovisual programme about the Geopark and the lime kilns. It also explains the historical significance of lime processing for the local population in an interactive and accessible way. This gives visitors an understanding of the subject not only through the lime kilns, but also through their significance for local people.
The centre is accessible to people with reduced mobility; nevertheless, have this information confirmed before your trip. There is no dedicated car park, but parking is available nearby. Check the parking situation before setting off and find out about the current visiting arrangements before your visit.
Lime kilns and local history
The name La Calera comes from nearby limestone deposits; the settlement developed in connection with mining work. The operation of the lime kilns is strongly rooted in craftsmanship. The development of the village and the processing of lime thus shed light on two sides of the same subject: the connection with mining work and the craft process. The largest group is located in Era de los Madroñales, a few hundred metres from La Calera, and comprises five lime kilns in total. There are two more in Los Regajales, known as the Hornos de la Caleruela.
Church and landscape
The Iglesia Virgen de los Dolores adds the local religious history to this subject. It was probably built in the 15th or 16th century and has a granite baptismal font. The church thus introduces a different kind of historical detail: a probable construction date and a specifically named feature. In contrast to the lime kilns, the focus here is on a single building; the kilns are concerned with the craft-based processing of lime.
La Calera lies where the Sierra de la Palomera and the Sierra de la Brama de Guadalupe meet. It is considered one of the distinctive places in the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara area. At the same time, La Calera lies off the main routes. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between two levels: the local themes of lime processing and local history, and the geographical setting between the mountain ranges in the wider Villuercas-Ibores-Jara area.
For the broader travel overview: Alía.
