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Town


Zufre is described as 'a white village hidden amongst the clouds and nature' and is just an hour's drive north of Seville, in the middle of the Sierra de Aracena National Park in the province of Huelva. Due to its geographical situation and altitude, you can expect rain and snow in winter. The colder months see an average temperature of 10 C and in summer the average is 25 C.

Since preohistoric times, Zufre became one of the most important strategic areas in the region, due to its access to Seville from the mountains and so a fortified wall was built around it, making it into what has been described as an Eagle's Nest. During the Early Middle Ages, Zufre was officially classified as a Town and that was when the fortified walls were built to ward off the pillaging raids by the Portuguese invaders. The widely dispersed population of the time all gathered within the town's walls for protection and safety.

The town centre is formed around four main squares; the church square, La Plaza de las Quebradas, La Plaza de la Constitucion and the Town Hall Square. The Town Hall building was finished in 1570 and has a main facade of three arches on columns, which open out onto the plaza. The building still houses the offices of the local council and the Mayor and there are still two remaining seats, which were used by the Tribunal of the Holy Spanish Inquisition. Next to the Ayuntamiento is a fountainhead called "Fuente del Consejo" (the fountain of advice). This fountain has provided the weary traveller with fresh mountain spring water since the Roman times.

It is well worth taking a walk through the town to the church square. Stop in the middle and look around you and above to see the hundreds of swallows and housemartins flying to their nests. If you are visiting between March and late May you will also enjoy the sweet scent of the orange blossom from the trees outside the church.

The church was built in the 16th century on the site of a gothic Moorish temple, which in turn was constructed on the site of a small rural mosque during the Muslim occupation. In 1757 a tower had to be rebuilt on to the church after the damage caused by the terrible Lisbon earthquake.

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