What to see and do this weekend: visit one of the most beautiful and sweet villages in Spain

Pastrana He hosts between March 14 and 16 the 44th edition of his International Apícola Fair. It is a very important event for the area where more companies and exhibitors that last year will meet in which it is considered one of the most beautiful peoples in Spain.

Pastrana, located 45 km. To the southeast of Guadalajara, he is considered an epicenter of The Alcarria. It is a perfect destination for the traveler who is looking for a getaway without agglomerations and with history. In fact, the writer Camilo José Cela He immortalized her in her ‘trip to the Alcarria’. His Carmelite convents were founded by Santa Teresa and San Juan de la Cruz

The old town of Pastrana is declared Cultural Interest Good. In it, is the Ducal Palacedating from the mid -16th century, and is in the Hour Square. Here a medievo atmosphere is displayed in which this imposing Renaissance building rises. In him lived the legendary princess of Éboli.

The Ducal Palace was projected by Alonso de Covarrubias. It has a rectangular plant with corner torrels and platesca cover, flanked by Corinthian columns.

He San Buenaventura Collegefrom the seventeenth century, it is another of the places to visit. Although it cannot be seen inside, because today it is a particular residence, on its facade you can recognize the shield of Fray Pedro González de Mendoza With the attributes of its ecclesiastical position, archbishop and at the top you can see the Virgin of Salceda, Franciscan convent near Tendilla where Fray Pedro Professor. Son of the prides of Éboli, it was the one who ordered to build in 1628 this building that functioned as a school and residence of the singing children who participated in the ceremonies of the collegiate church.

He Convent of San José and Del Carmenboth founded by Santa Teresa de Jesús; he San Francisco Conventrestored in 2020; the FOUND OF THE FOUR CAÑOS; the Wall and arch of San Francisco or the Albaicín neighborhoodwhere important textile works and tapestries came from, are other charms of Pastrana.

A historical event

His beekeeping fair is the first dedicated to beekeeping in our country. It is organized annually, the Diputación de Guadalajara, City Council of Pastrana, Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, Pira and Association of Beekeepers of Guadalajara.

It is celebrated in the Alcarria, uninterruptedly, since 1981, for being a region with an outstanding Apicultural culture, that every year it becomes international in one of the Most beautiful villages in Spain that, in addition, it is located in a beautiful region such as Alcarria.

The Honey De la Alcarria since 1992 with the distinction of denomination of protected origin (DOP). It is famous worldwide for its unique quality and flavor, derived from the native flora of the region, especially rosemary, splende (lavender) and thyme.

Its two main varieties are rosemary honey, light color and soft flavor, and splende honey, amber, intense aroma and more marked flavor. The Honey It is rich in antioxidants, antibacterial and energy. Its special flavor is due to the combination of continental climate, altitude (600-1,000 meters), and the abundance of aromatic plants. United, create a honey with a perfect balance of sweetness, aroma and texture.

Thus, the visit to the Apicultural Fair is the perfect opportunity to meet it thoroughly, taste it, acquire it, but also to enjoy a weekend in full nature, with dozens of options in Pastrana, and in its region.

The appointment is held again this year in the unbeatable scenario of the San Francisco Convent And visitors will be able to discover products as original as honey ice cream, the traditional tick almonds, sweets like ‘Kurstoskalacs’, arriving from Transylvania, oils, waxes, wines, cheeses or honey cocktails …

In addition, the event organizes honey tastings for adults, there will be a ‘showcooking’ with Carlos Gumielof the Biosphere Restaurant (Guadalajara), Candle Preparation Workshops and Procurement of Propetics and Activities for the little ones. The Pastrana Ladies and Knights Associationon the other hand, they will recreate in the Ducal Palace, with their famous clothes and theatrical skills, some of the famous historical episodes occurred between the Princess of Éboli and Santa Teresa de Jesús.

. In this edition, both the number of companies and exhibitors and the presence of different countries increase again, which this year will be six, and Spanish provinces that will reach the figure of fourteen.

The fourth vice president and delegate deputy of Rural Development, Sustainable Development and Agenda 2030, Héctor Gregorio, stressed that “it is the fair reference at the national level and one of the most relevant at European level” and explained that the Diputación continues to bet on this event providing an economic amount of 45,000 euros for its organization, in addition to helping all the beeketers of the province with an annual subsidies line of 100,000 euros.

The XLIV International Apicultural Fair of Pastrana again bets, as highlighted by Mayor Pastranero, Carlos Largo, for “the idea of ​​making a fairgrounds that cover several points of the Ducal Villa” with activities distributed between the convent of San Francisco, the hermitage of Santa Ana, the Plaza de la Hora and the Ducal Palace, as reported by the Diputación in a press release.

On behalf of the Regional Government, the Provincial Delegate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Santos López Tabernero, has highlighted the importance and weight that the beekeeping sector has in the province of Guadalajara as reflected in the data: 1,026 beekeeping exploitations, 40,867 hives of about 200,000 that are in the whole of the region, 23,134 hives in probation of professional apices. The support of the regional government to the beekeeping sector is reflected in the aid granted during the last year, which amounted to 310,267 euros.

For his part, Ángel Marco, president of the Association of Beekeepers of Guadalajara, has detailed the main activities, presentations and conferences aimed at beekeeping professionals, but has also indicated that within the dynamization of the fair of recent years «we have detected that the main problem is that the general public does not know our products and, therefore, we will continue to bet on the tatters and workshops, with a tasting for adults and a tasting for adults and a tasting for adults and by Carlos Gumiel, from the Biosphere restaurant ».

Finally, the director of the Apicultural Fair, Raquel Isidro, has highlighted the growth of exhibitors, countries and provinces that will be present in this next edition. The countries will be six, two more than last year: Spain, Cuba, Romania, Portugal, Turkey and Hungary. The provinces go from 8 in the edition before 14: Guadalajara, Zaragoza, Cuenca, Barcelona, ​​Cáceres, Valencia, Salamanca, Valladolid, Navarra, León, Badajoz, Zamora, Santander and Toledo. As for exhibitors, there are ten more than the previous year, with a total of 56 companies.

Extensive program in four different locations

The program of the XLIV Apicultural Fair of Pastrana presented today has as its main locations the convent of San Francisco, where the fair will take place, the Ermita Cultural Center of Santa Ana, which will host the presentations, the Ducal Palace, space where the tastings and workshops will take place, and the Plaza de la Hora, where the children’s area will be located.

Everything will begin on Friday 14 with the official inauguration, presentation of the children’s drawing contest and the photography exhibition, to give way, already in the afternoon, to a honey tasting for adults and a showcooking by Carlos Gumiel.

Already on Saturday 15, central day of the fair, the different presentations will be developed in the morning and afternoon, having as themes the Varroa (its control, the natural selection of resistant hives), the surveillance of environmental pollution, the first vaccine for bees, the use of social networks in the beekeeping sector, the assessment of the hive and the study of Spanish honey, among others. In addition, a new honey tasting will be made for adults.

On the last day, Sunday, March 16, a Candles Preparation Workshop will take place in the morning and the presentation of the book ‘Hacnas and Colmenares in La Alcarria de Guadalajara’, by Agustín Arias. To finish the fair, the performance of the Burbutices and the awards ceremony of the I Money Contest, and the Children’s Drawing Contest, as well as the draw ‘Apadrina a hive’ will take place.