Rojales

Rojales is a little town inland of Guarmadar del Segura. 10km from the sea. It has 20.510 inhabitants, most of whom reside in Ciudad Quesada 11,513 inhabitants are British. Rojales is the second Spanish municipality with the highest percentage of foreigners, who constitute 71.75% of the registered population. As a result, English is the most widely spoken language in the municipality.

The existence of several veteran residential developments has led to important population groups from other European countries, the majority being English y German. Rojales has the La Marquesa Golf Course, one of the oldest in the province.

It has a very important cultural activity around its many museums (Archaeological, Museum of the Huerta, Holy Week and EcoMuseumA), and theater, headquarters of the National Nanas and Christmas Carols Contest, one of the oldest and most important in the country.

Interesting places to visit in Rojales :

Shells House

It is a interesting house to see. This house has an area of 250 m² and consists of a ground floor and terrace; It was acquired by Mr. Manuel Fulleda Alcaraz, in 1974, with the intention of establishing his residence in Rojales, after spending nine years in France.
At that time, the facade of the house was made of concrete and it occurred to Mr. Fulleda to cover it with shells. Over seven years he has been collecting clam shells and mussels from the beaches of Guardamar del Segura y La Manga del Mar Menor, and it is estimated that there may be about 550,000 shells.

Windmill

The Windmill constitutes one of the most interesting constructions of the pre-industrial architecture of Rojales. It is located on one of the raised hills of Parque Ladrillar to take better advantage of the force of the wind. The mill, built in the 18th century, only conserved its tower-shaped factory, so its current restoration (1998) has made it possible to restore its two original floors, as well as the machinery and internal gears, which have been rebuilt according to its traditional parallels.
The restored building exceeds the height of 10 m, comprising the tower cylinder and the hood. The interior of the building consists of three parts.

The Hacienda de los Llanos or Don Florencio

It is an agricultural holding of 30,562 m², it has been enabled as a Museum of the Garden, in which the visitor knows the reality of the traditional work in the field from the buildings and original utensils of the farm and the donated by the residents of the municipality.

Ecomuseum of the Underground Habitat

Regarding the historical origin of the underground dwellings of Rojales, it should be noted that most of the caves y cave houses that make up the troglodytic neighborhoods of the Rojales population were excavated between the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. This response must be related, fundamentally, to the concentrated ownership structure of the land inherited from the Old Regime, the gradual population growth and the rise of commercial agriculture that starred in the 18th century and, mainly, the 19th century in Rojales and its region.

Ecomuseum of the Underground Habitat, is a popular underground architectural complex of great ethnological and cultural importance. These caves are located on the flanks of several hills that delimit the urban area to the south. The entry into force in 1991 of the Cave Neighborhoods Rehabilitation Plan, promoted by the Rojales City Council and the Cultural Heritage Service, provided a new approach to the recovery of these underground neighborhoods, reaffirming their ethnological importance as a popular architectural complex. The reuse of these cave neighborhoods has benefited from the formation of an extensive «Ecomuseum of the Municipal Underground Habitat» (15 caves-artisan workshops and exhibition rooms) and the Artisan Souk in the rehabilitated and municipalized caves of the Barrio del Rodeo. An attractive nucleus of training and participatory activities where, among other things, are organized: courses, extracurricular activities, fairs and exhibitions from the world of arts and crafts. You can also buy original works of art and handcrafted pieces

The Rodeo caves

The Rodeo caves are a traditional complex of houses dug into the rock between the 18th-20th centuries and enabled as cave-workshops for artisans and artists. In the Underground Artistic Souk «Cuevas del Rodeo» you can visit places of great natural and artistic cultural value. With an extensive Ecomuseum of the Underground Habitat, with urban parks in its surroundings and an artisan souk in the caves of the Barrio del Rodeo. Attractive nucleus of training and participatory activities where, among other things, are organized: courses, concerts, extracurricular activities, fairs and exhibitions from the world of arts and crafts.