guarromán
by Saskia Mier
Guarromán is one of a small group of ‘New Towns of Sierra Morena’ founded by King Carlos III in the second half of the eighteenth century. It was founded on the site of a roadside café, Venta de Guadarromán, and originally populated by Germans. Today, it has about 2,700 inhabitants.;
History
During the second half of the eighteenth century, the Court of Carlos III undertook a series of social reforms aimed at providing the agricultural working classes with financial independence; the aim was to revitalize the agrarian structures that had been stagnant for centuries, giving rise to a new class of agricultural owners from less privileged groups, who would be given enough land (about 33 hectares) that they could cultivate it and inhabit it with their families. More>
THINGS TO SEE
Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción
The church dates from the eighteenth century and was the first parish built in the Nuevas Poblaciones. Its simple facade is built in red sandstone and has a belfry with a colonial appearance. Inside, the carving of the Inmaculada Concepción made by the sculptor Jacinto Higueras stands out, as well as its main altar, which was brought from Iglesia de San Nicolás in Úbeda. (Location)
Posito de labradores
This building’s construction was completed in 1789. It represents the colonial typology of such buildings designed for the storage, regulation, production and distribution of grain and seed. It is rectangular in plan with thick walls covered in sandstone masonry and resistant interior arcades. It was originally single-story, but a second floor was later added. The Pósito has been used as a warehouse, civil guard barracks, nursery school and ammunition dump during the War of Independence (Peninsula War). Currently it is the municipal public library. (Location)
Palacio del Intendente
The Palace dates from 1807. It construction was ordered by the Mayor of the New Towns of Sierra Morena, Tomás González de Carvajal. The sundial located in one of its corners stands out, installed to tell the time to the stagecoaches that made their stop at the post house. Its interior patio still preserves its eighteenth-century architecture and atmosphere. Today, the Palace has been transformed into a charming hotel. (Location)
Plaza Nicolás Kerche
This square, located on the main street of Guarromán, bears its name in honour of the first child born in the town after its colonisation. The sculpture in the centre is dedicated to the settlers who arrived in 1767 and symbolises their dreams of achieving a better future in this land. (Location)
Fuente Taza
In 1887, the Mayor, Don Lucas Guillén carried out a project to bring water to Guarromán, commissioning public fountains. The most ornamental of the fountains in Guarromán was known as Fuente Taza, made of sandstone like all the important buildings in the town. Located in the Plaza de la Constitución, just in front of the church, it has witnessed the nights of San Juan, during which children and young people collect buckets of water to throw at each other. (Location)
Monumento al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus grew in popularity throughout the nineteenth century. Local Mayor, Don Lucas Guillén, was particularly devoted to it. After the 1937 destruction of many religious images, it was decided by popular vote to erect this sculpture based on works such as the Christ of Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro or the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús of Cerro de los Ángeles in Madrid. It was made by the Sales de La Carolina brothers in 1950. (Location)
Monumento a los Mineros
This work by Javier Ruiz Abel is a tribute to those miners from Granada and Almería who, at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, came to work in the mines of the Linares-La Carolina district. (Location)
Fuente de las Generaciones
This contemporary work by the local sculptor, Javier Ruiz Abel, represents the seven generations of Guarromanenses, each one raising the next one above itself and all of them surrounded by the tree of life, a holm oak, the representative tree of the New Populations. Located on Avenida de Andalucía. (Location)
NEARBY
La Aldea de los Rios
Los Rios is a satellite district to the north which was founded in the eighteenth century. It features a European style Baroque square.
Other hamlets administratively belonging to Guarromán municipality are Zocueca, Martín Malo, El Atico.
Bus Services
There are bus services from Guarromán to Jaén, La Carolina, Mengíbar, Navas de Tolosa, Carboneros and Santa Elena using the company, Samar. More> The bus stop in Guarromán is on Avendia de Andalucía. (Location)
GASTRONOMY
Those who want to taste the traditional flavors of the cuisine of Guarromán should look out for dishes such as pipirrana de pintahuevos (tomato, pepper and onion salad), harapos con liebre (pasta stew with hare), tortilla de espárragos trigueros (wild asparagus omlette), arroz con liebre (hare with rice) and papas con conejo (potato and rabbit stew). Sweet treats include pasteles rubios (pastries filled with sweet pumpkin), pasteles blancos (sugared pastries) and bizcocho (olive oil sponge cake)
FESTIVALS
Popular festivals in Guarromán are Fiesta y Feria del Olivar, Romería de San Isidro Labrador, Pintahuevos and Festividad del Corazón de Jesús.(Location)
Tourist Office
The tourist office of Guarromán is located in the Town Hall. (Location)
Nearby places
The neighbouring villages to Guarromán are Carboneros and Bailén.