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PADUL

DESCRIPTION

Padul is the closest town to Granada and is therefore the gateway town to this beautiful valley, the Valley of Joy. 

It is located only 13 km from Granada and 40 km from Sierra Nevada, the coast of Granada or the Alpujarra. It becomes the perfect place to plan all your visits to the most interesting places in the province of Granada.


Padul has been witness to various cultures and civilizations that have left an important cultural and monumental heritage. During your visit to this town you will discover its history, traditions, customs and cultural monuments.


One of the most important and representative attractions of Padul is its wetland. It is considered one of the most interesting wetlands in southern Europe. Its great interest and environmental importance has given it such unique cataloguing as a Special Protection Area for Birds, protected area of the Sierra Nevada National Park and Wetland of International Importance under the RAMSAR agreement. 

This wetland, composed by the lagoon and a large area of reeds, is located only 500m from the town centre. The most accessible and respectful way to discover it is through its three prehistoric routes, the Mammoth Route, the Woolly Rhino Route and the Sabre-toothed Tiger Route.


This privileged place, which is of great importance from an ecological, scientific and landscape point of view within the Sierra Nevada Natural Park, also has a peculiar peat bog, where were found mammoth remains and other prehistoric animals.

Following the appearance of these remains, the mammoth has become the symbol of the municipality, creating an infinite number of products and services with the brand of the mammoth. Furthemore, there are sculptures of prehistoric animals on a real scale, you will find them next to the Town Hall of Padul and in the surroundings of the prehistoric animals park.


Padul is the perfect destination to enjoy the tranquillity of a rural atmosphere and to find all the services and shops of a small city.

Come to Padul and discover the Mammoth Village.

  • Number of Inhabitants: 8934
  • Distance from the Capital: 19 km

GASTRONOMY

The local gastronomy is rich and varied derived from its diversity of cultures and civilizations. 

It is praised by all those who taste it. Some of the most typical dishes of Padul are choto al ajillo, potatoes in ajopollo, puchero de hinojos and a great variety of sausages and handmade products. From the traditional to the avant-garde, the gastronomy of Padul stands out for its variety, quantity and quality.

Other of the most delicious and common products of Padul are the pork products, cheeses, migas, puchero, wine and sweets, inspired by the Moorish confectionery and made with artisan techniques.

There are many local production companies that have made tradition and know-how an economic method to promote local products.

Some of the local products that we recommend you to taste during your visit to Padul are gourmet jams, goat cheeses with a variety of flavours, liqueurs, sweets, honeys, wine or oil.

PARTIES

If you come to Padul you will be able to enjoy numerous cultural, leisure and festive activities all year round.

  • Festivals of the Patron Saint Sebastian (19 and 20 January). On the evening of 19th January, the people from Padul gather wood and aromatic plants to light the bonfires that will accompany the procession of their patron saint. One of the most spectacular moments of this festival is when the people sing the "Hymn of San Sebastian".
  • Easter Paduleña. During the evening of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, up to 16 brotherhoods take part in a procession in Padul. This Holy Week is considered one of the most important in the province and an event of tourist interest in Andalusia. 
  • Fair. At the end of September, Padul says goodbye to summer and welcome autumn. It is one of the best occasions for visit Padul and enjoy the hospitality of the people of this village and an infinity of activities and events for all ages.
  • Cultural Summer. If your visit to Padul is during the summer season, in Padul you will find a wide list of leisure and musical activities. Some of these activities are summer cinema, open air concerts, children's games and sports, summer camps or night shows.
  • Food, Tourism and Craft Fair. If you are a lover of gastronomy, this is one of the events you cannot miss. A gastronomic fair, held during the Constitution Day, to taste the most typical local products of the whole region. Wines, cheeses, jams, oil, chocolate, beer, sausages or delicious sweets with designation of origin from the Lecrín Valley. 

SPORTS

Thanks to the splendid natural scenery and the privileged location of Padul this is the ideal place for the practice of all kinds of outdoor sports activities such as hiking or MTB.

Hiking. Padul has a huge and splendid natural environment so there are endless routes and itineraries to discover it. 

Some of the most recommended routes are:

  • Mammoth Route
  • Woolly Rhino Route
  • Sabretooth Tiger Route.
  • Route of Father Ferrer
  • Gudaris route.

In addition, several sporting events are held throughout the year such as the Mammoth Mountain Race, the International Mammoth Race or championships such as rhythmic gymnastics, judo or BMX.

MORE INFORMATION

 

LINKS OF INTEREST

PLACES OF INTEREST

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    Padul Old Washing place

    The fountain of San Joaquin or the washing place of Santa Ana is also known in Padul as the "Fountain of the five spouts". A very well preserved and emblematic place worth visiting in Padul.

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    The Padul Wetland

    The ideal environment to discover nature with the family. Visit the Padul wetland and discover a protected natural space and a place of passage for thousands of birds.

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    Hermitage of San Sebastian in Padul

    This is one of the most special hermitages in the Lecrín Valley. It is dedicated to San Sebastián and is located in Padul.

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    Castle of the Counts of Padul

    Popularly known as the Casa Grande, this monument is one of the most interesting places in Padul, and it has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

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    Church of Saint Mary in Padul

    The Santa María La Mayor Church is located in the centre of the town and it is one of the largest churches in Granada and the province.

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Padul Old Washing place

The San Joaquín Fountain or Lavadero de Santa Ana was built in the 16th century. Over the years it has undergone several reforms and remodeling to become the emblematic and peculiar space that it is today.
 
The monument consists of two rectangular bodies, one of them is the cistern and the other is the laundry room.
Until the second half of the 20th century, this environment set the pace in the town of Padul.
It was a fundamental meeting point not only for women, but also for peasant men and workers who, at sunset, went to look for work or day laborers for the next day.
 
This laundry room has been especially recognized as a space where women have had a special relevance. Women from any part of the town went to this laundry to wash. The great rise of women washers was such that they used to send their children to occupy a place when it became free.
 
The work of these women was especially hard, since unlike other laundries, in this one they had to wash on their knees, so the effort was even greater.
 
One of the least known spaces of this monument, due to being closed for conservation reasons, is the cistern. The word "aljibe" comes from the Arabic, which means well or pit, whose main function is to store water, normally from rain.
 
By installing drinking water in private homes, it lost value and fewer people came. For years, this place seemed dead and abandoned, but after several restorations, it has managed to enjoy a well-preserved space and one of the most charming and emblematic places in the municipality.
 
To this day, this space is used for various cultural events: concerts during summer nights, activities for children, movie nights and many other summer night activities that you can discover in summer.

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The Padul Wetland

This privileged place is located on the southwestern slope of the Sierra Nevada massif, just 1 km from the centre of Padul. 

Its natural importance makes it a protected area of the Natural Park of Sierra Nevada, with an area of nearly 300 hectares. The largest is made up of farmland and approximately 60 hectares are waterlogged and covered with marshy vegetation. 

In addition, its great interest and environmental importance has given it such unique cataloguing as a Special Protection Area for Birds, a protected area of the Sierra Nevada National Park and a Wetland of International Importance under the RAMSAR agreement.

Thousands of birds pass through this wetland every year during periods of migration. This makes birding tourism lovers find an invaluable destination where to practice bird watching. The diversity in the Padul wetland means that up to 200 different bird species can be observed throughout the year.

This privileged place has great importance from the ecological, scientific and landscape point of view. It also has a peculiar peat bog, the southernmost in Europe, where in 1982 mammoth remains and other prehistoric animals were discovered.

Following the appearance of these remains, the mammoth has become an image and symbol of the municipality, creating a multitude of products and services with the brand of the mammoth, as well as even recreating this prehistoric animal on a real scale. You will find it next to the Padul Town Hall and in the surroundings of the prehistoric animal park.

The most accessible and respectful way to discover it is through its three prehistoric routes, the Mammoth Route, the Woolly Rhino Route and the Sabre-toothed Tiger Route. 

Download here the guide of the Prehistoric Routes

Are you coming to discover Padul's wetland?

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Hermitage of San Sebastian in Padul

The Hermitage of San Sebastián was built in 1679 thansk to donations from the Paduleños, as a token of gratitude to their patron for having freed them from the plague that devastated the Lecrin Valley region.
 
Its architectural style is a mixture of Mudejar and Baroque styles. Its structure is simple and it has a rectangular plan. In this hermitage there is the image of San Sebastian and one of the Virgen de las Angustias, both patron saints of this town.
 
Every January 19 and 20, the population of Padul celebrates the day of San Sebastian. During the afternoon of January 19, the Paduleños go to the surrounding hills and mountains to collect firewood for later making bonfires in various points and streets.
 
On the night of January 19, the sculpture of San Sebastián, together with the Virgen de los Remedios, is transported from the Hermitage to the Church of Santa María la Mayor. At the exit of the door of the Hermitage, inhabitants and visitors sing, in unison, the solemn hymn of San Sebastián.
 
On the morning of January 20, this time leaving from the Church, the Saint walks through Padul, next to the fires and amid explosions of shotguns and rockets.
 
Next to the Hermitage, there was a convent that currently functions as a classroom for the preparation of Christian teachings such as catechism and other meetings.

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Castle of the Counts of Padul

This monument popularly known as the Casa Grande, is located in the heart of the town.

This building was rebuilt in the 16th century on the remains of the ruins of an Arab house and restored in 1613 by Don Antonio de Aróstegui, Secretary of State for Felipe III.
 
This building is located inside a large almost square space, surrounded by a wall and with a large area around it, which in its day were beautiful gardens and green areas.
 
This civil palace has a very severe Baroque style architecture, without any type of decorative display. It is important to note its elegant proportions and its balanced design, without forgetting the simple play of volumes and the grace and elegance of its pointed finials.
 
The entrance door to the building is located on the main façade, facing the gate of the outer fence. Above it you can see a marble plaque that reads the history of the defense of the palace that occurred in 1569, as well as the date of its rebuilding.
One of the characteristics that makes this historical and artistic palace different from any other, are its seats located at the entrance of the Palace. Thanks to them, we know that it belongs to one of the few and rare "Palacios de Asiento" that can be found in the province of Granada, which functioned as a help house for the poor who asked for food and help.

During the Civil War this castle house became a center of confinement. Most of these prisoners were political prisoners coming mainly from the Alpujarra and the Basque Country (known as Gudaris) condemned to forced labour, from sunrise to sunset, to build the road that would allow the reforestation. Today, the Gudaris route is one of the most travelled routes through the Sierra del Manar, so thanks to them, their work and effort, we keep part of their history and their memory remains alive.

The reason for having chosen the old castle to accommodate these men is due to its large halls, which allow for the installation of the bedrooms and all the necessary facilities, and to the spaciousness of the courtyards, which are essential in a prison area.

In order to preserve and promote the uniqueness and beauty of this space, the Town Council of Padul organizes cultural activities such as open-air concerts, exhibitions and other cultural events.

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Church of Saint Mary in Padul

This Church was built in 16th century. Its first stones and ashlars began to be laid in the year 1540 by the architect Juan Ajofrin and his son. Later it was finished by Jerónimo García.
 
One of the curiosities of this place is that before being a church it was the Greater Mosque. Between the years 1559 and 1565, through a series of renovations, this space was adapted to the new Christian worship.
 
On the portico of the main entrance we can see the seated statue of Santa María la Mayor, patron saint and protector of the temple and the town. This portico was designed by the master stonemason Gaspar de Muriel and he built it in 1559.
 
In the early morning of August 21, in 1569, it dawned in Padul when an army of 2,000 Moors tried to reconquer the town, because Castilian kings broke the pact regarding beliefs, clothing and customs. These Moors deceived the detachment of soldiers that defended the fortress mounted in this square and, above all, the clueless lookout who, from the tower, scanned the horizon looking towards Dúrcal.
 
From there they waited for the coming of the Moors, but them, as good strategists, they walked overnight from Las Albuñuelas and sacked our town through the Humilladero (La Cruz de Santa Elena), located at the entrance to the town from Granada. That night there was a fierce fight, blood, fires and deaths.
 
The Santa María la Mayor Church houses large altarpieces inside, some from the 16th century and due to the characteristics of the paintings, they are probably from the son of Pedro Machuca (Luis) or Juan de Palenque.
 
This church houses most of the images that walk throught Padul during Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. This Holy Week in Padul is classified as a Festival of Tourist Interest in Andalusia.
 
Next to this church there is a beautiful and spacious square, where two crosses are located. The most famous of the crosses in Padul, is the Cruz de los Bubujones located in the Plaza de la Iglesia, which owes its name to the bubbles or bulges sculpted on the body and arms of the cross. It is said that, during the days of Lent, in which fasting and abstinence had to be kept, a good woman went to the mass of the offices of Good Friday, and for violating that purpose, when leaving the church, the cross swallowed her. This frightened woman began elbowing, kicking, and kneeing with all her might to escape from inside the cross. And that's when those lumps came out. This kind of legends demonstrate the evolution and feelings of people.
 
In total, seventeen precious Crosses are located in the streets of Padul as a sign and symbol of the religious faith of its inhabitants since ancient times.
 
Some of them and the best known are:
Mission Cross.
Watchtower Cross.
Cross of the Crossroads.
Cross of the Molinas.
Cross of the Asomadillo.

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Contact


  • Email: ayuntamiento@padul.org
  • Telephone contact: 958 790 012
  • Address: El Padul

  • VISIT WEBSITE