The Enchanted City

The natural site of the Enchanted City is a karst formation in the Serranía de Cuenca, with whimsical limestone rock shapes, sculpted by nature over thousands of years. According to legend, the Lusitanian leader Viriato was cremated at the site occupied by the "Tormo Alto" figure.

The Enchanted City is located at an altitude of 1500 metres near Valdecabras, in the municipal area of Cuenca, specifically on a private estate that can be accessed by paying an entrance fee. It has been declared a Natural Site of National Interest since June 1929.

The phenomenon was created by the natural action of water, wind, and ice. Thanks to the heterogeneity of its rocks, their chemical composition and hardness, their wear was uneven; thus today we can see a surprising and picturesque natural monument. Additionally, there are also features such as karren, sinkholes, and swallow holes.

Its characteristics are similar to those of the "Los Callejones" area, in the municipal area of Las Majadas.

The karst formation of the Enchanted City dates back to the Cretaceous (90 million years ago), when the Thetis Sea covered part of what is now the Iberian Peninsula and the Enchanted City belonged to the seabed. However, at the end of the Cretaceous, the land was uplifted by the Alpine orogeny and the emerged part that used to be the seabed became the surface.

The calcium carbonate beds turned into limestone and were exposed to atmospheric agents (rain, temperature changes, biological agents, etc.) which progressively eroded the rock. The limestone rock is very permeable, so due to water infiltration and carbon dioxide, it dissolved and increased its porosity. This formed galleries within and resulted in the karst formations.

In the Enchanted City we see today, much of the rock dissolved and most of the galleries collapsed as the cave roofs gave way. Only the most resistant stone blocks remained standing, taking on whimsical shapes due to erosion. In fact, within this site there is a marked path of about 3 kilometres to visit these formations:

- "Tormo Alto" (symbol of the Enchanted City, right at the start of the route).

- "The Ships".

- "The Dog".

- "The Man's Face".

- "The Seal".

- "The Slide".

- "The Roman Bridge".

- "The Stone Sea".

- "Elephant and Crocodile Fight".

- "The Convent".

- "Theatre".

- "The Turtle".

- "The Bears".

- "The Lovers of Teruel".

- "Ariadne's Face".

Among the fauna inhabiting the Enchanted City are animals such as the crested tit, the robin, the fox, the ocellated lizard, the deer, the black redstart, and the stone marten.

Its flora includes juniper, European black pine, autumn crocus, holly, barberry, resurrection fern, blackthorn, yew, and the "virgin's slippers".