La Albuera

Just 24 Km from Badajoz, the town of La Albuera sits on a small hill, where it has experienced destruction many times over its history. The battle that took place here during the Peninsula War in 1811 is of particular importance, as it left the town totally destroyed. The reenactment of that event, known as the Battle of La Albuera, has now been declared a Fiesta of Tourist Interest in Extremadura, and takes place every 16 May, with participation by the armies of the countries involved in the original battle.

There are a number of other interesting monuments to visit related to the art of war, such as the "Las Baterías" monolith, erected in honour of the first victims, and the hand-painted walls of tiles at the entrance and exit of the town commemorating the battle.

Just a short distance from the monument in the plaza, you can visit the Nuestra Señora del Camino parish church, on which construction began in the 15th century, with work being completed in the 17th century in a mixture of Gothic and Baroque styles. 

And on the outskirts of town there are two bridges: the old bridge, from the 15th century, and the new bridge, dating from the 18th century.

However, the star attraction in La Albuera is birdwatching: its lagoons are home to huge numbers of aquatic and marshland birds: great crested grebe, little grebe, Eurasian coot, ducks, etc. If you are interested in birds, find out about the birdwatching tour around the lagoon. The tour takes half a day.

If you take a break in your tour, why not try some "Alcalde de La Albuera" eggs, or other local specialities, such as "albueriñas", "gabachitos" and "migas albuereñas"?