Alquézar

Alquézar
Alquezra
Alquézar Alquezra
Municipality
	View of Alquézar with the collegiate church on top
	Coat of arms
	Alquézar Location in Spain
	Coordinates: 42°10′26″N 0°01′38″W / 42.17389°N 0.02722°W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Aragon
Province	Huesca
Comarca	Somontano de Barbastro
Judicial district	Barbastro
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	José Mariano Altemir Lascorz (PSOE-Aragón)
Area
• Total	32.36 km2 (12.49 sq mi)
Elevation	660 m (2,170 ft)
Population (2018)
• Total	296
• Density	9.1/km2 (24/sq mi)
Demonym	Alquezrano/a
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	22145
Website	www.alquezar.org
Spanish Cultural Heritage
Type	Non-movable
Criteria	Historic ensemble
Designated	26 February 1982
Reference no.	RI-53-0000253

Alquézar (Aragonese: Alquezra)^[3] is a municipality in the province of Huesca, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. As of 2012, its population was 301.

Overview

Situated on a limestone outcrop of the Eocene age to the west of the canyon of the Rio Vero in the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, the village grew up around a castle and the Collegiate church of Santa Maria, which was consecrated in 1099.

The name of the village comes from the Arabic القصر al qaçr for "fort" or "castle" (renamed as Alcazar in Spanish). The castle became the main defense point of the nearby city of Barbastro.

Since Alquézar is situated in the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, there are various campsites in the local area to cater to outdoor enthusiasts. Popular activities include canyoning, walking, rock climbing and abseiling, as well as ornithology (since vultures nest on the steep faces of the Rio Vero canyon).

The surrounding area to the south towards Barbastro, in the direction of the flatter Ebro basin, is part of the Somontano, an area known for its fine wines. There are more than 60 limestone caves with prehistoric cave paintings in the surrounding area, which has led to the region being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998. A good example is the cave at Arpán on the A-2205 road heading north towards Bárcabo.