Maestrazgo, Aragon

The Maestrazgo is a Comarca (administrative unit ) in the Autonomous Region of Aragon in Spain. It lies in the east of the province of Teruel and has an area of ​​1204.3 km ² approximately 3,700 inhabitants. Capital is Cantavieja, the largest of the 15 associated municipalities. The name comes from the ridge Maestrazgo that stretches in the province of Castellón, where there is the Comarcas Alt Maestrat (Spanish Alto Maestrazgo ) and Baix Maestrat (Spanish: Bajo Maestrazgo ).

The Comarca Maestrazgo bordered to the west by the Comarcas Andorra -Sierra de Arcos, Cuenca Mineras and Comunidad de Teruel, in the north of the comarca of Bajo Aragón, on the west by the province of Castellón (including at Old Maestrat and Alcalatén ) and on the south by Gúdar - javalambre.

Besides Cantavieja the communities Allepuz, Bordón, Cañada de Benatanduz, Castellote, La Cuba, Fortanete La Iglesuela del Cid, Mirambel, Miravete de la Sierra, Molinos, Pitarque, Tronchón, Villarluengo and Villarroya de los Pinares belong to the Comarca.

The places were Maestrazgo historical largely to the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller after its dissolution. Therefore Cantavieja, Mirambel, Villarluengo and other places have preserved walled medieval town centers and / or castles that reflect the character of defense, which the orders of knighthood awarded the places.

Significant natural attractions are the river Pitarque, the limestone formation of the Órganos de Montoro (German organs of Montoro ), the adjacent canyon of the river Guadalope ( Cañones del Guadalope ) and the grotto of Molinos.

The General Ramón Cabrera y Grino withdrew with his troops at the end of the First Carlistenkrieges (1833-1840) in the Maestrazgo back and made there resistance to the otherwise victorious troops of the Isabelline party. Various Spanish writers of the 19th century, including Benito Pérez Galdós, wrote in their works about it and made ​​the Maestrazgo known literary.