El Club · Culla

The Cova del Bovalar is a large rocky shelter of natural character located in Culla, in the Sierra d'En Segures, near the headwaters of the river Molinell. It is located in a limestone ravine and is accessed by path, in a Mediterranean mid-mountain environment where there are groves of holm oaks and gall oaks, which reinforces its scenic interest and walking tour. Its importance is not only geomorphological, but also patrimonial: on its walls there is prehistoric rock art from different phases, with engravings and paintings from the Epipaleolithic and manifestations of Levantine and schematic style from the Neolithic. The information available highlights a panel located in the upper part of the wall, about five meters from the ground, with animal figures and signs painted in reddish tones. What can be seen during the visit is, above all, the large cavity and the rocky support where the representations are preserved, in a shelter that allows us to understand how different human groups used this space for millennia. This archaeological value makes the Cova del Bovalar one of the most important sites in the municipality of Culla and a particularly interesting resource for visitors who are looking for nature and heritage at the same time. Due to its conservation and uniqueness, the cave is part of local hiking and cultural itineraries, and it is an outstanding place within the cave heritage of the interior of Castellón.

The Templar Route of Culla is a cultural heritage tourism resource that offers a guided tour of the medieval old town of Culla, in the province of Castellón, in the Alt Maestrat area. The route is presented as an interpretive itinerary that links the Templar memory of the municipality with its main historical and architectural spaces. Its historical context is linked to the presence of the Order of the Temple, which acquired Culla in 1303, when the place became part of its possessions in the north of Castellón. The local tourist offer itself defines the tour as a visit to the vestiges of that period, with special attention to the castle of Muslim origin and its later use as a Templar stronghold. Among the documented heritage elements to be visited are the ruins of the castle, the Comendador granary or old prison, the old hospital, the parish church and several sections of the medieval historic center, such as Portal de la Font, Pla Street, Pelleric and Porta Nova. The historic center of Culla has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest since 2004, which reinforces the heritage value of the route. Architecturally, the available information describes a castle of Muslim origin and a parish church built in the seventeenth century on an old Gothic church, so that the route combines Andalusian remains, medieval traces and modern reforms.