La Escalinata, the Mudéjar-style staircase in the centre of Teruel (Spain)

by Rini Kools

Teruel is a municipality and the capital of the Spanish province of Teruel in the region of Aragón. Teruel has a population of 36,655 (2025), making it the least populous provincial capital in Spain.
The city is best known for its cured ham, which has its own denominación de origen (designation of origin), and for its Mudéjar art, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Tourist attractions include the Mudéjar-style buildings, the Mausoleum of the Lovers of Teruel (the tomb of two medieval lovers, Diego Marcilla and Isabel Seguras, who both died of a broken heart when Isabel was forced to marry another man), the Dinópolis palaeontological centre and the surrounding countryside.
La Escalinata is a series of steps connecting the lower-lying railway station with the higher-lying town centre, featuring brickwork, decorative tiles and turrets in the characteristic Moorish or Mudéjar style. Mudéjar art is a reminder of the city’s Moorish rule. Other fine examples of this style in the city, apart from La Escalinata, include the Church of Santa María, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Teruel and the towers of El Salvador, San Martín and San Pedro. From the Mirador de Los Mansuetos, on the Camino de Santa Bárbara, one can look out over the city.