Cuenca's Hanging Houses

The Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) of Cuenca, in the Castile-La Mancha region of central Spain, are a group of 15th-century houses built to the very edge of cliffs overlooking the Huécar River gorge, their timber-framed balconies cantilevered over the drop in a manner that appears to defy gravity when viewed from the gorge below or from the San Pablo footbridge. Cuenca's entire historic walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Hanging Houses are its most iconic image. The three surviving houses of the original group are today occupied by two restaurants and the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, which opened in 1966 and houses a significant collection of mid-20th-century Spanish abstract art — including works by Antoni Tàpies, Eduardo Chillida, Manolo Millares, and Luis Feito — installed within rooms that retain their original timber beams and irregular walls. The museum's combination of medieval architecture and avant-garde painting is considered one of Spain's most unusual museum experiences. The best views of the Hanging Houses are obtained from the Puente de San Pablo, a slender iron footbridge spanning the gorge at the same level as the cliff-top city; the bridge itself takes around 5 minutes to cross and looking back from mid-span gives the classic photograph. The gorge walk below the city (Hoz del Huécar) is accessible on foot from the lower city and takes visitors underneath the cliffs for a different perspective of the houses against the stone face. Cuenca's historic upper city is well-preserved and compact; most sights are within a 20-minute walk of the main Plaza Mayor.