Source of the River Tagus

Monument to the source of the Tagus River

The Source of the River Tagus is in the middle of the Universal mountains, a mountain range with an altitude of more than 1800 metres. A trickle of water gushing from the Source: Garcíaand descends towards the area of the monument, collecting water from many other sources on its way, representing the first steps of our river in its relentless search for the sea.

The monument of the Source of the River Tagus, designed in 1974 by José Gonzao Vives, a native of Rubielos de Mora, is intended to pay homage to the three provinces in which it is forged, Teruel, Cuenca and Guadalajara, which establish the riverbed itself. Teruel is represented with its symbolic "torico", while the star and the chalice represent Cuenca and the knight represents Guadalajara. Contemplating the whole sculptural group is the father Tagus, an allegory of the river which is shaped by a great titan, which has its own history.

The figure of the Titan, emerging from a great mountain, has a great symbolism, his sword, stuck in the base of the sculpture, represents the great cleft that the river makes in the peninsula and the crack that crosses his body is the riverbed that crosses the peninsula from west to east. Its beards represent the thawing of the mountain waters after the snowy season, and the star that crowns it tells us that it is born of the winter snows of the sierra.

The monument to Father Tagus is composed of the monoliths and a recreational area It is equipped with a barbecue to make embers, only in winter, it has tables to eat and benches where you can rest and take the air. There is also a fountain, with water so cold that it looks as if it has just come out of the fridge, the purest water in the high mountains.

<< What to do?

In the surroundings of the monument we can discover marvellous places by following the many footpaths that pass through here. You will find information on local trails and, above all, on the GR-10 and its variant, which invites us to discover and walk along part of the natural path carved out by the Tagus.

In addition, its recreation area is ideal for enjoying a quiet afternoon contemplating, learning and enjoying this marvellous space. We can have a snack at its tables, take marvellous photographs, or relax and take the air, because this place invites us to do so.

Another place that is very close to here is the one known as the bridge of the three provinceswhich, as its name suggests, serves as a border between Teruel, Cuenca and Guadalajara, the three provinces that the Tagus River is determined to unite.

<< How to get there?

To get to know this area we will follow the A-1704/CU-901 road, which connects Frías de Albarracín with HuélamoThe path leads to the Nacimiento, where, about 10 kilometres from Frías, we will find the turn-off to the Nacimiento. We can access it from the provinces of Teruél and Cuenca, and if we approach it from Cuenca we will cross the beautiful Puerto del Cubillo where the views will leave you in awe.