Optimists see in the toponym of Niebla an evocative meteorological reference. Pessimists, the blinding white night that usually freezes the bones and prevents enjoying the sun. However, all of them would agree that this town in the province of Huelva has one of the most unique city walls in the Iberian Peninsula.
Those familiar with the old city of Marrakech will find many similarities and will find these red clay walls, which have a perimeter of two kilometers and completely surround the old town of Huelva, familiar.
The church of San Martin in Niebla blends architectural styles
There had already been walls in Niebla before the Arabs arrived. Specifically, the foundations of the oldest ones could date back to the end of the Bronze Age, before the Phoenicians arrived on the Atlantic coast of the Gulf of Cádiz. Later, it would be the Romans who fortified the town. However, the appearance of the great wall that runs through Niebla is attributed to Almohad rule, and it would have been erected between the 12th and 13th centuries. Afterwards, Christians would reinforce and modify it in a very succinct way.
The Almohad walls of Niebla were declared a cultural monument of interest as early as 1945. Some recent attempts to have UNESCO recognize them as a World Heritage Site have so far been unsuccessful.
Completely enclosed by walls, the old town of Niebla is a small maze
The mixture of architectural styles in Niebla is palpable when visiting the church of San Martín. Gothic-Mudejar, with three naves and a horseshoe-shaped door, it has in the Epistle chapel one of the most cherished places by the locals, with an image of Jesus bound carved in the 16th century, popularly known as the Christ of the Column.
The walls practically draw a triangle on the map. Completely enclosed by them, the old town of Niebla is a small labyrinth where there is another encounter with the church of Santa María, also featuring arches, columns, and some other Mudejar elements.
The Tinto River takes on the unique color that gives it its name
In both the southern and eastern sectors, the Tinto River, with the peculiar color given by the minerals it carries, embellishes Niebla. In the northern sector, it is a must to visit the beautiful Roman bridge, even though much of the structure is not original but a reconstruction after it was blown up during the 1936-1939 war.
How to get there
Niebla has a train station, so public transportation is a good option for access. By road, it is only 28 kilometers away from the provincial capital, a distance easily covered by the A-472 highway.