THE MILL WHERE A KING SLEPT
Fornes can boast of having hosted King Alfonso XII within its walls, who stayed overnight in the rooms of an old flour mill in this town during his visit to the region in January 1885, after the devastating earthquake that struck the region. A slate plaque in the La Fábrica mill recalls that gesture of hospitality that is part of the collective memory of a town that became an independent municipality of Arenas del Rey in 2018.
The Fornes territory holds first-rate archaeological treasures. La Mesa de Fornes is a fortified settlement from the Argaric period, dating back to around 1500 BC, whose stacked stone wall protected the southeast side. This enclave, converted into natural viewpoint, offers spectacular views of Sierra Nevada, the Bermejales reservoir, and neighboring towns, while its high plain is perfumed every spring with the flowering of centuries-old almond trees that draw a white and pink blanket over the landscape.
La Resinera constitutes the industrial and natural soul of Fornes. The Spanish Resin Union, established in 1901, transformed the regional economy for eighty years, providing sustenance to thousands of families through the extraction and processing of pine resins. The factory kept steam stills and telecommunications systems operating between the various forest posts until its closure in the 1980s. Although the great fires of 1975 and 1983 marked its decline, the estate maintains its function as a fire prevention center and environmental information point, preserving the original facilities as a testimony to industrial archeology.
The Parish Church of San José, in the 16th-century Mudejar style with later Baroque reforms, presides over the urban center where its inhabitants keep alive centuries-old traditions. The carrera de cintas during the patron saint festivities (March 19) preserves the ritual where the young men on horseback compete to conquer the ribbon embroidered by the girl of their dreams. The romería de Santiago (July 25) brings together the neighbors in the river with decorated floats, while La Candelaria on February 1 keeps alive the tradition of mancheo, with spectacular circles of fire spinning handmade torches over the embers.
The gastronomy is nourished by the orchard irrigated by centuries-old canals and the mountain traditions. Because in Fornes, each dish and each corner shows that the most authentic towns are those that write their future without forgetting their past.