Useful Information
Municipalities through which it runs Jaén - Quesada - Lopera - Andújar
Miguel Hernández Literary Route
Description
A journey to encounter Miguel Hernández in the places where his words became life
Arriving in Jaén, following in the footsteps of Miguel Hernández, means immersing yourself in one of the most intense and luminous chapters of his life, even with the shadow of war surrounding it. The people's poet, barely thirty years old and with overflowing creative energy, found in these lands a human and natural landscape that left a profound mark on his work and his memory.
His stay was brief—only seventy-two days—but extraordinarily fruitful. Here he wrote some of his most vibrant texts, among them "Aceituneros," which has become the anthem of the province. In Jaén, you don't just observe the land he contemplated: you listen to it, you walk it, you feel it in your skin. And that emotion connects with the verses that still resonate in the identity of Jaén.
Assigned as commissioner of the Southern Front's public address system, Miguel traveled through streets, squares, and shelters, living among the people and narrating from within the most harrowing episodes of the conflict. Following his trail, you travel from the capital to Andújar or Lopera and discover the young and committed perspective that bore witness to a turbulent time, but also to a humanity forging its path amidst the noise of war.
Today, as you walk this route, you will find a Jaén that speaks to you and to history: squares that bear scars, shelters that hold silences, thermal baths where the poet strolled with Josefina Manresa, and corners where his clear and courageous voice still seems to echo. It is a journey that invites you to pause, to look calmly, and to feel how literature intertwines with the land.
Miguel Hernández Legacy Website
https://www.dipujaen.es/miguelhernandez
Is part of
Rutómetro
Jaén
Basilica of San Ildefonso: Façade with shrapnel damage; a key point for understanding the poet's arrival in Jaén.
Poet's Residence and Headquarters of the Altavoz del Frente Sur (Voice of the Southern Front): On Llana Street (now Francisco Coello, 9). Here he lived with Josefina Manresa and worked as commissioner of the Altavoz del Frente Sur.
Plaza de Santa María (Jaén Cathedral): A space from which his perspective on the bombing of Jaén, reflected in his articles for Frente Sur, can be understood.
Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Square): The only place with a ceramic plaque dedicated to the poet, featuring verses from El último rincón (The Last Corner).
Air Raid Shelter in Plaza de Santiago: Built after the 1937 bombing; it allows us to understand the wartime context in which the poet lived.
Institute of Jaén Studies (IEG): It houses the Miguel Hernández Legacy, with thousands of documents, manuscripts, and images.
Jabalcuz Hot Springs: A place where Miguel Hernández used to go for walks and bathe with Josefina Manresa.
Quesada
Miguel Hernández – Josefina Manresa Museum: The central space of the route in Quesada. It brings together a large part of the legacy of the poet and Josefina Manresa, with a chronological journey through their life, work, and human and social dimension.
Hernandian Corners: The historic center of Quesada becomes a literary stroll: narrow streets, white facades, and mosaics with verses, drawings, and texts by Miguel Hernández and Josefina Manresa. A vibrant and poetic way to explore the town.
Miguel Hernández Panels and Mosaics: Distributed throughout the municipality, especially in the Plaza de la Constitución, where large mosaics highlight the poet and Josefina's connection to Quesada.
Josefina Manresa's Birthplace: The house where Josefina was born on January 2, 1916. It is not open to the public, but it retains a ceramic plaque marking the location and its importance to local history.
Lopera
Longitud del recorrido: 3km.
Duración estimada: 4h.
Tipo de ruta: A pie y en coche.
Lugares que componen la ruta:
Andújar
Sanctuary of the Virgin of La Cabeza was the scene of a fierce siege during the Spanish Civil War. Miguel Hernández, assigned to the Southern Front's propaganda unit, described the assault in his chronicles, narrating in detail the resistance that took place between September 1936 and May 1937. Photographs exist that confirm the poet's presence; some show him addressing the troops and others at the Republican command post.
This firsthand experience allowed him to accurately narrate the development of the siege, as he explains in On the Taking of La Cabeza. Letter and clarification, published in Frente Sur (no. 15, May 13, 1937): “I witnessed the fighting from the very beginning, although without pencil or paper… I prefer to relive it by remembering it.”
This passage reveals the poet in his most committed role: witness, chronicler, and emotional participant in one of the harshest episodes of the Civil War in Jaén.
