The Hanging Houses or Casas Colgadas, are the symbol of the Spanish city of Cuenca in Castilla la Mancha and we were eager to get there and see them. They are a group of buildings that were built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The name Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) is due to the fact that part of them are cantilevered, with large balconies overhanging the high rocky ledge of the Huécar River gorge.
They are houses of three or four floors, built in the lower part with masonry and the upper part with the characteristic wooden framework. Currently three of them are preserved, although in the past there were more, including the Casa de la Sirena and the two Casas del Rey, where the monarchs stayed during their visits to the city. Currently, all three properties belong to the City Hall.
Throughout their history, the Hanging Houses of Cuenca have undergone several renovations, including one in the 1920s, when eight were still standing, and one in 1966, motivated by the serious state of deterioration of those that were still standing. These buildings have been used both as private dwellings and for administrative functions.
The Casas Colgadas were reopened on February 5, 1966. In July of the same year, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art opened its doors in these emblematic spaces of Cuenca.
The walled city of Cuenca was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996 thanks to these houses and its majestic Gothic cathedral.
