Ojos

The valley of the river and the surrounding orchard provide a beautiful scenery for hiking or horseback
trips for those visiting Vega Media. Further up the Segura River, as we close up on the mountainous
region of Murcia we find ourselves in the stunning valley and the Ojos reservoir lake. At a distance of
only 11 km from the Cierva estate it is the most attractive natural treasure that the territory holds.

The reservoir and its surroundings are considered a living museum of water with a cluster of
hydroelectric power stations, dams, pumping stations, bridges/crossings, irrigation channels and even
one artificial geyser.

Norias

Rainwater being in short supply irrigating was a difficult task in for the farmers of this region throughout
history. One on the most ingenious solutions came from the time of Moorish Era in the form of these
large irrigation wheels, built upon channels of the Segura.

Noria de Lorqu, built on the n channel of Molina. It is a 4.5-meter diameter Ferris wheel with fourteen
pairs of spokes and eighty-four buckets. The old Ferris wheel, made of iron and wood, was completely
restored in 2010.

The noria called To Rapao, built on the Acequia (irrigation channel) of Molina. First built in the sixteenth
century the wheel gained its current form in the 1700s. This time its diameter was enlarged and in the
second half of the 19th century the essential parts of wood were changed to iron. It is near the Cierva
farm in Los Palacios Blancos.

Ciervas

The Ciervas were a wealthy aristocratic family before the Civil War. Don Juan de la Cierva Peafiel, the
builder of the estate was an influential statesman in the time of Alfonso XIII rising to the title of Minister
of Defense. Among many descendants with impressing achievements, probably the most famous of his
sons Don Juan de la Cierva y Codornu entered history as the inventor of the Autogiro, an aircraft
considered a precursor to the modern helicopter. It is said that the first flight model was tested from the
tower of the Lorqui estate. Just like in the case of the Peral Submarine, the Spanish armed forces lacked
the vision to implement the machine, which later became a standard weapon in the arsenal of modern
armies. Today an association has been formed by some of the descendants with plans of building a 1:1
scale replica of the C.3.
Balneario

The history of the thermal bathes on this location dates back to the roman period. After extensive
development during the XIX, the Spa has been totally transformed in contemporary times to meet any
of todays standards. The 52-54 C water bursting out of the earth offers cure for those seeking
treatment for their aches. The visitors have the possibility of finding accommodation at one of the Spas
hotels.

Salzillo

With the construction completed in 1799 on the ruins of an older ecclesiastical building, The Santiago
Apostol church in the town center holds three of the statues of the sacred family created by the
renowned baroque sculptor Francisco Salzillo. Because of these works of art Lorqui is known in the
region as Salzillos Town.

La conservera

La Conservera is a contemporary art museum center located on the site of the old canning factory which was
transformed in 2009. The project led by the architect Fernando de Retes devised a dynamic, flexible design
providing capacity for four impressively large exhibition rooms. The center's activities consist of successive series of
four exhibitions, shown simultaneously. These programmes of temporary exhibitions focus on artists from different
generations. They include both Spanish and foreign artists.