Cuenca, the historic, picturesque hilltop Spanish town a two-hour drive east of Madrid, is home to cultural offerings far more extensive than its modest size (population 56,000) would indicate.

Founded by the Moors as a fortress in the eighth century, Cuenca rides the spine of a rocky ridge, with centuriesold structures clinging to the hillsides. The most dramatic of these buildings are the Casas Colgadas - the “Hanging Houses” perched over the Huecar River gorge - which are today home to the Museo de Arte Abstracto Espanol.

In the 1960s, rugged and remote Cuenca was the cradle of Spanish abstract art. Several artists had homes and studios in the city - Gerardo Rueda, Antonio Saura, Gustavo Torner ? but the museum owes its existence to Fernando Zobel (1924-1984), who in 1966 decided to share his collection, including his own works, with the public, and so established the museum with the help of his fellow artists Mr. Torner and Mr. Rueda. It quickly gained a global reputation.

“What you have done in Cuenca is surely one of the most admirable, indeed brilliant, works of art,” wrote Alfred Barr, former director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to Mr. Zobel in 1970 after a visit. “A remarkable balance of painting, sculpture and architecture.”

Tucked into many of the neighboring buildings are at least a half-dozen other museums and foundations .

Not to be missed is the collection of Antonio Perez , as well as more recent works by Miquel Barcelo and Andy Warhol.

Then there’s the Espacio Torner, a display of works by Gustavo Torner in a 16th-century chapel.

A few steps away, Cuenca’s impressive Gothic cathedral, which was begun in 1182 and like most churches in town was heavily damaged during the Spanish Civil War, was renovated with colorful replacement stainedglass windows for the nave and side chapels, designed by Mr. Torner and Mr. Rueda.

Of course, some cultural options in town go beyond the abstract: the new Museo de la Semana Santa de Cuenca, which celebrates the distinctive Holy Week processions that draw thousands of visitors each spring.


By ANDREW FERREN