The white towns and villages of Andalusia are a huge tourist attraction. In the list of these charming places, you can also find Huskar - the village of Smurfs, which differs from other similar settlements in that all the facades of its houses are painted not in the traditional white color, which provides coolness in summer, but in blue.
Million Offer
Huskar is a tiny village with about 230 inhabitants. It can be found in the Genal Valley, lost in the Serrania de Ronda mountains and surrounded by lush groves. Sometimes tourists came here who set themselves the goal of seeing as many white towns of Andalusia as possible, more often the Spaniards themselves from the nearest villages came here, attracted by the opportunity to organize an excellent mushroom hunt in the vicinity of Juskar, because this town has long been recognized as the mushroom capital of the region.
This would continue to this day, if in 2011 the film company "Sony Pictures" did not decide to present in Spain its new film about the Smurfs in the original setting. To provide it, the employees of the film company turned their attention to the secluded Huskar. Most likely, the Hollywood PR people promoting the film chose Huskar because of the abundance of mushrooms in his district, because the Smurfs - legendary little men with blue skin - equip their homes, as you know, in mushrooms.
Whatever it was, but one fine day for the local residents, the village authorities received an interesting proposal that could not be rejected in any way. The filmmakers suggested painting white houses blue, placing huge statues of Smurfs around the village during the presentation and creating several objects that would demonstrate to all knowledgeable people that they were in a real Spanish village of blue men.
After 9 thousand liters of paint were spent on painting the houses, the town was unrecognizable. The news of the village of Smurfs immediately spread throughout Spain. Juscar became an attraction not to be missed. And finally the people came here.
Road to the mountains
It is said that about 100 thousand people visit Huskar every year. And they accomplish a feat, because it takes a lot of courage to go here on their own in a rented car. The road winds along the side of the mountain like a serpentine, the panoramic views are breathtaking, but on one side of the highway there is a gaping abyss.
There is a parking area at the entrance to the village. This is where you should leave your car. It will not be easy to park, because one wrong move and your car will roll down the hill with you.
Parking is assisted by an employee assigned by the municipality. In principle, you can give him the keys and ask him to deliver the car as he sees fit. The task of the valet is to clear the road for the passage of tourist buses.
And that's great news! Tourists are brought to Juscar from Malaga, which is 140 km away. There is also a regular bus that can be chosen by those who do not drive a car.
Modernity
When the filmmakers presented their film, they invited the residents of Huskar to return their homes to their original color. A vote was held in the village, and most of the local residents, who realized that they had pulled out a lucky ticket, refused to reconstruct. From now on, they had to live in the world of the Smurfs and entertain tourists in every possible way.
So, in the village, a playground built by PR specialists with gazebos and slides in the form of mushrooms has survived, and tall figures of Smurfs remained standing throughout the village, next to which tourists were always photographed. The residents' doors and windows were decorated with toys depicting blue men. In some places, one could see really worthy compositions, reminding that around not a simple village, but a magical village.
At the local market, people sold souvenirs, for example, caskets, glasses cases with scenes from a cartoon and Smurf hats. There was no end to buyers!
Huskar's idyllic existence ended abruptly - in 2018, when the copyright holder banned the village from using the images of the Smurfs. All residents were shocked, because it seemed that the prosperous life, directly related to the interest of tourists, had come to an end.
And then the Malaga authorities supported Juscar and offered to transform it into an amusement park. From now on, it is officially called the Blue Village. And although images of Smurfs have disappeared from the streets, the facades of local houses are still painted blue. A climbing wall and several suspension bridges also appeared here.
In the summer, the audience is entertained by animators who organize various outdoor competitions for children. So there are no fewer tourists with the disappearance of the Smurfs.
Attractions Huskar
What to do in Huskar? Plan a full-day visit here. Although the whole village can be walked around in an hour, you will probably want to stay longer at the spectacular viewing platforms, sit in some charming cafe (there are 4 of them to choose from), take a selfie against the background of unusual bright houses, and maybe explore the surroundings. along which hiking trails are laid. For example, the famous path of Fray Leopoldo with a length of 12,650 m passes through Juscar. Monk Leopoldo visited several towns of Serrania de Ronda. Now anyone can repeat his path.
There are several must-see places in Juskar:
- the already mentioned indoor market - a large and roomy pavilion selling delicious local products (honey, sausages, wine - everything can be tasted), souvenirs, leather goods;
- a couple of souvenir shops are usually rare for small villages;
- the blue painted church of Santa Catalina de Siena - the symbol of the village, built on a hill and still consistent with the architectural plan of the 17th century (in the courtyard of the temple there are benches where you can relax while walking around the city);
- Mushroom Museum with an exhibition hall, a tourist office and a cultural center, which often hosts conferences and lectures for mushroom scientists.
