Location: Zamora
Cuevas de Valporquero
Valporquero
Tel.
987 57 64 08
Open: Oct- Dec, Mar: 10am- 5pm Thu- Sun, public
holidays
Apr: 10am- 2pm, 3:30pm- pm Thu- Sun, public holidays
May- Sep: 10am- 2pm, 3:30pm- pm daily
Puebla de Sanabria (in Leonese, La Viella or Puebla de Senabria)
is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Zamora, in
the autonomous community of Castilla y León. The municipality of
Puebla is located in the northwest of the province. , in the
natural region of Sanabria. In addition to Puebla, its municipal
area includes the towns of Castellanos, Robledo and Ungilde. The
municipality, which has an area of 81.39 km², has, according to
the 2018 municipal register of the INE, 1,409 inhabitants and a
density of 17.59 inhabitants/km². The center of Puebla is 112 km
from the provincial capital, Zamora,10 as well as 148 km from
León, 148 km from Orense and 42 km from Braganza (Portugal).
The urban center of Puebla is located in a territory that
nature has provided with special defensive characteristics,
shaped over the centuries by the Ferrera stream and the Tera and
Castro rivers, which have given it its special breakwater
appearance. Furthermore, its strategic location next to the
border with Portugal meant that this square was since ancient
times a gated, fortified and walled town, with a notable role in
the historical formation of the territory that surrounds it. It
was the seat of a notable military, ecclesiastical and political
power that over the centuries generated a rich architectural and
monumental heritage, which led to the town being declared an
asset of cultural interest in the category of historical complex
in 1994. Likewise, the notable level of conservation of its
landscape and environmental heritage stands out, with
characteristics similar to those of the nearby protected natural
area of the Lake Sanabria natural park.
It is worth highlighting the urban complex of Puebla de Sanabria, the
result of the multiple interventions to which it has been subjected in
its historical development. Its northern end preserves the main
buildings, a reflection of its ancient civil, military and
ecclesiastical power. Its urban area is limited by defensive structures
from the medieval period that were modified and reinforced starting in
the 17th century. Inside, two distinct nuclei are preserved, “La Villa”
and “El Arrabal”, both separated by a natural valley. There was a first
walled nucleus, later expanded, in which the most noble and significant
buildings were built, such as the castle of the counts of Benavente - a
building of which its keep stands out, popularly called “Torre del
Macho” -, the church of Santa María del Azogue, the baroque and stately
hermitage of San Cayetano and the more humble Town Hall. The subsequent
extension to the south of this first enclosure included the so-called
Arrabal, in which a small humiliation corresponding to the 18th century
chapel of San Pedro stands out as a singular element.
The town
has the recognition and protection derived from its declaration of
historical and artistic complex, but some of its main properties also
have the recognition of the monument category, among them:
The
Castle of the Counts of Benavente, built on a mid-medieval fortress in
the mid-15th century (1455-1499) by Rodrigo Alonso Pimentel, IV Count of
Benavente. It occupies a privileged position within the promontory on
which the old part of the city sits. Built in granite ashlar on a
quadrangular enclosure, it is guarded by semi-cylindrical cubes that are
unevenly distributed, a drawbridge and all of this dominated by the
large keep, interior and freestanding, which is popularly known as the
Macho.
This fortification actively participated in the wars with
Portugal, finding itself in a notable state of deterioration in 1710, so
it was preferred to build a new fort to protect the border with
Portugal. In 1887 it became property of the City Council, which has
since used it for various purposes. It currently serves a cultural
purpose, with the Visitor Center and the Municipal Tourism Office
located in the north wing – called the “Governor's House”. The keep is
the headquarters of the Fortifications Centre, which offers information
on the history of the castle, the town and the fortresses of the
province of Zamora. In the east wing is the House of Culture, with three
rooms for the Assembly Hall, the Municipal Library and the Exhibition
Hall.
Church of Santa María del Azogue, built in the 12th century,
Romanesque, but with important transformations in the 16th, 17th and
18th centuries. It is located in the Plaza Mayor, closing this urban
area on its eastern side. It has a Latin cross plan, with a polygonal
head reinforced with buttresses and a transept with ribbed vaults. The
southern door is located under a porch located between the tower and the
south arm of the transept. It consists of three semicircular archivolts
flared on jambs. The outer one is decorated with tetrapetal flowers, the
middle one is a baquetón surrounded by stems that intersect forming
rhombuses and the inner one is formed by a navel between two nozzles.
The other door, the western one, is made up of four pointed archivolts.
The columns and statues attached to them deserve special mention, made
of slate stone, while the rest is made of granite. A bearded knight's
head is embedded above its keystone.
Town Hall. It is located in the
Plaza Mayor, closing one of its sides. It has a rectangular plan, with
two heights and has been built in masonry. The façade has a porch on the
ground floor, in which three wide semicircular arches and Doric columns
open, and above it, as if repeating the scheme, a porticoed gallery with
four arches. At each end there is a small tower, twins, which are
covered with irregular slab slates, in the traditional way of the
Sanabria region.
Also worth mentioning are the Fort of San Carlos,
which was located outside the walls, at the exit to Portugal, near one
of the three gates, that of San Francisco, on a rock from which you can
have a good perspective of the town. It has a pentagonal shape, it still
preserves remains of a moat and counter-moat. Finally, the hermitage of
San Cayetano (17th century, baroque).
It has the Museum of Giants and Bigheads, located on San Bernardo Street, in the heart of the historic complex. On display are the ten giants and the thirty-three big heads that usually parade at the different festivals and events in the town. The giant parades are linked to the creation in 1848 of the arch-confraternity of Nuestra Señora de las Victorias, since since that year they have paraded in the festivities on the seventh and eighth of September. In the 50s of the 20th century, after the prohibition of parades of giants and big heads, the city council began to acquire the different characters that paraded and other new ones that are now exhibited in this museum.
The patron saint of Puebla de Sanabria is the Virgen del Azogue whose
festival is celebrated on August 15. Although for years it was no longer
celebrated, a medieval market declared of regional tourist interest is
currently organized. The great festivals of Puebla de Sanabria are the
festivals in honor of the Virgin of Victories, whose big day is
September 8 and the 6, 7, 9 and 10 there is also a party. They are
considered one of the best festivals in Spain due to their pyrotechnics
(the fiery bulls that are fought throughout the early morning), parades
of giants and big heads, the proclamation and the chupinazo, concerts
and many more traditions that make these something special and different
parties. They are the best festivals in the Sanabria region without a
doubt.
On the first weekend of February, the festivities are
celebrated in honor of the Virgen de las Candelas, patron saint of the
San Francisco neighborhood of Puebla de Sanabria. They are festivities
with a great festive atmosphere during the weekend and whose
peculiarities are the burning of a large bonfire on Saturday, and that
the festivals until dawn take place inside a gigantic venue.
The town of Puebla de Sanabria has a very diversified cultural
heritage. In it appear the group of giants and big heads preserved from
before the 19th century. During the festivals and other events, they go
out in parades through the town accompanied by the town's band of pipers
and drummers. They wear a regional suit with a linen jacket and dark
pants. The women wear the Sanabré outfit made up of a long, colorful
skirt and a shoulder bag; usually made of leather or fabric prepared for
dance.
In Puebla de Sanabria and its surroundings we can
distinguish a series of characteristic dances and dances, performed by
bagpipers and tambourines, often accompanied by songs. The giants
perform their prominent dances to the sound of regional music.
The gastronomy of Puebla, like that of the rest of Sanabria, is based mainly on the resources of the land and the waters of its surroundings. The salmon lake trout stands out first, but also the beef. The Galician influence is perceived in the sanabresa octopus, prepared differently from the Galician one but with a certain similarity, its presence being very frequent in pilgrimages, to the beat of the bagpipes and dances of this land. The Sanabres beans also stand out, with their delicate texture and excellent flavor. Different seasonal mushroom dishes are common. In addition, other foods from the area are common, among which morujas, farinatos, botillos or rosquillas stand out.
The zarzuela The song of the muleteer takes place in a sale near the town.
Puebla is a recurring place name in Spanish geography that
usually owes its origin to the foundation or refoundation of a
town on the basis of a puebla charter granted by a monarch or,
sometimes, by ecclesiastical office. This seems to be the origin
of the first part of the toponym of this town, which Alfonso IX
of León converted into one of his towns on September 1, 1220,
after granting it a town charter inspired by the Benavente
Charter. The ultimate reason for granting this distinction arose
from the need to create a solid Leonese bastion in the area that
would reinforce the border with Portugal, an idea that is
reinforced with the contemporary rebuilding and improvement of
the castle and walls of this town.
«In the name of our
Lord Iesu Christo, amen. This is something that belongs to every
Christian king to give to his new town such privileges and
rights, and such customs of justice, and to confirm them forever
and ever, that the new town receives an increase in goodness and
value of its council among the others. ancient towns of his
kingdom, and to urge the wicked in their pride and confuse the
proud in their wickedness, so that they keep the honor and honor
of their king in all things, and that they do good and loyal
service to him and to all those who will see it; And after the
Catholic king has ordered all this with his inhabitants, he must
give in writing everything that was ordered and always be stable
and firm. And furthermore, that the inhabitants do not receive
damage to their privileges due to forgetfulness, and for this
reason I, Don Alfonso, king of León, write a letter to you, the
inhabitants of Senabria, also to those who are now like the
others who will later see all your generation, of your
privileges, may it be valid forever and because you, your family
members and your grandchildren and all those who will see you,
always live in peace and meekness, and because the evil and the
proud are punished in all ways according to "These good
privileges that you receive from me by the grace of God and by
your good merits."
Charter given to Puebla de Sanabria by
Alfonso IX. Renovated and romanced by Alfonso
More
controversial is the origin of Sanabria, the second part of its
toponym, although in any case a pre-Roman affiliation is
associated with it. One of the most followed options to explain
its origin is the one indicated by the word "senabriga" and
this, in turn, formed by an initial element of pre-Indo-European
origin "sen, 'mountain'" and another of Celtic origin "-briga ;
'fortification, fortress or fort'", which would mean
"fortification, fortress or fort in the mountains". Other
researchers indicate an Iberian origin, linking this word with
ESE - "house" and NABAR - "plain between mountains receiving
water".
The name of Puebla de Sanabria is merujeros. This name is
given by the presence in the surroundings of the town of merujas
(Montia fontana), a herbaceous plant highly appreciated
gastronomically in the region.
It is located in the Sanabria region, northwest of the province of Zamora, in the border area with Portugal, Galicia and the province of León. It belongs to the homogeneous natural unit called "Sanabria Valley", an extensive elongated valley that, in a northwest-southeast direction, at its lowest levels is crossed by the Tera River. The valley is delimited by the Sierra de la Cabrera to the north, the Sierra de la Culebra to the south, the Sierra Segundera to the west, while to the east it opens towards the flatter territory of La Carballeda, a prelude to the Duero depression.
Rich in beautiful landscapes and a traditional culture that survives. At the same time, geographical values of great interest persist, traces left by glaciers, such as Lake Sanabria and the numerous lagoons in the mountains, as well as a very special and exceptionally varied flora and fauna. Along with this beauty and natural variety, we also find a profound popular culture, clearly differentiated from the rest of the neighboring areas, grown under the protection of this unique natural enclave, and backed by an extensive history of which we can also find abundant samples throughout. length and width of the region. The relief of the municipality has two different parts. To the north extends the valley of the Tera River, which crosses part of the territory including the urban center, where it receives the waters of the Castro River before opening into the Cernadilla reservoir. To the south of the river begin the elevations of the Sierra de la Culebra, where the altitude exceeds 1000 meters. The altitude of the territory ranges between 1,176 meters (Atalaya) to the west, next to the Sierra de la Atalaya, and 900 meters in the Cernadilla reservoir. The town stands 929 meters above sea level.
Puebla de Sanabria and the Sanabria valley, or if you want the
Sanabria region, are located in a border territory with both
Mediterranean and Atlantic influences. In this sense, two of the
mountain ranges that surround the valley, specifically the
Segundera mountain ranges - to the west - and Cabrera mountain
ranges - to the north -, mark the limit between the Atlantic and
Mediterranean climates, turning Sanabria into a territory of
climatic transition. In this way, the different orientations of
the peaks, slopes and valleys of this territory are of special
importance, as this is the determining factor in whether one or
the other of the two environments predominates. The Atlantic
predominance is present on the slopes facing north and west,
while those facing south and east are predominantly
Mediterranean. To all of the above we must add the extreme
conditions of the high peaks, where species have survived and
evolved for more than 10,000 years.
In the case of
Puebla de Sanabria, its urban area is located at about 941 m
above sea level. n. m. and has an east orientation. Both
conditions mean that this town has predominant climatic
characteristics of the temperate-humid Mediterranean, as it has
a certain Atlantic influence. Thus, its average annual
temperature is around 10 °C, with notable thermal amplitude, and
the average precipitation is close to 1000 mm/year. Winter is
characterized by being cold, with frequent frosts; while in
summer the temperatures are mild.
According to the Köppen
climate classification, Puebla de Sanabria has a Csb climate
(continentalized Mediterranean with mild summer).
Sanabria appears documented in one of the minutes of the Lugo
council of 509, although as many authors indicate, it could be a
reference to the entire Sanabria region and not to the current
town of Puebla. Sanabria is documented again in the s. VII, this
time as a Swabian parish and Visigoth mint under the name of
"Senapria".
It is in the 10th century when the existence
of an "Urbs Senabrie" as a territorial reference is confirmed,
as indicated by the first diplomas from the monastery of San
Martín de Castañeda, a time in which the town was integrated
into the Kingdom of León. Historians They have speculated about
the possible existence at this time of some type of
fortification in Puebla, promoted by the Leonese kings in their
advance towards the south, a fact that could not be supported by
the existing documentation or by the archaeological remains
found.
The consolidation of this urban center as the head
of the entire Sanabresa region must have occurred from the reign
of Alfonso VII of León (1126 to 1157). In 1132 the town already
had a castle, as documented by its lieutenants: Count Ponce
Fernandizi (1132) and later his brother Xemeno Fernandizi,
Roderico Petri, lord of "Senabria et de Carvaleda" (1150), from
1158 to 1161 Ponce de Cabrera and Rodrigo Pérez de Sanabria,
Fernando Ponce (1164), in 1171 "mandante Senabrie committee
Poncius et comitissa María Fernándiz" and Fernandus Aldefonsus
(1188).
In 1195, Alfonso IX of León organized the
political, economic, legal and military functions of Puebla de
Sanabria, turning it into one of the Leonese strongholds on the
border with Portugal. Furthermore, on September 1, 1220 he
converted this town into one of his towns, granting it a town
charter, inspired by the Benavente Charter, also rebuilding and
improving its castle and its walled defenses. Therefore, the
innovative plan of the castle of Puebla de Sanabria is from this
period, with its quadrangular shape, but topped at its angles by
circular cubes, something practically unusual until the Late
Middle Ages. The boost given to the town by this monarch made
Puebla de Sanabria gradually acquire throughout the 19th
century. XII a notable economic, political and military
relevance, which will be maintained later, as shown by the
confirmation and partial modification of its charter by King
Alfonso X "the Wise" (Seville, May 19, 1273).
During the
14th century, the town was owned by Juan Alfonso de
Alburquerque, Count Fernando de Castro and Alvar Vázquez de
Losada, among other personalities of the time. Alvar Vázquez,
from the local noble family of the Losada, received this town,
its alfoz and the Carballeda in a donation made by Juan I and
which he received under the estate regime. In 1451, half of the
town and all its land were sold by Doña Mayor de Porras to
Alonso de Pimentel, third count of Benavente. This fact also led
to the aforementioned count taking possession of his castle. In
the middle of the s. XV, after the two main lines of the Losada
family became extinct (only the branch of the lords of Rionegro
survived), the Pimentels acquired the other half of Puebla by
royal donation. Years later, the Catholic Monarchs returned
their half of the town to the Losadas, which is why Rodrigo
Alonso de Pimentel had to exchange that property to Doña Leonor
de Melgar, widow of Don Diego de Losada, for the estate he had
in Montamarta ( 1489). From this moment, the political and
social life of the town and its alfoz were directed by the
Counts of Benavente, who appointed and removed different mayors
from office, such as Pedro de Montemolín (1474) or Pedro de Sosa
(between 1490 and 1492).
During the 17th century, Puebla
de Sanabria participated primarily and directly in the
Portuguese Restoration War as it was located in the middle of
the battle, with José Martínez de Salazar being the governor of
the town during said war. During those same years, the town's
defenses were rebuilt and improved, and in 1642 Puebla de
Sanabria was established as a fortified plaza. However, as a
consequence of the War of Succession that occurred in Spain
between the supporters of Philip of Anjou and Archduke Charles,
the town was occupied in 1710 by Portuguese troops, who held it
until December 24, 1715, the year in which it was recovered by
the Spanish armies and handed over to the Hispanic Monarchy
under the Peace of Utrecht.
Throughout the Modern Age,
Puebla de Sanabria was the head and capital of a receivership,
that of Sanabria, which was integrated into the province of the
Lands of the Count of Benavente. In any case, when the provinces
were restructured and the current ones were created in In 1833,
Puebla became part of the province of Zamora, within the Leonese
Region, becoming the head of the judicial district of Puebla de
Sanabria in 1834.
Regarding the configuration of the
municipality, it should be noted that the town of Ungilde was
integrated into the municipality of Puebla in 1967,31, with
Castellanos doing the same in 1973.
The municipal area is crossed by the Rías Bajas Highway A-52 between points 80 and 81, as well as by the national highway N-525, which runs parallel to the previous one, and several provincial roads: ZA-104 (connects with Galende and with Lake Sanabria), ZA-921 (connects with the border with Portugal through Rihonor de Castilla) and ZA-925 (connects with the border with Portugal through Calabor).
Middle distance
A single Media Distancia service connects Puebla
de Sanabria with Valladolid every day via Medina del Campo. Until 2013
there was another daily service to Orense, but its suppression caused
the definitive closure of all the intermediate stations between the two,
with the exception of La Gudiña station (at least until the conversion
of the current Long Distance services into AVE). Currently no Long
Distance convoy passes through the Puebla de Sanabria Station, since all
these services pass through the new Sanabria Alta Velocity station and
through the gauge changer located between the new station and the
Pedralba de la Pradería station, leaving to the Puebla de Sanabria
station outside the route.
Long distance
All long-distance
daytime trains between Madrid/Levante and Galicia passed through the
Puebla de Sanabria Station and almost all of them had a stop. This meant
up to four Alvia trains daily. Until February 1, 2016, a Trenhotel (the
Madrid-La Coruña and Madrid-Pontevedra branches) also circulated on this
line and stopped at the Puebla station. However, on the aforementioned
date and coinciding with the opening of the Olmedo-Zamora high-speed
line (section of the Madrid-Galicia high speed line), these branches
began to circulate coupled to the Madrid-Ferrol branch, that is, via
León and not via Zamora and Puebla de Sanabria.
With the arrival
of high speed through the Madrid-Zamora-Galicia high-speed line, the new
Sanabria High Speed Station is located in the town of Otero de Sanabria,
municipality of Palacios de Sanabria, 7 km from Puebla de Sanabria.
33 kilometers from Puebla de Sanabria, in the parish of Aveleda north of the Portuguese city of Braganza, is located (Braganza Airport), with regular Sevenair Air Services flights to Lisbon (LIS) and Vila Real (VRL). The airfield and runway have been expanded, including new navigation systems, new lighting and support facilities, in order to increase medium-sized aircraft to be on par with other European regional airports. As part of Portugal's efforts to stop the national problem of depopulation in the district of Bragança and promote it as a natural tourist destination, the construction of a 2-lane highway from the airport has been planned with financing from Next Generation EU funds. to the border with Spain in Rionor. This will leave Puebla de Sanabria from Braganza airport in a car trip of just 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Spain has not finished promoting its part of the section from Rionor to Puebla de Sanabria linking to the Rías Bajas highway, which is still would further reduce cross-border travel time to Bragança.