Riaño is a former small municipality located along the

Esla River The Esla is a river in the provinces of León and Zamora in the northwest of Spain. It is a tributary of the Duero River that starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and is long. Its direction of flow is from north to south. It is the largest tribu ...

in the mountains of the

province of León León (, , ; ; ) is a province of northwestern Spain in the northern part of the Region of León and in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. About one quarter of its population of 463,746 (2018) lives in the ca ...

, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The village was across the river from Peak Gilbo. Located 3650 feet above sea level, it is in the

Cantabrian mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...

near the foothills of the Picos de Europa. Due to planned construction of a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

and

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the 1980s, for

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

and generation of hydroelectric power, the village and its lowlying farmland were to be submerged, as were six other villages in the associated dam project. The residents were relocated to New Riaño, built as a replacement higher above the reservoir waters.Andy Simington, ''Northern Spain Handbook'', (Footprint Travel Guides, 2003), 284. In 2010 the village had 532 residents.

Noted residents and natives

Imanol Arias Manuel María Arias Domínguez (born 26 April 1956 in Riaño, León, Spain) better known as Imanol Arias, is a Spanish actor and film director. Career Imanol Arias began his career with a travelling theatre group performing in the Basque Co ...

, film actor

References

External links

Photos of Old Riaño
() Municipalities in the Province of León 1980s disestablishments in Spain Demolished buildings and structures in Spain Buildings and structures demolished in the 20th century {{León-geo-stub

Noted residents and natives

See also

References

External links