Ponferrada () is a city of

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 ...

, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality 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 ...

, is also the capital city of

El Bierzo El Bierzo (; ; gl, O Bierzo) is a ''comarca'' in the province of León, Spain. Its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital. The territory of El Bierzo includes m ...

, the only ''comarca'' recognized as an administrative entity by law in the region. Surrounded by mountains, the city straddles the course of the Sil River. It is the last major town on the French route of the Camino de Santiago before it reaches

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

. In 2021, it had a population of 63,747.

Etymology

Ponferrada comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Pons Ferrata'', Iron Bridge.

History

In pre-Roman times the region was populated by the

Astures The Astures or Asturs, also named Astyrs, were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, the modern province of León, and the ...

, a

Hispano-Celtic Hispano-Celtic is a term for all forms of Celtic spoken in the Iberian Peninsula before the arrival of the Romans (c. 218 BC, during the Second Punic War). In particular, it includes: * A northeastern inland language attested at a relati ...

Gallaeci The Gallaeci (also Callaeci or Callaici; grc, Καλλαϊκοί) were a Celtic tribal complex who inhabited Gallaecia, the north-western corner of Iberia, a region roughly corresponding to what is now the Norte Region in northern Portugal, a ...

an people. They were conquered by Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

in the Astur-Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC) and the area quickly became the largest mining center of the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

during the Roman period, where gold and other metals and minerals were extracted. Numerous Roman mining sites are still visible in the area, one of the most spectacular being

Las Médulas Las Médulas () is a historic gold-mining site near the town of Ponferrada in the comarca of El Bierzo (province of León, Castile and León, Spain). It was the most important gold mine, as well as the largest open-pit gold mine in the entire ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1997. Romans also imported

grapevines ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, ...

, and wine production thrived in the region until the propagation of Phylloxera at the end of the 19th century, which destroyed the majority of the vineyards. The modern name of the city derives from the iron reinforcements added to the ancient bridge over the river Sil (Latin ''pons'' for "bridge" and ''ferrata'' for "iron"), commissioned in 1082 by Bishop Osmundo of Astorga to facilitate the crossing of the Sil River to

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

s in their way to Santiago de Compostela. The railroad arrived in Ponferrada in 1881, and during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

local

tungsten Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isol ...

deposits were exploited to supply the

arms industry The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry classification, industry which manufacturing, manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commerce, commercial Private industry, industry involved ...

. In 1918 the Ponferrada Mining, Iron and Steel Company ('' es, Minero Siderúrgica de Ponferrada (MSP)'') was founded to exploit

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

deposits in the region, and it grew to become Spain's largest coal mining corporation. The Spanish National Energy Corporation (

Endesa Endesa, S.A. (, originally an initialism for ''Empresa Nacional de Electricidad, S.A''.) is a Spanish multinational electric utility company, the largest in the country. The firm, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Italian utility company Enel, ...

) was founded in 1944 and in 1949 it opened Spain's first coal-fueled power plant in Ponferrada, ''Compostilla I''. In 1960 the Bárcena Dam ('' es, Pantano de Bárcena'') opened and by the second half of the 20th century the economy of the city was mainly based on

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

and

electricity generation Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its s ...

, both hydroelectric and coal-fueled. Starting in the late 1980s most mines were closed, and after the collapse of the mining industry Ponferrada was for a while in a crisis. However, in the late 1990s the city underwent a major transformation with the establishment in the city of several industrial and services firms, the reintroduction of commercial wine production, the opening of a local branch of the

University of León The University of León is a Spanish public university with campus in León and Ponferrada. The university is found in 1843, when it was created the Normal School for Teachers or Masters Seminar of Public Instruction and the subaltern school of V ...

offering several undergraduate degrees, and in general a radical improvement of the town's infrastructure. The economy is now based mainly on tourism, agriculture (fruit and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historically ...

generation and slate mining, with a mild but constant population increase. Important factors contributing to the recent boom of the tourism industry are the increasing popularity of the Way of St. James ( es, Camino de Santiago; a pilgrimage route that goes from France to

, Galicia), the designation in 1997 of Las Médulas as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

and the development of rural tourism lodging and wineries in the area. The Energy City Foundation es, Fundación Ciudad de la Energía was established in Ponferrada in 2006 and is currently overseeing the construction of the National Energy Museum ('' es, Museo Nacional de la Energía'') in the city, as well as sponsoring several other initiatives that should further boost tourism and the economy of the city and its region.

Climate

Ponferrada has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csb''), with cool, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers. El río Sil en Ponferrada (49080484601)

Its average annual temperature is 19 °C (66 °F) during the day and 7 °C (45 °F) at night. During the coldest month, January, the average temperature is 9 °C (48 °F) during the day and 1 °C (34 °F) at night. In the warmest month, July, the average temperature is 29 °C (84 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night. During the winter, Temperatures generally vary between 5 and 15 °C (41 and 59 °F) during the day and between -2 and 5 °C (28 and 41 °F) at night. Nights below freezing are very common during this period. Snowfall occurs almost every year with an average of 4-5 snow days every winter, although heavy snowfalls are uncommon in the city. During the summer, temperatures generally vary between 25 and 32 °C (77 and 90 °F) during the day and between 12 and 17 °C (54 to 63 °F) at night. It is not uncommon that the temperature exceeds 35 °C (95 °F) during heatwaves. The sky is generally clear during this period with occasional storms. Spring and autumn are mild to warm and wet. Temperatures generally vary between 14 and 25 °C (57 and 77 °F) during the day and between 4 and 10 °C (39 and 50 °F) at night. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ponferrada was 41.5 °C (106.7 °F) on July 17, 2022 and the lowest -10.4 °C (13.3 °F) on January 4, 1971.

Tourism

Main sights

Ponferrada lies in the Way of St. James, a UNESCO

, and every year many pilgrims pass through the city in their way to

, ancient Roman gold mines also included in the

List, are only a few kilometres away from the city. Castillo templario de Ponferrada 001

Ponferrada is also noted for its ''Castillo de los Templarios'', a

Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

castle which covers approximately 16,000 square meters. In 1178,

Ferdinand II of León Ferdinand II (c. 1137 – 22 January 1188), was a member of the Castilian cadet branch of the House of Ivrea and King of León and Galicia from 1157 until his death. Life Family Born in Toledo, Castile, Ferdinand was the third but second surv ...

donated the city to the Templar order for protecting the pilgrims on the Way of St. James who passed through

in their road to

. The castle hosted the Knights Templar's Grand Master of Castille. However, the Templars were only able to enjoy the use of their fortress for about twenty years before the order was disbanded and its properties confiscated in 1311. Several noble houses fought over the assets until

Alfonso XI Alfonso XI (13 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes en ...

allotted them to the Count of Lemos in 1340. Finally the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of Spain. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being bot ...

incorporated Ponferrada and its castle into the Crown in 1486. As with many other historical sites in Europe, many of the blocks that at one point formed the walls of the castle were removed and used in local construction projects. The Basilica de la Encina is a church built in the Renaissance style in 1573. Its baroque tower dates from 1614. The El Bierzo Museum ('' es, Museo de El Bierzo'') offers a tour of the history of the region and hosts several important archeological pieces, while the Museum of Radio ('' es, Museo de la Radio'') offers an interesting tour of the history of the radio in Spain. The National Energy Museum ('' es, Museo Nacional de la Energía'') is sponsored by the Energy City Foundation ('' es, Fundación Ciudad de la Energía''). It includes the restored building and equipment of ''Compostilla I'', Spain's first coal-fueled power plant opened in 1949 in Ponferrada. Arquitectura tradicional de El Bierzo

The church of Santiago de Peñalba (an example of Mozarabic art), the Hermitage of Santo Tomás de las Ollas (10th century) and the Romanesque Church of Santa María de Vizbayo are also nearby. The highest view from the city, is the Torre de la Rosaleda, in the Roseleda district, the tallest building in Ponferrada.

Outdoor activities

The city and its surroundings offer many opportunities for outdoor activities. There are many easily accessible

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

routes nearby, both on and off-road, including the 330 kilometer long ''La Mirada Circular'' which circles the whole

valley.

Cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

is also very popular, as the valley provides opportunities to exercise in both flat and inclined terrain, on and off-road. El Morredero peak (2135 m), 20 km from Ponferrada in the Aquilianos mountains, hosts a small ski resort. It is possible to visit many wineries in the area to try the local wines and food, or simply visit the vineyards.

Events

Ponferrada hosts its annual festival (Fiestas de La Encina) during the first week of September with many concerts and activities for adults and especially children, and in July it organises a Templar Night in its Templar Castle (participants dress up and recreate town life during the 14th century).

Education

Ponferrada has several primary and secondary education centers, as well as a public

language school A language school is a school where one studies a foreign language. Classes at a language school are usually geared towards, for example, communicative competence in a foreign language. Language learning in such schools typically supplements fo ...

( Escuela Oficial de Idiomas) which offers

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, French,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, Italian and Galician language courses. The city also hosts a

campus, which offers several undergraduate degrees, and a

UNED The National Distance Education University, known in Spanish as ''Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia'' (UNED), is a public research university of national scope. The university was founded in 1972 under the Ministry of Universities ...

branch, which provides distance undergraduate education.

Culture

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

productions perform regularly at the local Teatro Bergidum, and there is a local

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

with seven screens. The city hosts a regional museum (El Bierzo Museum), a radio museum (Museum of Radio) and the National Energy Museum, in addition to music and cinema festivals each year.

Sports

The local football team,

SD Ponferradina Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Ponferrada, in the El Bierzo region, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 7 June 1922, it plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at the ...

currently plays in the Spanish 2nd Division. The team had played for most of its history in the 2nd Division B and 3rd Division of the Spanish Football League, however in the 2006–07 season the team was promoted for the first time to the 2nd Division, quite an achievement for a medium-sized city. There are many intramural and regional leagues in football and other sports, including

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

, and

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

. The city's athletics stadium is named after former 800m world champion

Colomán Trabado Colomán Trabado Pérez (born 2 January 1958 in Vega de Valcarce, El Bierzo, León Province) is a retired middle-distance runner from Spain. He won the European Indoor Championships in 1983 and the inaugural World Indoor Games in 1985. An athl ...

. Ponferrada hosted the 2014 UCI Road World Championships from 21 to 28 September 2014.Press release - 2014 UCI Road World Championships: Ponferrada’s candidature retained
UCI, 4 April 2011 The city was appointed to organize it, on 21 September 2011.

Transportation

Ponferrada is easily accessible by highway (

Autovía A-6 The Autovía A-6 or Autopista AP-6 (also called ''Autovía del Noroeste'') ( gl, Autovía do Noroeste) is a Spanish autovía and autopista route that starts in Madrid and ends in Arteixo (A Coruña). The tolled Autopista AP-6, from Villalba to ...

) and intercity

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

ation is readily available, as several daily ALSA

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

services.

León Airport León Airport, es, Aeropuerto de León or ''Aeropuertu de Llión'' in Leonese language , is a minor domestic airport located from León, Castile and León, Spain. It is one of the oldest military air bases in Spain, and the airport with the hi ...

is the closest, while airports in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

A Coruña A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensiv ...

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

and Madrid Barajas provide alternative options for national and international

air travel Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as airplanes, jet aircraft, helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliders, parachutes, or anything else that can sustain flight.

Rail

Ponferrada railway station Ponferrada railway station is the railway station of the Spanish city of Ponferrada Ponferrada () is a city of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality of the Province o ...

provides rail services to the city, that are offered by RENFE. Passenger

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

s link the city with major population centers in

, including

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Buses

Ponferrada also has an urban bus network called SMT (Servicio Municipal de Transporte). It is made up of 8 lines on the weekdays and 6 lines on the festive days that connect all the neighbourhoods with the city centre or the Bierzo's Hospital. The bus fleet is composed by

Mercedes-Benz Citaro The Mercedes-Benz Citaro is a single-decker, rigid or articulated bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz/ EvoBus. Introduced in 1997, the Citaro is available in a range of configurations, and is in widespread use throughout Europe and parts of Asia ...

and Isuzu buses and Mercedes-Benz minibuses.

Notable people

* José María Calleja (1955–2020), journalist *

Valentín García Yebra Valentín García Yebra (Lombillo de Los Barrios, Ponferrada, León, 28 April 1917 – Madrid, 13 December 2010), was a Spanish philologist, translator and translation scholar. Biography He studied Arts at Madrid where he graduated in Classical ...

(1917–2010), renowned translator and member of the Royal Spanish Academy * Lydia Valentín (born 1985), Olympic champion weightlifter

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control