Ponferrada: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
EUR 40 - 65 Hotel Los Templarios
 The Hotel Los Templarios is located in the historic town of Ponferrada and offers functional, stylish accommodation with free Wi-Fi access.
Relax in … MoreEUR 31 - 69 Hotel Madrid Bierzo
 The well-established Hotel Madrid is located in the main commercial area of Ponferrada, just 200 metres from the historic city centre. There is a free… MoreEUR 53 - 113 Ponferrada Plaza
 The well-equipped Ponferrada Plaza, with free Wi-Fi and a gym, is located in the commercial heart of Ponferrada in the Bierzo region, close to the fam… MoreEUR 55 - 125 Temple Ponferrada
 Located next to the Temple Park in central Ponferrada, this hotel has a medieval-themed design. It offers free Wi-Fi, and has a restaurant and a disco… MoreEUR 55 - 85 Hotel Aroi Ponferrada
 The Aroi Ponferrada Hotel is close to Ponferrada’s main shopping area and within walking distance of the Templar Castle and the Museo Bierzo. It has… MoreEUR 35 - 60 Hostal Rio Selmo
 Located in the heart of Ponferrada, the Hostal Río Selmo offers comfortable rooms with a private bathroom, air conditioning and internet access. Th… MoreEUR 55 - 166 Aroi Bierzo Plaza
 Hotel Aroi Bierzo Plaza is in the heart of Ponferrada, by the Town Hall. Its attractive rooms all offer a free minibar, free Wi-Fi access and air cond… MoreEUR 60 - 108 Celuisma Ponferrada
 Celuisma Ponferrada is situated in Ponferrada’s La Rosaleda area, by the tallest skyscraper in Castilla y León. Each modern room features free Wi-F… MoreEUR 40 - 85 El Castillo
 Only 50 metres from Templarios Castle in Ponferrada, hotel El Castillo offers free Wi-Fi in a perfect setting. It is just by the Camino de Santiago.
… MoreEUR 60 - 146 AC Ponferrada
 Set in the heart of the quaint town of Ponferreda, in the León region, this modern hotel is an ideal base for visiting this beautiful, natural area o… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ponferrada: Guide
Ponferrada is a town and municipality located in the León (province)|province of León, Spain, and the capital of the El Bierzo region. It lies on the river Sil River|Sil, a tributary of the river Miño, 42º32'40 N, 2º54'10 W, at 544 m. (1785 ft) above sea-level. As of January 1, 2005, it had a population of 65,984 (31,934 male and 34,050 female).
Economy
During the second half of the 20th century the economy of the town was based on coal mining, but in the 1980s many mines were closed and the economy is now based mainly on tourism, agriculture (especially fruit), wind power generation and slate mining.
After the disapparance of the mining industry during the 1990s Ponferrada was for a while in crisis, but it then underwent a major development with the establishment of several industrial and services firms, the opening of a local branch of the University of León offering several undergraduate degrees and in general a radical improvement of the town's infrastructure. This has been accompanied by a mild but constant increase of the population.
Important factors contributing to the recent boom of the tourism industry are the increasing popularity of the Way of St. James (Spanish language|Spanish: Camino de Santiago ; a pilgrimage route that goes from France to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain)|Galicia), the designation in 1997 of the nearby ancient Roman gold mines of "Las Médulas" as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the development of rural tourism lodging and wineries in the area.
History
The Ancient Rome|Roman town was named Interamnium Flavium due to its position at the confluence of the Sil and the Boeza rivers — inter amnes is Latin for "between rivers". The modern name derives from the iron reinforcements added to the ancient bridge over the river Sil (latin "pons" for bridge and "ferrata" for iron).
Ponferrada has also several attractive medieval churches and municipal buildings, invariably topped with the typical local blue slate.
Templar Castle
The city is noted for the Castillo de los Templarios, a Knights Templar|Templar castle which covers approximately 16,000 square meters. In 1178, Fernando II of Spain donated the city to the Templar order for protecting the pilgrims on the Way of St. James who passed through El Bierzo in their road to Santiago de Compostela.
The Castle hosted the Knights Templar's Great 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 tried to get the town and the castle for their own, and although Alfonso XI donated them to the Count of Lemos in 1340 the Catholic Monarchs incorporated the town and the castle into the Crown in 1486. As happened with many other historical sites in Europe many of the blocks that at one point formed the walls of the castle were removed for use in the streets, and restoration is still ongoing.
Tourism
Ponferrada lies in "El Bierzo" valley and is completely surrounded by mountains. Just 20 Km. away from Ponferrada you can find "El Morredero" peak, which is 2135 m. high and hosts a little ski resort. Just a few kilometers from the city there are many beautiful places (including "Las Médulas" ancient Roman gold mines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site), wineries and typical villages (Molinaseca, San Pedro de Montes, Peñalba, Compludo, etc.) suitable for trekking routes and rural tourism.
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 organizes a very popular "Templar Night" in its Templar Castle (participants dress up and recreate town life during the 14th century). The town is also very popular for the lively nightlife, which easily goes on until the sun is high up in the sky. It's common to start the night in "Las Bodegas" (The Wineries), small bars that serve mainly wine, or in the many bars of the Old Town around "La Calle del Reloj" (Clock Street). After that the night moves to the "Bellas Artes" or "Temple" areas downtown. By four or five in the morning the place to go is "La Gran Manzana" (the Big Apple), which consists of several clubs in the outskirts of Ponferrada. For rock lovers the night ends up nearby at "La Universidad" (The University).
Personalities
Enrique Gil y Carrasco (1815-1846) - Writer
The town soccer team, SD Ponferradina, has competed most of its history in the 2nd Division B and third Division of the Spanish Football League. In the 2006-07 season, for the first time, it will compete in the 2nd Division, an achievement for this medium sized town.
By car:
Ponferrada is well connected by highway with all the major Spanish cities and the rest of Europe, and there is a local branch of downtown for car rentals.
By bus:
The town is connected by bus to many major Spanish and European cities, however connections (especially in Madrid) are required most times. The quality "Supra" line between ALSA)
By train:
Ponferrada is also connected with the rest of Spain and Europe by train. (Renfe)
By plane:
The nearest international airports are La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela, but they serve only a few destinations so probably it's more comfortable to fly to Barajas|Madrid Barajas. Other nearby airports operating international flights are Asturias (serving to Oviedo and Gijón) and Valladolid, and León Airport|León airport, the closest, serves some national destinations. It's worth to mention that low-cost airlines serve Santiago de Compostela and Valladolid (Ryanair) and Barajas|Madrid Barajas and Asturias (EasyJet). All are connected by highway and bus with Ponferrada, but Madrid and Coruña have the extra advantage of a direct Supra bus service.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Ponferrada". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Luis del Olmo (1937-...) - Journalist
Sports
Transport
- 212 km (highway) - 2:10 hours
- 250 km (highway) - 2:30 hours
- 390 km (highway) - 3:40 hours
- 235 km (highway) - 2:30 hours
- 247 km (highway) - 2:30 hours
- 100 km (highway) - 1 hour
External links