Las Merindades

Las Merindades
	Comarca Las Merindades (blue) in the province of Burgos
Basic data
Main place:	Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja
Surface:	2821 km²
Residents:	approx. 25,000
Post Code:	09500-09580
Municipalities:	27

Las Merindades is the name of a historically significant area in the north of the autonomous region of Castile-León in Spain , which forms its own administrative area ( comarca ) with 27 municipalities (municipios) as well as countless villages and farmsteads with around 25,000 inhabitants; the total area of the comarca is approx. 2821 km².

View from the castle over the town of Frías and its surroundings

geography

Location and rivers

Most of the places in the comarca of Las Merindades are at an altitude of around 500 to 1000 meters above sea level. d. M .; the places in the Valle de Mena are all only about 300 m high. The surrounding mountains sometimes reach heights of almost 1500 m; the most striking mountain peaks in the region are the Castro Valnera (1718 m) in the north and the Pico Humión (1435 m) in the southeast. The most important rivers are the Ebro and its tributaries ( Nela and Jerea ); the Río Cadagua drains to the northeast .

Communities

Street and castle in Frías

climate

The climate is comparatively rainy; In the winter months, snow also falls, which often lingers on the mountains until spring, but usually thaws in the valley during the day. The temperatures are comparable to those in Central Europe.

economy

The economy of the Comarca Las Merindades has always been characterized by agriculture, with livestock also playing an important role. Craftsmen and small businesses settled in the few cities and larger towns. The importance of tourism as an economic branch has increased since the middle of the 20th century: There are numerous hiking trails with scenic and cultural sights; many places offer private accommodation.

history

Castillo de Porras near Virtus (14th century)

A few prehistoric and Roman traces have been discovered in the area of the comarca . As early as the 8th century, the region was recaptured by the Moors ( reconquista ), who made their last forays near Cellorigo in 882 and 883 . In the founding document of the no longer existing Monasterio de Taranco in the Valle de Mena , written in the year 800, the name Castilla is used for the first time as an area designation. In the 10th century, the Castilian Count Fernán González reorganized the area; he also created an administrative unit called Las Merindades . In the following centuries up to 1512 the region was disputed between the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre ; numerous castles were built mainly by the members of the Velasco family . In 1560, by royal order of Philip II, Villarcayo was designated as the capital of the Merindades. At Espinosa de los Monteros took place on 10 and. 11 November 1808 a battle against Napoleon's troops took place as part of the Spanish Wars of Independence .

Attractions

Castillo de las Cuevas in Trespaderne (20th century)

The two former monastery churches of Santa María (Siones) and San Lorenzo (Vallejo de Mena) in the Valle de Mena are among the jewels of the Romanesque period in northern Spain.

The Monasterio de Rioseco is a former Cistercian abbey in the municipality of Valle de Manzanedo . The remaining components of the monastery church date from the 13th century; the also ruinous cloister is a work of the 16th century ( Herrera style ).

The hermitage built under a rock overhang near the village of Quintanilla del Rebollar in the municipality of Merindad de Sotoscueva is located in the karst area of Ojo Guareña .

The town of Frías is recognized as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category . There is a medieval bridge with a bridge tower nearby .

The Castillo de Porras near the village of Virtus is a late medieval castle that belonged to the widely scattered property of the Velasco family.

The Alcázar de los Condestables de Castilla in Medina de Pomar is a late medieval castle ( castillo ) with a museum on the history of the Las Merindades region ( Muséo Histórico de las Merindades ).

The Castillo de las Cuevas in Trespaderne in the municipality of Merindad de Cuesta Urria is a castle-like house built from rubble stones from the end of the 20th century.