Mombeltrán

Mombeltrán municipality
	Mombeltrán - the townscape with Castillo
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Ávila
Comarca :	Comarca de Arenas de San Pedro
Coordinates	40 ° 16 ′ N , 5 ° 1 ′ W Coordinates: 40 ° 16 ′ N , 5 ° 1 ′ W
Height :	685 msnm
Area :	49.92 km²
Residents :	991 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	19.85 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	05410
Municipality number ( INE ):	05132
administration
Website :	Mombeltrán

Mombeltrán is a small town and a municipality (municipio) with 991 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the south of the province of Ávila in the autonomous region of Castile-León in central Spain . The historic town center is recognized as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category .

Location and climate

The place Mombeltrán is located in the hills on the south side of the Sierra de Gredos at an altitude of about 685 m about 75 km (driving distance) southwest of Ávila . The climate is temperate to warm; the rather sparse rain (approx. 385 mm / year) falls spread over the year with the exception of the dry summer months.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	1,273	1,699	2,216	1,169	1,070

The mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting loss of jobs in the countryside have led to a significant decline in the population since the middle of the 20th century.

economy

Mombeltrán and the surrounding area are traditionally agriculturally oriented, but small traders, craftsmen and service providers have also settled in the village. Today tourism plays a not insignificant economic role in the form of renting out holiday apartments (casas rurales) .

history

In pre-Roman times the area was populated by the Celtic tribe of the Vettons ; a high fortress ( Castro del Raso ) is about 40 km to the west. Roman, Visigoth and Moorish traces itself were not discovered and it begins history of the place probably until after the reconquest ( reconquista ) of the area by the King Alfonso VI. of León and the subsequent repopulation ( repoblación ) by Christians from the north, but also by Mozarabs from the south in the late 11th century. Around the year 1250 the documented place name was El Colmenar ; later then Colmenar de Arenas . From 1430 until his death in 1453, Álvaro de Luna was the local landlord (señor) ; However, no construction activity has been recorded from him. The place took on an unexpected boom in the second half of the 15th century when Beltrán de la Cueva , the former favorite of Henry IV of Castile and alleged lover of the Queen, decided to settle here.

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Panorama of the area around Mombeltrán

Attractions

Castillo de Mombeltrán

Iglesia de San Bautista

The castle (castillo) on the outskirts was built from 1461 by Beltrán de la Cueva († 1492), the 1st Duke of Alburquerque , who also owned the castle of Cuéllar ; Juan Guas is sometimes mentioned as an architect . The castle has a square floor plan with four unequal round corner towers . The residential wing resting on supports and the farm buildings nestled against the outer walls; a keep (torre del homenaje) is missing. His successor had the former moat filled in and the drawbridge dismantled; for this he created a new free-standing castle gate in the style of the Renaissance . The semi-underground castle chapel deserves special attention .
The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista , which was also commissioned by Beltrán de la Cueva in the second half of the 14th century, is dedicated to John the Baptist . On closer inspection, it certainly has the character of a fortified church , which is particularly evident in the height of the apse and the small size of the high windows. A monumental, but figure loose keel arch portal in the style of late Gothic into the three-nave and additionally with side chapels provided hall church , houses the many altars, sculptures and paintings.

The Iglesia de la Soledad is an 18th century chapel in the classical style.

The Hospital de San Andrés goes back to a canon of Ávila Cathedral who founded a pilgrims' hospice in the 16th century . The stone portal adorned with coats of arms in the otherwise unadorned and plastered facade is remarkable.

The court column (roller blind) with its four arms reaching out in all directions commemorates the appointment of Colmenar as a town (villa) in 1393.

The town hall (ayuntamiento) is located in a 19th century building made of brick and natural stone.