Puente del Congosto

Puente del Congosto municipality
Puente del Congosto - town view with church (iglesia) and castle (castillo)
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and Leon
Province :	Salamanca
Comarca :	Alto Tormes
Coordinates	40 ° 30 ′  N , 5 ° 31 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 30 ′  N , 5 ° 31 ′  W
Height :	950  msnm
Area :	34.04 km²
Residents :	230 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	6.76 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	37748
Municipality number  ( INE ):	37261
administration
Website :	Puente del Congosto

Puente del Congosto is a place and a western Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with 230 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Salamanca in the autonomous region of Castile and Leon . The fortress (castillo) and the medieval stone bridge (puente) over the Río Tormes are to be registered as cultural assets ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico category .

location

The place Puente del Congosto is located on the upper reaches of the Río Tormes almost 71 km (driving distance) southeast of Salamanca at an altitude of approx. 950  m . The climate in winter is cool, but in summer it is quite warm; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 470 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	554	759	714	341	227

The hamlet of Bercimuelle , which still has around 50 inhabitants, also belongs to the municipality (municipio) . The continuous population decline since the middle of the 20th century is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

The economic life of Puente del Congosto is largely agrarian - in the past, grain, vines, etc. were planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Cattle breeding (in the past mainly sheep and goats, today mostly cattle) and forestry (mainly for the production of charcoal ) were and are also operated. Small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the village. Today numerous holiday apartments and houses (casas rurales) are rented out.

history

Puente del Congosto

In the 8th century the Moors overran the region; However, nothing is known of a local foundation. In the 11th century the area was recaptured ( reconquista ) and repopulated ( repoblación ) by the Christians . The town's castle dates back to the 11th century, but it was named after a medieval stone bridge over the Río Tormes; in the 14th century the place came into the hands of Gil González Dávila. In the 16th century it was briefly in the hands of the Order of the Calatrava and then belonged to the House of Alba .

Attractions

Puente del Congosto - Church

• The main attraction of the place is the comparatively well-preserved Castillo de Puente del Congosto (or Castillo de los Dávila) .
• An approx. 120 m long medieval bridge (puente) over the Río Tormes begins or ends at the foot of the castle hill. It comes from the 12th / 13th centuries. Century and served both humans and animals as a safe passage over the river. It probably belonged to the Cañadas Reales system .
• The three-aisled Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción , built in the 16th century, is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary . The portal on the south side is protected by a three-arched portico . Particularly noteworthy are several baroque altarpieces (retablos) in the choir area and on the side walls.

Bercimuelle

• The Iglesia de San Salvador , built from precisely hewn stones, was built in 1501; it contains a partially painted artesonado wooden ceiling and a Romanesque font .

Web links

Commons : Puente del Congosto  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Puente del Congosto, sights etc. - Photos + information (Spanish)
• Puente del Congosto, sights - photos + information (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Puente del Congosto - climate tables
3. ↑ Puente del Congosto - population development
4. ↑ Puente del Congosto - Church
5. ↑ Bercimuelle - Church
6. ↑ Bercimuelle - Church (video)