Zamora

The province of Zamora is located in the northwest of Castilla y Leon on the border of Galicia and Portugal.

The Duero River, with runs east to west through the city of Zamora and thc province on its way to Portugal, is one of the most important rivers in Spain, The vine- yards all along this riverbed produce the grapes of some of the best wines of the Iberian Peninsula.

Archaeological discoveries indicate that this city's inception predates the Roman occupation of the peninsula, lts location on the Vía de la Plata Roman road is a testimony to its essential role in uniting the southern ports like Seville with the northern counterparts like Gijón on a route that continues to exist even today.

During the Middle Ages, it became an impregnable strategic point on the River Duero battlefront.

Zamora is the European city with the most Romanesque churches in the metropolitan area wich has earned it the name of City of the Romanesque.

The capital has 65.000 inhabitants with a foreign population of only 4%. It is a small, quiet town with gregarious and open people, full of activities, as well as the safest city in Castilla y León with the lowest crime rate.

The old town has a castle and well-conserved walls accompanied by a beautiful cathedral and around twenty Romanesque churches as well as civil constructions of Gothic and Renaissance styles. Sprinkled among the monuments we find other representations of architectural eras, especially a fair number of rehabilitated modernist buildings from the beginning of the 20th century, Finally, a handful of singular edifices built recently give the city a more contemporary feel.

The festivals of the town, especially those of the patron saint San Pedro at the beginning of summer, invite all comers to participate in and enjoy the activities in the plazas and streets. The Holy Week festivities here are among the most famous representations of the Passion of Christ in all of Spain.

The province of Zamora includes protected natural parks like Parque Natural del Lago de Sanabria, the largest glacial lake of the Península, surrounded by mountains which are covered with snow in winter.

The Lagunas de Vlllafáfila wetlands are a Natural Reserve and Special protected Zone for migratory birds wich spend the winter ln lts waters.

The Parque Natural de Arribes del Duero on the Portuguese border ls comprised of a deep and precipitous ravine through which the river flows. In 2015, the UNESCO declared the frontier of Zamora and Salamanca with Portugal a Biosphere Reserve. This declaration may be the most important ratification of environmental quality.

Each and every area of the province of Zamora is completely different from the rest. Its regions offer visitors a very diverse geography and people that are unforgettable.

Fuente: Ayuntamiento de Zamora. 

Fotografías: DIJE10