Contrary to what many people may think, climate changes on this planet of ours it’s not something exclusive of the present times. Until about 12 thousand years ago, which is not a lot of time when speaking in geological terms, the peaks of which are currently the Sanabria Mountains were covered with ice, snow and massive glaciers. But then temperatures rose and the landscape changed from white to green, while new things appeared, for example, the famous Sanabria Lake.
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Contrary to what many people may think, climate changes on this planet of ours it’s not something exclusive of the present times. Until about 12 thousand years ago, which is not a lot of time when speaking in geological terms, the peaks of which are currently the Sanabria Mountains were covered with ice, snow and massive glaciers. But then temperatures rose and the landscape changed from white to green, while new things appeared, for example, the famous Sanabria Lake.
As soon as you see its enormous size, its rocky outlines and its impressive appearance, you’ll understand straight away why they are so famous. Because it could almost, almost, be considered a kind of a Castilian sea, with its own waves and sunsets. Scale down versions of those that can be seen on the Bay of Biscay or the Atlantic Sea, a few hundred kilometres away.
Much closer, however, is Puebla de Sanabria, an exciting place for many reasons. There are ancient references to this village, from times of the Visigoth, but the well-established town, with its medieval walls and its castle, didn’t appear until the twelfth century, when Alfonso VII de Leon reigned in these lands.
La Puebla was a strategically important place, and you know how the militaries feel about these things. First, it was a stronghold against the Muslims armies who wanted to recover the lost ground, and much later, in the seventeenth century, it had to be in the middle of the dispute during the war with Portugal, in which our Portuguese neighbours got rid of the Habsburg’s domination.
Luckily, that rather turbulent past did not wreck all the historical heritage of the village, which today still has splendid houses hundreds of years old and monuments such as the Church of Santa María del Azogue or the Town Hall. The first is a Romanesque temple with Gothic elements and subsequent additions of every style, and the second is a unique construction with two arcaded floors and towers on both sides.
But the star attraction of Sanabria is the Castle of the Counts of Benavente. A fairytale fortress that was built on a hill, as mandated by the canons, in the middle of the fifteenth century. The numerous battles that took place in the area left the building in pieces in more than one occasion. But today the imposing appearance of the castle is the perfect icing on the cake for the architectural ensemble of this historic and beautiful town.
