Bejar is a city located in the south of the Salamanca province in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. It was declared a historical-artistic complex in 1974, under the regime of Francisco Franco.
Situation and history
Béjar is located 72 kilometers from the city of Salamanca, and 60 from the city of Plasencia. It is nestled in a valley on the northwestern slope of the Sierra de Béjar, in a particularly beautiful environment for the chestnut forests and for the views mainly to the North and the West (Sierra de Francia).
The city is located very close to the Duero - Tajo watershed. Since ancient times it has been a natural passage between the two plateaus, being one of the main towns of the Silver Route.
There are vestiges of the Iberian tribe of the Vetones. At the beginning of the 1st century BC, Béjar passed into the hands of the Romans. In 713 the city was conquered by the Berbers, who temporarily occupied the city, and turned it into a bastion. In the 11th century, King Alfonso VI of León and Castilla conquered it again. It had its own jurisdiction, and very soon a textile tradition arose due to the confluence of the gorges of Burgos and León and the quality of the waters of the River Body of Man. At the end of the 17th century the Dukes of Béjar brought Flemish master weavers, which would give rise to an industry specialized in cloth. It was an important nucleus of the textile industry during the 19th century, although it suffered from cyclical crises until at the end of the 20th century it was greatly reduced. Today it is an administrative, commercial and tourist center.
To get
It is reached through the Autovía de la Plata A-66 from Salamanca or from Cáceres by car or regular buses. It can also be accessed, if you come from Madrid, through a conventional road that connects Madrid with Béjar, crossing the Sierra de Gredos; however, this road is in very bad condition and it is preferable to get to Salamanca and from there go to Béjar.
Drive around the city
Béjar is a city to discover on foot, with a layout of the old town influenced by the various cultures that have lived. You can park in the center, in the Plaza Santa Teresa area, next to the Engineering School, and enjoy the city on foot. There is an urban bus line.
Watch
- The entire old part of the city has houses and palaces, with abundant elements of popular mountain architecture.
- The Wall It extends through the southern and western part of the city, and part of the East. From it there are splendid views of both the mountains that surround the city and the Hurdes and towards Portugal. Its origin is very old, it was reinforced in the Arab period, and the configuration that we see today is medieval.
- Pilar and San José Church built around the 60-70 of the 20th century in Italian neo-Romanesque style. Its interior is colorful due to the mosaics that decorate it. It is one of the most beautiful churches in Béjar, not only because of its construction, but also because it is nestled in the foothills of the Tomillar from where the city can be seen. In the sacristy there is a Christ of the Agony, a direct youth carving made by Mateo Hernández and in the main chapel a head of Christ, also made by the same sculptor and which was owned by Don Emilio Muñoz, sponsor of this church.
- Monument to the Sacred Heart, inaugurated in 1929 and carried out by popular subscription in the Castañar. It is the work of the great Madrid sculptor Ángel García.
- Church of San Juan Bautista, built in the thirteenth century, of whose Romanesque origin it preserves the apse and the watchtower-tower. Enlarged in the 16th century. Inside, the wooden ceiling (16th century) and the images of San Francisco de Asís and the bust of Ecce-Homo and La Dolorosa, among others, and quality canvases are preserved. In front of it in the so-called Parapet are the processional steps, most of the 20th century, including the Calvary of González Macías.
- Main Street, communication axis between the old and modern areas, it houses most of the commercial network of the city. Formed by houses predominantly from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, owned by the former industrial bourgeoisie, and characterized by their glazed galleries.
- Museum of the sculptor Mateo Hernández, installed on the site of what was the Hospital and church of San Gil, of which only its apse and its main portal are preserved. Its museum is dedicated to the Bejarano sculptor Mateo Hernández, although inside you can also admire works by other sculptors such as González Macías and Pérez Comendador.
- San Gil tower, at the end of Calle Mayor.
- Town hall, (16th century), with city coats of arms. Its Renaissance façade is made up of two galleries with semicircular arches, on columns with sculpted capitals and decorated with medallions and shields.
- Church of El SalvadorOriginally medieval, it preserves the apse and the first body of the bell tower from the time of its construction. Enlarged in the 16th century and with major renovations in the following century, the 18th century was its most brilliant time. For centuries it was considered the most beautiful church in the city. On February 19, 1936 it was set on fire, leaving only the walls standing and its interesting coffered ceiling disappearing as well as the altarpiece, images and a large part of the archive. It was rebuilt with the additions of the side choirs. Inside, the processional passage of Nuestro Padre Jesús de las Victorias by the Bejarano author Francisco González Macías is noteworthy.
- Palace of the Zúñiga,, also known as the Dukes, or simply the Castle. The Dukes of Béjar (to one of whom, Alonso Diego López de Zúñiga y Sotomayor, Cervantes dedicated his edition of Don Quixote). It is built on an old Muslim citadel of which the 2 towers remain. It has a Renaissance courtyard with a beautiful Plateresque fountain called Venera, and an elegant staircase. It is very sober. On the spandrels you can see the shields with the letters F and G (Francisco and Guiomar, who were the ones who rebuilt it). Its first owner was Queen Violante, wife of Alfonso X the Wise, who took it as a wedding dowry. Today it houses the Ramón Olleros Gregorio Institute of Secondary Education and Baccalaureate. In one of the towers the dark chamber is located, from which you can see the entire city, as well as the Sierra de Béjar and the natural environment.
- Panoramic view from the Mirador del Duque, located a little below the Doge's Palace. At the moment it is surrounded by modern buildings, although it has some banks open towards the chestnut grove and the Sierra de Béjar. The old railway station of the Seville-Gijón line is also contemplated, as well as the layout of the track. This railway turned a little above the station and crossed Béjar from side to side through a tunnel.
- Jewish quarter, behind the palace. It has interesting examples of houses.
- Church of Santa María la Mayor, dating from the thirteenth century, time of repopulation. It was reformed in the 16th century. The apse is Romanesque Mudejar and is preserved from the original construction. The tower is made of granite and the last body is a bell tower. Classicist Baroque main altarpiece dedicated to the owner of the church. In the Chapel of Socorro there is the image of the Virgen de las Angustias from the seventeenth century. It has other altarpieces and images of great value such as the Nazarene. It has an interesting organ built around 1711, of which only the furniture remains and which was restored in the 1980s.
- Jewish Museum "David Melul", installed in a manor house with Gothic reminiscences next to the church of Santa María. It shows objects related to the history of the Jewish people in Béjar, as well as a model of the town in the 15th century.
- Church of Santiago or La Antigua. It is the oldest in the city (12th century). It now houses the Whitewashed Apse Sacred Art Museum. Simple tower. Inside are important pieces such as the Reclining Christ made of limestone (16th century), the painting of the Virgen de la Antigua (15th century), the main altarpiece from the 18th century, graves, sculptures, liturgical clothing, ...
- Parque de la Antigua, near the church of the same name, next to the walls.
- Moss Man Monument by the sculptor Ricardo Martín Vázquez. Legend has it that: "In the Middle Ages, when the Arabs were masters of the city, the Christians laid siege and managed to enter covered with moss and advancing little by little so that they could be mistaken for bushes". The gate in the wall through which they entered is called the Gate of Betrayal. They celebrate this event by dressing in moss every year and representing the feat on Corpus Christi day.
- The forest It is one of the few examples of an Italian Renaissance garden that is preserved, built by the Dukes of Béjar in the 16th century as a recreational village, with a pond, statues, a palace and a kiosk remodeled in the 19th century (currently owned by the municipality). It is located at the exit to Salamanca.
- Monument to the Martyrs of Freedom September 28, 1868 By the Bejarano artist Ricardo Martín Vázquez.
- Convent of San Francisco and `Valeriano Salas Museum, restored. It has a collection of Spanish and European painting from the 19th century. In the cloister the shields of the Zúñiga can be seen as decoration, with the ducal crown and the letters F M A (Francisco and Mª Andrea de Guzmán, daughter of the Counts of Niebla, 16th century). There are also the shields of the Seraphic Order, with a cross in the center of 2 arms, one naked and the other with the sleeve of the Franciscan habit and in the hands, the stigmata.
- Sanctuary of the Virgen del Castañar, patron saint of Béjar. It is in a wooded area, with a predominance of chestnut trees. It is a place where it is customary to go for a snack. The Virgin was found by a shepherd in a wooden box, next to a chestnut tree. With the discovery, the plague that devastated the town ended.
- Fountain of the Wolf, in the middle of the climb to Castañar. There is a large recreation area with picnic areas and viewpoints over the city. The fountain is one of the coolest and quietest places in the town.
- Bullring, built in the seventeenth century, in a polygonal shape, first in wood, to be built in stone between 1704 and 1711 with an octagonal shape. It is the oldest round bullring in Spain. It replaced another wooden square that already existed in 1667. Inside there is a Bullfighting Museum. You can visit the entire square.
- Sierra de Béjar, foothills of the Central System, declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, has places of great beauty and a ski resort called La Covatilla, which is reached by leaving Béjar towards the port of Vallejera.
- River Body of Man Y Textile Factories RouteWithin the Sierra de Béjar, in the place known as Hoyamoros, the river Body of Man is born, which flows into the river Alagón, therefore belonging to the Tagus Hydrographic Confederation. Its water, with a very low lime content, made it very suitable for sizing cloth. Nowadays, a walk has been set up to admire the buildings of the old cloth factories.
- Cervantes Theater, built in the late 19th century
- Garden of Olivillas or de la Solana. Historic garden, with private access. It has been preserved intact from its origin. It is believed to date from the early 19th century. Its structure is very similar to that of the Granada carmenes.
Visit
Once we arrived in Béjar, and located in the Plaza de la Corredera, we left the Calle Mayor, going up slightly, observing the houses and mansions. Calle Mayor has different names depending on the section.
Reaching the Plaza Mayor, with porticoes on two of its sides, we can see the town hall with its Renaissance façade. In front of it, the church of El Salvador, and just behind the esplanade of the Palace of the Dukes, today an institute. On the right, there are good views over the Sierra de Francia. A small detour to the left and a slight descent takes us to the viewpoint of the Duque, where you can admire the forests of the Sierra, Peña de la Cruz and Peña Negra.
Continuing from the Palace of the Dukes, we enter the Jewish quarter, and we pass by the churches of Santa María la Mayor and Santiago.
At the end of the street, we find the statue to the Man of Moss and the Antigua park, which occupies the western vertex of the wall. From there the views are excellent, both of the landscape and of the highway viaduct, a work of modern engineering. Looking down, you can see an old textile factory, La Estambrera, in perfect condition.
A typical walk in Béjar is to ascend on foot or by car to the Sanctuary of Castañar. Shortly after starting you will find the statue of the Sacred Heart and a little higher up the source of the Wolf. If you wish to continue, in a few minutes you will reach Llano Alto, from where you can see Candelario and the Sierra de Béjar.
If you don't have that much time, you can take a walk to Monte Mario, where the church of Pilar and San José is located.
To get to know the city, it is worth learning about the history of textile activity in it for more than eight centuries. The textile activity begins around small artisan businesses and work in workshops. Later the impulse of the Dukes with the construction at popular request of the (now lost) "Tinte del Duque", a 13th century factory closely linked to the Renaissance town of El Bosque through the hydraulic system, so that after bathing the ponds and gardens of the first, served the second. In the neighborhood of La Antigua, where residents are fighting for its rehabilitation through the Richard H. Driehaus international architecture competition, we find numerous houses where small workshops were located, this being the founding neighborhood of the old town. Also there, in front of the main church of the city "Santa María la Mayor" we find the Real Fábrica de Paños de Diego López, which receives this designation after the royal permits granted to be able to carry out its activity and break the monopoly of the Ducal House. With the development of the machinery and the arrival of teachers to the city who brought new techniques, the boom of this activity is experienced, it is the moment when the activity moves to the banks of the River Body of Man, taking advantage of its waters to obtain of energy and the performance of various production processes. From this time we have a great legacy. You can know about the aforementioned, the textile museum and walk the route of the factories. Where, not only the tall chimneys and the enormous size of the buildings surprise the visitor. It is nature, the modification of it for productive purposes and sustainable measures, and the rugged terrain that together with the material heritage make this a magical place, which would still be incredible, is enriched by the immaterial legacy linked to it. The textile techniques that still remain in the city today, the quotations of great writers, or the memory of great revolutions for the achievement of rights complete, now yes. This walk through the history of a city that was predominantly industrial and sees its current problem there.
Excursions
- One of the typical excursions, by car or on foot, is to go up to Llano Alto and from there, along a passable track for vehicles that leaves to the right of the road, to the Peña de la Cruz (1380 m). Right next to the rock there is a huge scree (rock with rounded edges) that is spectacularly held by a single point at its base.
- The ascent to Peña Negra (1635 m) is another of the usual excursions. A little before reaching the Peña de la Cruz there is a track to the left. In about 1 hour the highest area is reached. There you can see the mountain meadows, where the vegetation is gaining ground due to the abandonment of livestock. The last meters are a path between rocks, and it is typical to climb the scree that forms the top. There is a forest fire guardhouse.
- Another visit of interest is the town of Candelario, 4 km away. It can be reached by car or on foot crossing the mountain.
- 3 km along the SA-515 you reach La Calzada de Béjar, along which the Roman road runs and it is possible to see columns, a well and a fountain from that time.
- Montemayor del Rio, 18 km away, with a castle and the Malena bridge that spans the river Body of Man in a spectacular setting. On it the Roman road passed, and walking a little you can see some of its sections. Very close to the river there is a milestone, a stone column that marks the distance of a thousand steps.
To buy
The most notable typical products of the area are those obtained from the Iberian pig, which is raised in the great meadows of Salamanca and Extremadura. You can also buy beans from El Barco and typical sweets.Another of the typical products of the area is the Bejarana layer, and cloth in general, in addition to the charro silverware, which is produced in the workshops of local artisans, crosses, bracelets, pendants, earrings, all of them with the charro button, as the main ornamental motif.There are also ceramics and chestnut wood crafts.
To eat
- Calderillo, typical stew of potatoes and beef seasoned with red pepper, onion and bay leaf.
- Scrambled potatoes, potatoes cooked with paprika and torreznos.
- Zorongollo, salad of red peppers and roasted tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with a dressing of olive oil, garlic and salt.
- The lemons, salad of oranges, lemon, boiled or fried egg and chorizo seasoned with sugar, salt, olive oil and a splash of red wine.
- hornazo, bun anise stuffed with chorizo.
- perrunillas, typical sweet to accompany coffee.
- Sweet hoof with an oval shape, and a yolk base, reminiscent of the hooves of horses.
- Other sweets such as huesillos and empiñonados.
Fairs and parties
- September 8, feast of the Virgin of the Castañar. She is the patron saint of Béjar and La Garganta (nearby town), and it is the day of the Béjar festival. A novena is held the previous days, and a pilgrimage that accompanies the Virgin from her Sanctuary to the Mirador de la Virgen located 100 meters below.
- '''Corpus Christi''': procession of great roots in Béjar, promoted since the 14th century by the lords of Béjar. It is characterized by being a sample of the powers of the city. The Moss Men parade in it, escorting the flag of Spain, a festival of National Tourist Interest since 2010.
- Easter in Béjar: It has been celebrated in the city for more than 600 years. For a week the city is filled with passion:
- Friday of Pain: Stations of the Cross of Antigua (Hermandad de Jesús Nazareno and Ntra. Sra. De las Angustias).[1]
- Palm Sunday: Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Santa Vera Cruz).
- Holy Monday: Stations of the Cross (Santa Vera Cruz).
- Holy Tuesday: Procession of Our Lady of Soledad Santa Vera Cruz and brothers of the Brotherhood of the Soledad of Salamanca).
- Holy Wednesday: Procession of Silence with Ntro. Father Jesús Nazareno (Brotherhood of Jesus Nazareno and Our Lady of Sorrows).
- Holy Thursday: Procession of Our Lady of Sorrows (Hermandad de Jesús Nazareno and Our Lady of Sorrows).
- Good Friday: Children's Procession of Jesus of Passion (Brotherhood of Jesus Nazareno and Ntra. Sra. De las Angustias).
- Good Friday: General procession of the Holy Burial (Santa Vera Cruz).
- Glory Saturday: Procession of the Encounter (Jesus risen-Santa Vera Cruz) and Our Lady of Mercy (Brotherhood of Jesus Nazareno and Our Lady of Sorrows).
The Santa Vera Cruz is one of the oldest brotherhoods in Spain, its foundation dates from the year 1411.
- September 29th: San Miguel, also called the Big Fair.
- May Fairs: first weekend. Fair of cattle and horses.
- Spanish Film Festival of Béjar. It has been celebrated for more than 10 years the first week of August.
- Music Festival of the Three Cultures. Since the declaration of the Corpus Christi procession as a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest, this festival of music of the three cultures that Muslim, Jewish and Christian lived together has been celebrated in the city.
- Calderillo Day. More than 30 editions celebrating this gastronomic festival on the second Sunday of August, where thousands of servings to taste the typical Bejarano dish are delivered to all who go up to the Castañar to this peculiar tradition. It is celebrated in August, often alongside the Absent Bejarano Day.
- International Blues Festival. It has been celebrated for several years in the Plaza de Toros del Castañar. In August.
- Antigua Rock Festival. Its first edition in 2008.
- Abejarock solidarity festival It has been held since 2009. Renowned group such as Barricada perform at this festival. Held in August in the city's bullring. All the funds obtained are delivered to an NGO
- Lale Cubino cycling tour, held in June, with a mountainous route through the Sierra de Francia.
Go out
In the Corredera and the surroundings there are tapas bars and also nightlife areas.
Sleep
Throughout the area there are numerous accommodation in the form of hotels, apartments and rural houses.
- Hotel Colon (near the Corredera).
- The Count's Garden
- Hospedería Real de Béjar
- Hotel Casa Beletri (at the exit to Plasencia).
- Hotel Los Duques
- Valdesierra Apartment
- Hostal La Antigua Posada del Peso
- Hostal Riofrio (leaving for the port of Vallejera, in the term of Palomares).
- Blazquez Residence
- Youth hostel (in Llano Alto).
Surroundings
- calendar, beautiful town of sierra, 5 km.
- Boils, with a well-known Jewish quarter, 25 km.
- Ski resort La Covatilla, 12 km. You can ascend by car to almost the highest part of the Sierra, from where you can see Gredos. It is a typical ascent for cyclists.
- The swimming pool, typical town, 40 km. From it you can access the Sierra of France.
- Rodrigo City (Monumental complex) 80 km down a picturesque road. If you want more comfort, you can get there by highway taking a detour through Salamanca.
- Montemayor Baths, where there is a prestigious thermal water spa, 15 km.
- Las Hurdes, a mountainous region with beautiful rural landscapes.
- The Jerte Valley, whose cherry blossoms cover the valley in white in late March and early April.
- The farm, where there is a natural swimming pool equipped for bathing, with steps and shade, very popular in summer, 25 km away.
- Salamanca, monumental complex of high historical value, 70 km
- San Felices de los Gallegos, in the Arribes del Duero area.
- Estremadura, where cities such as Cáceres Y Merida.
References
See also
Wikipedia has an article on Bejar.w: Béjar
Wikimedia Commons houses multimedia content about Bejar. Commons
