Polanco – Culture, Festivals and Holiday Apartments

Polanco is home to the headquarters of the Centro de Recursos, Interpretación y Estudios en materia educativa (CRIEME), housed in the former residence of José María de Pereda. CRIEME includes reconstructed historical classrooms illustrating 19th-century schooling, the Restoration under Alfonso XIII, the Second Republic, the Franco era and the 1970 Education Act during the EGB period. Private visitors can visit the institution by prior appointment on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

This information helps you match your individual travel period with your preferred cultural or seasonal highlights.

Culture

Next to the “Cagigina” in Polanco stands a bust of José María de Pereda, inaugurated in 1929 and created by Daniel Alegre Rodrigo. José María de Pereda described the “Cagigina” in his novel “El sabor de la tierruca”. José María de Pereda’s house in Polanco is a three-storey building constructed in the 19th century in the “casa cubo” style characteristic of the period, surrounded by a well-kept and impressive garden. In the La Cochera neighbourhood stands an 18th-century Casona Montañesa, built on the initiative of Antonio Haro and Francisca de Menocal, José María de Pereda’s paternal grandparents.

History

The present-day parish church of San Pedro Advíncula in Polanco was rebuilt between 1940 and 1944 after the earlier church was destroyed by fire on 18 March 1936. A section of the ancient Via de Agripa also ran through Polanco, leading from Oruña and Rumoroso to the safe crossing at Barca de Barreda.

Traditions and Festivals

The International Choral Singing Cycle takes place annually in Polanco in October; all concerts in this cycle are held in the parish church of Polanco. The Marzas are night-time songs performed from house to house by young men and women on the last night of February and the first night of March, welcoming spring and praising the homeowners. The tradition of the Marzas in Polanco was revived in 1989; since 1990, the Asociación Sociocultural Polanco and other residents have continued the tradition to this day.

The programme of the 2026 Fiestas de San Pedro Advíncula held in Polanco included musical performances, religious events, activities for children, sports, competitions, peña gatherings, traditional cuisine and fireworks. In November, chestnuts are enjoyed in Polanco with music and dancing. The different dates and forms help you distinguish between historical sightseeing, musical events and seasonal customs.

Another local page, Mar, is included.

The landscape can also be explored through specific places: From the “Cagigona” and the bust of José María de Pereda, there is a view to the southwest of the extensive and fertile Polanco diapir. Pozo Tremeo in Rumoroso lies near Polanco, in a natural hollow at the foot of a low ridge.

For the broader travel overview: Cantabria.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Corvera De Toranzo, La Busta, Bárcena de Ebro, Selaya, Cabezón De Liébana, Peñarrubia, Santotís.