Discover Begonte: Camino del Norte, Culture and Nature

The Camino del Norte to Santiago passes through Begonte. In the parish of Baamonde stands the Igrexa Parroquial de Santiago de Baamonde in Begonte, on the Camino del Norte.

Pilgrimage Route and Culture

El Belén de Begonte depicts a traditional Galician nativity scene with electronically animated figures. The scene shows farmers cultivating the land, shepherds tending the livestock, carpenters at work and fishermen fishing. El Belén de Begonte was founded in 1972 by José Domínguez Guizán and José Rodríguez Varela.

The Casa-Museo de Víctor Corral in Baamonde presents the work of the internationally renowned sculptor Víctor Corral. Víctor Corral built the Casa-Museo himself, stone by stone. Its walls incorporate distinctive carvings that shape both the interior and the exterior garden area.

Inside the hollow of the Castiñeiro da Capela, Víctor Corral carved a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. The Castiñeiro da Capela is 12.5 metres high and has a hollow trunk with an opening more than 2 metres high.

Milling Culture

The CIPC Muíño do Pan de Baamonde preserves an old mill as tangible ethnographic heritage. The mill complex was built on the banks of the Río Parga and has a weir and a millpond. The water stored in the millpond provides the driving force for the water wheels. The interaction of the weir, millpond and water wheels makes the technical power-transmission chain within the complex comprehensible.

At the CIPC Muíño do Pan de Baamonde, Galician intangible heritage is presented through the world of mills and their traditions. The sociocultural context conveyed includes Baamonde as it was when the mill was in operation. The preserved mill building connects the tangible evidence of the old complex with the traditional knowledge about its use in Baamonde. In this way, the building, water system and the milling traditions presented all belong to the same cultural context of Baamonde’s local milling history.

From 15 June to 15 September, the CIPC Muíño do Pan de Baamonde is open daily from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Outside this period or these hours, the centre opens for groups by prior appointment. Daily opening therefore applies during the stated summer season, while groups outside this framework require a prior arrangement.

The Torre de Camarasa has been classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1994.

Other Places

Other places include Alence, O Corgo, Ferreira De Pantón, Valbón, Chamoso, Lagoa, Caldelas and Adelán.

Nature

The Parga-Ladra-Támoga natural area forms part of Begonte’s natural heritage. It is designated as a Site of Community Importance within the Natura 2000 network.

The Área Recreativa do Río Parga in Baamonde is part of the protected Parga-Ladra-Támoga area. The Área Recreativa do Río Parga in the parish of Baamonde, Begonte, lies on the Camino del Norte.

To the main travel overview: Lugo.