Vilvestre: Old Town, Castle and Prehistoric Traces

Vilvestre’s Old Town was laid out between the 15th and 17th centuries on the slope of Cerro del Castillo.

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Culture

The Old Town preserves single-storey schist houses with small windows. This historic townscape is home to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, a 16th-century Gothic church with a granite altarpiece. The Ermita dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Castillo is an 18th-century Baroque building. In the centre of Vilvestre stands the Rollo de Justicia (“La Cruz”), a 16th-century Gothic-Manueline monument; on 14 March 1963, it was classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

The historic sites focus on different aspects: the Old Town and its religious buildings represent the townscape and architectural history, the Rollo marks a separate point in the centre, while the castle ruins, rock paintings and the collection at the Museo Casa de Los Frailes provide an archaeological perspective. The olive oil mill adds traditional olive oil production to this sequence and thus represents a craft aspect of the town.

History

The archaeological complex of Castillo de Vilvestre was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1949. Prehistoric rock paintings have been found at the archaeological site of Castillo de Vilvestre. The self-guided route through Vilvestre ends at the rear of the castle ruins, opposite the Santuario Rupestre Prehistórico. The Museo Casa de Los Frailes houses the permanent collection “La Prehistoria en Las Arribes”, comprising historically and archaeologically significant holdings deposited by Professor Luis Benito del Rey. An olive oil mill rebuilt in several phases conveys the traditional production of olive oil. The three access points—the collection, archaeological site and self-guided route—can be considered separately when planning your visit.

Nature

El Castillo in Vilvestre is one of the classic viewpoints in Las Arribes. The Centro BTT de Saucelle offers cycle route no. 6, “Camino de Vilvestre”; most of its course runs through the municipality of Vilvestre. The Marcha de senderismo Arribes del Duero takes place annually in Vilvestre on the second Sunday in March. The boat trip travels approximately 20 km upstream along the Duero through a section characterised by steep slopes, as far as the La Code landscape (Mieza), and then returns to the starting point. For your personal planning, the cycle route, hiking event and boat trip can be distinguished by activity and time commitment.

Visiting in person

The Oficina de Turismo de Vilvestre provides maps, town plans and brochures free of charge and sells walking poles and backpacks.

More destinations

More destinations include Olmedo De Camaces, Santiz, Gallegos de Solmirón, Miranda Del Castañar, Carrasco, Monleras, Béjar and Aldeanueva De La Sierra.

For the overview of the wider region: Salamanca.