Puebla de Sanabria: Castle, City Walls and River Loop

Puebla de Sanabria lies in an elevated river loop surrounded by the confluence of the Tera and Castro rivers. Puebla de Sanabria is designated as a Historic-Artistic Site. The historic centre includes houses with coats of arms on their façades, carved corbels, glazed galleries and wrought-iron work.

Culture and History

The Castle of Puebla de Sanabria was built between 1477 and 1482 on the orders of the 4th Counts of Benavente, Rodrigo Alonso Pimentel and María de Pacheco. The city walls of Puebla de Sanabria were built at the same time as the first castle, in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Torre del Homenaje of the Castle of Puebla de Sanabria houses the Centro de las Fortificaciones, which provides historical information about everyday life in castles during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Azogue preserves a 13th-century baptismal font with carved figures on its front. The façade of the Ermita de San Cayetano features a double scallop-shell rosette referring to the Way of Saint James in its south-western Mozarabic-Sanabrian variant, which passes through the region. The upper part of the Castle of Puebla de Sanabria offers views over the town and the surrounding sierras. Admission tickets for the Castle of Puebla de Sanabria can be purchased online.

Construction history, defensive architecture, sacred details, pilgrim symbols and views are distinct focal points that you can consider separately or combine when planning your own day.

Traditions

The Gigantes and Cabezudos of Puebla de Sanabria parade through the town on 7 September as the prelude to the main festival and on 8 September in a solemn procession with the Virgin. The Museo de Gigantes houses the Association of the Gigantes and Cabezudos of Puebla de Sanabria, with 11 giants and 38 giant-head figures.

The Mercado Medieval takes place throughout the Historic-Artistic Site within the city walls and around the castle. It has been held once a year since the 1990s, around 15 August. The September and August dates can be used as separate reference points for planning your own trip.

Geographical Setting

The station building at Puebla de Sanabria features regional architecture with large stone blocks and broad, overhanging slate roofs. In the area around the Parque Natural Lago de Sanabria y sierras Segundera y de Porto, there are numerous hiking trails where you can explore the effects of glaciers on the landscape.

Architecture, festival culture and nature trails are clearly distinct themes that you can weigh differently depending on your preferred focus. When comparing a holiday apartment in Puebla de Sanabria, you can check the travel dates, room category and cancellation policies on the respective listing pages and compare this information with your own travel plans.

For a broader overview, you can also open the following places: Morales De Toro, Santa María De La Vega, Congosta, Porto, Villamor De Los Escuderos, Piedrahita De Castro, San Vitero, La Tuda.

For the higher-level travel overview: Zamora.