Béjar is a town and a municipality in the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain.
The old center of the city was declared a historical-artistic complex on July 20, 1974.
Main attractions
Church of Santa María la Mayorn was reformed in the 16th century. The apse is a Romanesque Mudejar. The tower is made of granite. Classicist Baroque main altarpiece. In the Chapel of Socorro there is an image of the Virgin of Sorrows from the 17th century. It has other altarpieces and images of great value such as the Nazarene.
The forest park is one of the few surviving examples of an Italian Renaissance garden, built by the Dukes of Béjar in the 16th century as a recreational villa, with a pond, statues, a mansion and a kiosk remodeled in the 19th century (currently owned by the municipal government). It was declared an artistic garden on January 11, 1946.
Main Street: Communication axis between the old and modern areas, it houses most of the commercial network of the city. Formed by the houses predominantly from the 19th and 20th centuries, owned by the former industrial bourgeoisie, and characterized by their glass-enclosed galleries.
The Church of El Salvador, originally medieval, enlarged in 1568 and with strong reforms in the following century. For centuries it was considered the most beautiful church in the city. On February 19, 1936 it was 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.
Ducal Palace of Béjar has a Renaissance courtyard with a fountain called Venera. 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 Dona Violante, wife of Alfonso X the Wise. 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. It was declared a historical-artistic monument on June 3, 1931.
El Castañar bullring dates from 1711, when a closed bullring was built to cover the expenses of the reform and expansion of the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Castañar. It was first built in a rectangular shape. It is the most popular bullring one of those preserved in Spain. It was profoundly reformed in 1962 and was declared a Site of Cultural Interest with the category of monument on May 7, 1998.
How to get to?
From Salamanca 53 min (76.8 km) via A-66
Frm Valladolid 2 hr 11 min (201 km) via A-62 and A-66
From Madrid 2 hr 38 min (219 km) via N-110
Main information
Area: 45 sq. km (municipality)
Coordinates: 40°23′05″N 5°45′43″W
Population: 12 559
Languages: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
