Miranda del Castañar is a city and a municipality in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain.
Since 2017 the city has been a part of the network “The most beautiful villages of Spain“.
Main attractions
The old town was declared a historical-artistic complex – antecedent to the figure of an asset of cultural interest in the category of “historical complex” – on March 8, 1973.
The town sits on a hill surmounted by a castle with walled enclosure, that still conserves its four gates. To the south and east are the Puerta del Postigo and Puerta de San Ginés, respectively.
To the west, that of Nuestra Señora de la Cuesta, patron saint of the town, whose festival is celebrated between September 8 and 9. And, to the north, the Puerta de la Villa.
The castle of the Zúñiga or the Counts of Miranda del Castañar: the castle, located to the east, is one of the best preserved in the province, and is distributed along an irregular trapezoidal plan, with towers at the corners, where mullioned windows open.
The path of the prodigies is a circular route of around 11 km in length, with an accumulated difference of 475 m and a maximum altitude of 821 m that starts from Miranda del Castañar and passes through Villanueva del Conde to finish again in Miranda del Chestnut. It also has some secondary roads along the route.
In some of them you can find architectural works such as the bridge over the San Benito stream. In it you can see works by the artists Félix Curto, Alfredo Omaña, Marcos Rodríguez and Pablo S. Herrero.
Others:
The bullring and old parade ground of the castle (the oldest square in Spain).
Surrounding streets, the spine of the best preserved old town in Spain.
The complete wall of the historic center. Its construction started at the beginning of the 13th century, Miranda del Castañar is one of the few towns that conserves its entire wall intact and complete (with its four gates oriented to the four cardinal points).
The night watch, a charming interior alley close to the wall, which passes under the houses where the night watchmen used to watch over the safety of their neighbors.
City-free bell tower with stunning views.
The hermitage of the Virgen de la Cuesta, patron saint of Miranda del Castañar, very well preserved and with spectacular views of the Peña de Francia.
The alhóndiga, public house or royal site where the grain of the neighbors and / or farmers was weighed, bought, sold and stored with the king’s weights and measures and whose purpose was to help them in times of scarcity, today the seat of the town hall.
La casa del Escribano The most beautiful of the stately homes of Miranda del Castañar.
La Carnicería Real, a rare example of ancient architecture for civil use with a counter facing the street and an old slaughterhouse at the back.
The House of the Priest.
How to get to?
From Salamanca 1 hr 11 min (77.6 km) via CL-512 and SA-205
From Valladolid 2 hr 29 min (201 km) via A-62
From Madrid 3 hr 3 min (249 km) via N-110
Main information
Area: 21 sq. km (municipality)
Coordinates: 40°29′03″N 5°59′50″W
Population: 385
Languages: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
