Las Medulas Nature Reserve Spain

By Author: Frederick Pollard
Total Articles: 25
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Spain has many nature reserves which act as attractions for tourists. One of the nature reserves you will find in the country is Las Medulas. This was a very crucial gold mine within the Roman Empire and it is around Pontferrada town which borders Spain with Portugal. Gold mining in Las Medulas started as early as 1st century and the Romans here used the technique of hydraulic mining to achieve their treasure.

The mining continued for two centuries after which the same Romans departed leaving the landscape here in a devastating shape. A lot has however changed on the land over the centuries and it is now quite impressive and an attraction that has made it to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. Even to date, mining operations are still ongoing in Las Medulas especially on the slopes which are not forested made up of reddish orange steep rock bits.

Las Medulas has several villages within it but unfortunately they are some of the poorest in all of Spain even though this area used to be a gold mine. It is like time suddenly stopped for the villagers as soon as the Romans left. The buildings here are dilapidated ...
... and abandoned as most people especially the young left Las Medulas villages for the bigger cities in the country. It is however still a great treasure as far as the history of Spain is concerned.

After being declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Las Medulas has started receiving tourists and the locals here are quite generous and even offer cheeses, liqueur and wine and other domestic products to their visitors. It is expected that Las Medulas could slowly rise from its ashes and become a hot spot especially for tourists as the nature reserve still is quite impressive and attractive.

When visiting Spain, it is always worth checking out Las Medulas for a stopover since it does not have much to offer but still has a rich history to it and it is always a pleasure to learn a few things about it. It is one of Spain’s many reserves and its does attracts a good number of tourists which is why it is expected that things here might change for the better. It is a part whose history is still well preserved just as is the way of life for the locals here who seem to have been passed by.

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