6 curious and unique places to see in Burgos province

Pay attention, because we are going to propose a trip that every traveler likes, with which you understand the essence of life and, in this case, the history of the province of Burgos.

A journey through his nature, truly impressive cities and places.

Undoubtedly, the Burgos province It is one of the most interesting places in Spain to do one route by car.

Impressive nature and fairy-tale towns perfectly justify a trip through the province.

Singular places to see on a route through the province of Burgos

There are many places worth seeing, especially those that reflect what life has been like for the people of Burgos in these lands over the centuries.

In this article we want to show you some of the most interesting places, especially those that best reflect the importance of this land in the history of the Iberian Peninsula.

And we warn you that this list is full of places to take shelter on rainy days or intense heat that can occur in the province in summer.

Covarrubias, “cradle of Castile” in Burgos

And we begin our journey through one of the most special places in the province of Burgos, neither more nor less than covarrubias, birthplace of Castile.

covarrubias is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns and with more history of the Burgos province.

A place where humans have been settling for millions of years.

From the paleolithic Each and every one of the civilizations of the Iberian Peninsula have passed through, with Roman and Visigoth settlements, as can be seen in its almost extinct wall.

In a town that stands out above all today for its traditional architecture built with structures of wood and adobe.

An ideal town to visit as it is full of interesting places.

Here we leave you an article with the essential places that you have to see if you are going to visit Covarrubias.

Ojo Guareña and Hermitage of San Bernabé in Burgos

One of the most impressive places in the Burgos province, due to its geology and how humans have adapted to it, is, without a doubt, Guareña Eye.

We are talking about one of the most important karst complexes in the world, with 110 kilometers of galleries.

A place with a special magnetism for human beings for thousands of years, since in the complex they have been found archeological sites and human remains neanderthal from 46.000 years ago.

In addition, during the 70 years of exploration, up to 34 endemic species new to science have been found.

But despite the great global importance of this complex, perhaps what it is best known for Guareña Eye is for the Hermitage of San Barnabas.

Built at the entrance to the cave by hermit monks between the 7th and 8th centuries, it is a very peculiar place because of the paintings that decorate its vault.

Originally it was dedicated to Saint Tirso, Hermitage of San Barnabas It is a true gem and one of the most spectacular places in the province of Burgos.

But one visit of Ojo Guarena It would not be complete without taking a broader tour of the galleries that make it up, and for that you have to visit Palomera Cave.

Here we leave you an article where we tell you all the information about everything you need to know to visit the Ojo Guareña complex, With the Hermitage of San Barnabas and Palomera Cave.

Fuente Molinos Cave, in Puras de Villafranca

La visit to the Fuente Molinos Cave en Cigars from Villa Franca, is one of the most interesting visits that can be made in the Burgos province.

In the area between 1100 and 800 meters from the Sierra de La Demanda, the most important conglomerate cave in the world is located karstic.

A very peculiar area because in the entire area, from here to Logroño, all the valleys of this height have conglomerates.

La Ebro depression It was an inland sea, so all the deposits of the Saw of Demand They were going to stop right where they already reached the sea.

The visit to this Fuente Molinos Cave can be considered an approximation to the speleology.

The cave emerged 35 million years ago and consists of 4 and a half kilometers of galleries, but the visitable part is just over 1 kilometer.

For the visit you are fully equipped with special clothing, as well as harnesses, carabiners, helmet, lights and spare batteries to safely enjoy the experience.

To access the cave you must enter through a spectacular cat flap which gives way to some galleries through which the river runs.

This cave is very peculiar because the majority of conglomerate caves in Spain and the world do not have limestone contributions, so there is no speleothems.

However, since everything in the area is limestone, the filtered water has dissolved the limestone, which inside the cave has been transformed into calcium carbonate with CO2.

Manganese Mines, in Puras de Villafranca

But in addition to the visit of the cave, in Cigars from Villa Franca It is very worthwhile to delve into the mining activity that has given life to the area for hundreds of years.

The Puras de Villa Franca mines They have supplied manganese to half the world for many years.

Is the only Manganese mine open to the public, where you can learn the harsh working conditions for all those who exploited them.

In its day it was such an important complex that there were 18 entrances to the mine.

But the history of the exploitation of this material dates back to Roman times, since more than 1.500 years ago they already used these black veins to paint.

Some time later, the manganese It is a material that has been used to make batteries and high-strength steel; In fact, as a curiosity, the manganese from Puras de Villafranca was key in the construction of the Titanic.

El manganese and its derivatives are also used for color and discolor glass, which is why it was essential to create the stained glass windows that now decorate cathedrals.

During the visit to the mines, they demonstrate what their uses are and how this material is treated to get the most out of it.

Here information to visit both the caves and the manganese mines.

Esperanza Mine, in Olmos de Atapuercas

The town of Atapuerca It is known for its famous excavations, where some of the archaeological remains most important in the history of our ancestors.

But if it weren't for what hides inside the land of Saw of Demand, Homo Antecessor perhaps it would never have been discovered.

For the Burgos province Some faults occur that brought out highly valued materials such as iron, which the people of Burgos have been extracting for years.

And thanks to one of those excavations, the man from Atapuerta emerged to rewrite a key part of the history and evolution of human beings.

That is why a visit to the limestone mountains of Burgos, such as Sierra de Atapuerca, has very interesting points, such as Hope Mine en Elms of Atapuerca.

We all have in mind the mental image of what a mine is like, long underground tunnels supported by wooden scaffolding and with the classic iron wagon leaning on the tracks in the light of the lamp.

Well, this mine is the living image of that mining past so prolific that the Burgos province.

From 1864 to 1974, this mine was extracting óiron oxide, a garnet-colored rock that was taken to the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, where it was smelted to obtain pure iron.

The good thing about visiting this mine is that all the materials shown are authentic, not like what happens in some other mines.

After the closure of the excavation in 1974, the facility was left in ruins, until a few years ago it was decided to adapt it to open it to tourism.

Today the visit is the perfect place to understand mining.

Inside of Hope Mine have placed a mineral museum where you learn about mining in general, and about the difference and evolution of the most extracted materials in the world throughout history.

An ideal visit for all types of audiences, including children.

Heritage of Light in Hontoria, the stone of Burgos

The last stage on the route that we propose takes us to a very special place, because of the quarries of the Heritage of Light monumental complex the stones with which the building was built came out Burgos cathedral and almost all the heritage of Burgos and the north of the country.

It is known that there are more than 1.000 monuments built totally or partially with what is known as hontoria stone.

Although this must be qualified, since the land where this famous stone extends covers several municipalities, such as Cubillo, where there was that deep-rooted mining tradition, Torna said and the aforementioned Hontoria.

La Agustín mining concession from which this stone has been extracted for years, it is the largest in Castilla y León with its 855 hectares of land.

The stones from these quarries They have a peculiarity, and that is that they have a very bright white color, which made them of great value because said color matched perfectly with the concepts that came with the Gothic architecture.

Those centuries of the darkest Romanesque were left behind and the new precepts with which light brought God to the earthly were embraced, with churches and cathedrals with large windows and full of luminosity, which the stone from these quarries helped to reflect.

In the Burgos province Obviously this stone is a clear characteristic sign, as in Palencia for its cathedral.

One of the great characteristics of this stone is that it was extracted in an interior mine, it was not an open mine like most of the mines we know today.

It is a stone that is worked inside the mine under certain humidity parameters, since in these conditions it is very ductile and malleable, and when taken outside it becomes very resistant since it creates a plate and protects itself.

El Heritage of Light monumental complex en Hontoria It consists of three mining spaces, but today only two can be visited.

The first excavation was used as a quarry, later as a prison built by the prisoners of the Civil Warl, and, finally, by the army as a powder keg.

And the second quarry remains as it was left, and is where a more educational experience is lived, where the stone is touched and people can even crush stone like the old miners.

Here you have all the information to visit the monumental complex Heritage of Light, riding a Hontoria.