Las Médulas In León, A Trip To The Past

In El Bierzo, León, to the northwest of the Aquilanos Mountains and next to the Sil river valley, we can see this magnificent landscape declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. In it you can find all the characteristic elements of the peninsular northwest integration in the Roman Empire. Its well-preserved heritage is testimony to this historical process.

History of Las Médulas

Las Médulas have great historical significance in the exploitation of resources and in the ways of life of local communities in ancient times. It is considered to be the largest open pit mine in the entire Roman Empire.

Las Médulas is one of the best examples of the profound changes that Roman gold mining brought to the communities that inhabited the northwest of the Peninsula. All its transformations from the past can be seen today in a practically fossil landscape, which gave way to the beautiful image we see today.

This gigantic work of engineering forever transformed the mountains of León, creating an unrepeatable landscape. The Romans excavated and modeled these mountains of red earth for almost two centuries  and extracted more than 800 tons of gold from their entrails.

To achieve this, they designed a giant and complicated system of pipes, which made it possible to take advantage of the power of the water through galleries, lakes and tunnels. Over time these clay mountains collapsed creating the incredible place we see today.

What to see and do in Las Médulas

Archaeological Classroom

It is an excellent place to start your visit to Las Médulas and is located at the entrance to the town of the same name. Here you can find models and projections that explain everything about the complex process of gold extraction and how this mine and its engineering work changed the landscape and the lives of the nearby towns.

Walks

The walks and itineraries on foot, by bicycle or even on horseback are the best way to get to know and understand the landscape. There are well-marked paths with little unevenness through which you can visit the caves and caves where gold was extracted and places such as Lake Carucedo.

You can also run into ancient Roman metallurgical towns  such as Orellán, and even Asturian forts such as Castrelín de San Juan de Paluezas and Borrenes.

The lake of Carucedo

The Carucedo lake was created artificially to avoid the obstruction of the Sil River with the huge tons of clay washed away from the gold mine. It has a perimeter of approximately 4 kilometers and 9 meters deep.

It is an ideal place for fun and recreation, it is also a breeding ground for eels and wild ducks. It is said that it was the fish reserve of the Cerracedo monks, who did not eat meat.

La Cuevona and La Encantada

These caves of impressive dimensions are the product of the action of water and are part of the network of tunnels, galleries and wells that allowed the mining of the mountain and, later, its collapse. In them you can still see the marks that the miners’ picks left on its walls almost 2,000 years ago.

Orellán viewpoint

After hiking, the ideal is to reach the Orellán viewpoint, where you will find an impressive panoramic view of the vast territory that these open-pit mines once covered.

It cannot be reached by car, it is left in a parking lot and from there it goes up about 600 meters up a somewhat steep slope. But the effort is worth it, especially at sunset, when the play of colors is a beautiful spectacle.

Do not leave Las Médulas without tasting the typical products of the area, such as botillo, sausages, legumes, peppers or the dish known as cocido maragato, which will seduce all your senses.

Las Médulas is a beautiful place to visit. You will love the stunning scenery that this Roman mine became. A place that you cannot miss.