Aula· Spain, city by cityCastilla y León
León
«La catedral de León tiene hermosas vidrieras de colores.»The cathedral of León has beautiful stained glass windows.
León rises at the confluence of two rivers at the foot of the Cantabrian Mountains, where the Romans camped the seventh legion: that is where its name comes from. It was the capital of the oldest of the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula, and it preserves a Gothic cathedral with more glass surface than stone.
Did you know
One thousand seven hundred square metres of glass
The cathedral possesses over 1,700 square metres of original Gothic stained glass, among the most beautiful in Europe.
How they talk in León
«Cecina» indicates salted and cured beef, not ham. In the province, Astur-Leonese and traditional Leonese terms survive, although Castilian dominates in the city.
Everyday life in León
The tapa comes free in the «Húmedo»
In the Barrio Húmedo, with every drink you receive a tapa without paying for it, and every bar has its own: you have dinner by doing a tour of five or six places, without ever sitting down.
«Un corto y la tapa, por favor.» — A small beer and the tapa, please.
The «vidrieras» in the low sun
1,800 square metres of stained glass: you go in late, when the low sun lights them up, and it is something that the people of León do even by themselves.
«A última hora se encienden solas.» — In the last hours they light up by themselves.
The «cecina» in thin slices
The salted and smoked beef is sliced almost transparently and eaten with oil: it is bought by weight, and in homes there is almost always a piece in the fridge.
«Cecina bien fina, por favor.» — Cecina very thin, please.
What to eat in León
Cecina de León
Beef that is salted, smoked and dried for at least seven months, sliced thin like ham.
Botillo del Bierzo
Large sausage made of smoked pork ribs and tail, boiled and served with cabbage and potatoes.
Morcilla de León
Black pudding with onion, softer than the one from Burgos, which is almost spreadable.
Vino del Bierzo
Red wine from Mencía grapes from the valleys to the west: light, with the scent of red fruit.
Festivals in León
Las Cantaderas
5 October
It commemorates the tribute of the one hundred maidens that León never paid again: a girl parades as a «sotadera» and the city repeats that refusal every year.
Fiestas de San Froilán
the first days of October
Decorated floats and «pendones» parade, the banners as tall as trees that the villages carry in balance, and the «Cantaderas» repeat a medieval rite.
What to see in León
Catedral de León
The Gothic cathedral with more glass than stone: 1,800 square metres of stained glass windows.
Basílica de San Isidoro
The Panteón de los Reyes, with the vault covered in Romanesque frescoes and twenty-three kings buried underneath.
Casa Botines
The building by Gaudí from 1892, one of only three works he built outside Catalonia.
Hostal de San Marcos
One hundred metres of Plateresque facade: first a pilgrims' hospital, then a prison, today a hotel.
Where León comes from
The name comes from the legion, not the lion
29 BC
Legio VII Gemina
Camp of the seventh legion: from «legio» comes «León», and not from the animal.
910
The capital
It becomes the capital of the kingdom of León, the oldest of the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula.
1188
The Cortes
The Cortes of León meet, considered the first parliament with popular representation in Europe.
19th century → today
Coal
The mines of El Bierzo and the mountains support the economy until the end of the twentieth century.
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