Logbook · 3 places

What to see and do in Arija

What to see and do in Arija (Las Merindades, Burgos): 3 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Nature · 1 Historical milestones

Towns near Arija

Spain › Castile and León › Burgos › Las Merindades › Arija

What to see and do in Arija

Arija
Village
Arija is a settlement of 115 inhabitants located at 842 metres above sea level, on the south shore of the Ebro reservoir, in the Burgos Merindades and near the border with Cantabria. Its lower quarter, known as Vilga, was built in 1906 when the Cristalería Española glassworks was set up there; it grew along with the village until the construction of the reservoir itself deprived it of its gravel and forced it to relocate to Avilés, taking most of its workers with it. The municipality of Arija was created in 1930 by splitting off from the Alfoz de Santa Gadea, to which it had belonged under the seigneurial jurisdiction of the Marquises of Cilleruelo and Aguilar. It preserves remains of the Romanesque hermitage of the Santa Cruz and the old railway bridges.
The Arija glassworks
Historical milestone
The glass factory installed in 1906 created from nothing the lower quarter of Vilga and gave life to the village until the construction of the Ebro reservoir cut off access to the gravel pits and the industry moved to Avilés.
The Ebro reservoir at Arija
Nature
The Ebro reservoir closes off the municipality of Arija to the north, on the upper course of the river, on the boundary between the Burgos district of Las Merindades and the Cantabrian district of Campoo-Los Valles; most of its water surface and of the rivers that feed it belongs to Cantabria. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Spain and the third largest by capacity in the Ebro basin, after Mequinenza and Canelles. It collects meltwater from the Cantabrian Mountains, and its gradual release in spring and summer sustains irrigation in the Ebro valley in Aragon and Catalonia while preventing flooding downstream. Designated a Site of Community Importance, it is a refuge for waterfowl, and on its shores the Hispano-Breton horse of the district is bred today.