Logbook · 5 places

What to see and do in La Alberca

What to see and do in La Alberca (Sierra de Francia, Salamanca): 5 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Historical milestones

Towns near La Alberca

Spain › Castile and León › Salamanca › Sierra de Francia › La Alberca

What to see and do in La Alberca

La Alberca
Village
La Alberca, in the Salamanca Sierra de Francia, is a village of about 1,034 inhabitants which in 1940 was the first in Spain declared a historic-artistic site, and which has belonged since 2014 to the association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain. Its name comes from the Arabic “albírka,” pool, and beneath part of its built-up area lies a pre-Roman hillfort. Resettled between the 12th and 13th centuries by Alfonso IX of León, it received a notable French contingent, hence the French place names of the comarca. According to tradition, in 1465 the women of the village defeated Portuguese troops and seized a banner from them that is still preserved, a victory celebrated every Easter Sunday. During its August festivities La Loa is performed, a popular play mixing the religious and the profane.
Spain's first historic ensemble
Monument
La Alberca was in 1940 the first Spanish village declared a Monumento Histórico-Artístico (Spain's heritage designation in force between 1931 and 1985), which saved its centre of timber framing and overhangs. Since 2014 it also appears in the association of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain.
The church and tower of the dukes
Monument
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was completed in 1733, the same year as the new cathedral of Salamanca, and holds a polychrome granite pulpit from the sixteenth century. Its tower, paid for by the first Dukes of Alba, is two centuries older.
The victory of the women of La Alberca
Historical milestone
Tradition tells that in 1465 the women of the village defeated the Portuguese troops of the Prior of Crato and took their banner from them, which is still preserved. The feat is celebrated on the second day of Easter.
The valley of Las Batuecas
Nature
Declared a historic site on 27 April 2000, this enclosed valley inspired Lope de Vega with the refuge of two lovers fleeing the Court. In it opens the Canchal de las Cabras Pintadas, a rock shelter with rock art protected since 25 April 1924.