Bembibre

Bembibre

Bembibre is a municipality and a village located in the county of El Bierzo, region of León. It has an area of 62.69 square kilometres and its population is below 10,000 inhabitants.

It has nine population centres that are lower in scope than the municipality, known as districts or neighbourhood councils. These are minor local entities dependent on the municipality. They are as follows:

  • Arlanza
  • Bembibre
  • Labaniego
  • Losada
  • Rodanillo
  • Santibáñez del Toral
  • San Esteban del Toral
  • San Román de Bembibre
  • Viñales

The recent history of Bembibre is linked to coal mining, which fostered the economic well-being of all Bierzo region. At the end of the 90s, the mining restructuring policies forced it to redefine its activity without the mining sector, which still remains as a vestige of its industrial landscape.

Nowadays, Bembibre has a great potential as a residential city that offers its inhabitants the main services: healtheducationfoodretailculturesports and leisure activities.

Its natural environment makes it an ideal place for lovers of rural tourism, who can count on a wide offer to spend the night and carry out different activities to enjoy Bembibre and Bierzo Alto.

Public services

  • Local administration: City Council.
  • Health centres.
  • Neighbourhood councils.
  • Cultural Centre (Alto Bierzo museum, Plinii Secundi room, municipal library).
  • Local Theatre Benevivere.
  • Nursery
  • Primary, secondary and adult education centres.
  • Estadio Municipal de La Devesa (campo de fútbol, pista de atletismo y pista de tenis).
  • Sport centres: Bembibre Arena y Manuel Marqués Patarita Pavilion.
  • Indoor heated swimming pools and outdoor summer swimming pools.
  • El Barco Sport centre: two football fields, cement track, paddle tennis court, skate park.
  • BTT Circuit «Campo de las Brujas».
  • Children playgrounds.
  • Callisthenic park.
  • Retirement home.
  • Industrial triangle and business incubator.

Tourism

Bembibre is a village from the Bierzo county. It is the second largest urban settlement in the region and it is surrounded by nature and history.

Visitors can enjoy discovering its historic monuments such as San Pedro Church or the Ecce Homo Sanctuary. They should stop to admire its neomudéjar and modernist architecture of the different buildings around the village centre.

Not forgetting to visit The Palace (a palace belonging to the Alba lineage), which served as a wall against the invading attacks and an inspiration to Gil and Carrasco to write their work “The Lord of Bembibre“, whose vestige remains imposing from Bembibre entrance following the old road Nacional VI, now known as Castilla Street.

Visitors cannot miss an exciting tour of the Old Town, which includes the area of Villavieja, The Palace and Plaza Mayor, including the church of San Pedro, as well as its modernist environment to discover a past full of history.

Tapeo! The gastronomic offer of Bembibre

You cannot miss the opportunity to visit the different restaurants and bars around Bembibre and do the so-called ‘ronda’ (round) to different bars. It is also typical to get a tapa, called pincho, with your consumption.

The pinchos can be fancy or traditional, such as the Spanish omelette, which is still the ‘star’ pincho in many of these bars. There is also empanada (thin bread layer stuffed with different filings), callos tapas (tripe stew) or chickpeas stew, chorizo boiled in wine, or delicatessen as goat cheese and other elaborated dishes.

And all without forgetting the gastronomy of Bembibre, such as botillo, which is also present with some “Pinchos Days” that encourage visitors to do a tour around the participating establishments.

It should not be forgotten that, in recent years, El Bierzo in general has become an important tourist destination that continues to grow in the field of wine tourism.

Festivities

Each one of the nine districts or neighbourhood councils of Bembibre celebrates its corresponding local festivals. But the big festivals in Bembibre (municipality) are El Cristo and El Cristín (September 14th and 15th).

However, festivals such as The Exit of the Saint also stand out, which is celebrated every seven years and which includes all the populations of the Boeza river basin. Its origins do not go back to a specific time, although it is said that we must thank Saint Ecce Homo for answering the prayer of the residents of the basin in a year of extreme drought. The following edition will be in 2029.

Among these cultural manifestations, the Botillo Festival has become the main gastronomic meeting in Bembibre and in the region of León, due to its ability to mobilize more than a thousand people to taste the star dish.