page_title: Ponferrada
section_title: Main sights
hierarchical_section_title: Ponferrada / Tourism / Main sights
caption_attribution_description: Entrada del Castillo Templario de Ponferrada
context_page_description: Ponferrada is a city of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality of the Province of León, is also the capital city of El Bierzo, the only comarca recognised as administrative entity by law in the region.
  Surrounded by mountains, the city straddles the course of the Sil River. It is the last major town on the French route of the Camino de Santiago before it reaches Santiago de Compostela. In 2008, it had a population of 69,769.
context_section_description: Ponferrada lies in the Way of St. James, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and every year many pilgrims pass through the city in their way to Santiago de Compostela. Las Médulas, ancient Roman gold mines also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List, are only a few kilometres away from the city.
  Ponferrada is also noted for its Castillo de los Templarios, a Templar castle which covers approximately 16,000 square meters. In 1178, Ferdinand II of León donated the city to the Templar order for protecting the pilgrims on the Way of St. James who passed through El Bierzo in their road to Santiago de Compostela.
  The castle hosted the Knights Templar's Grand Master of Castille. However, the Templars were only able to enjoy the use of their fortress for about twenty years before the order was disbanded and its properties confiscated in 1311. Several noble houses fought over the assets until Alfonso XI allotted them to the Count of Lemos in 1340. Finally the Catholic Monarchs incorporated Ponferrada and its castle into the Crown in 1486. As with many other historical sites in Europe, many of the blocks that at one point formed the walls of the castle were removed and used in local construction projects. Extensive restoration works are ongoing.
  The Basilica de la Encina is a church built in the Renaissance style in 1573. Its baroque tower dates from 1614.
  The El Bierzo Museum (Spanish: Museo de El Bierzo) offers a tour of the history of the region and hosts several important archeological pieces, while the Museum of Radio (Spanish: Museo de la Radio) offers an interesting tour of the history of the radio in Spain. The National Energy Museum (Spanish: Museo Nacional de la Energía) is currently under construction, sponsored by the Energy City Foundation (Spanish: Fundación Ciudad de la Energía). It will include the restored building and equipment of Compostilla I, Spain's first coal-fueled power plant opened in 1949 in Ponferrada.
  The church of Santiago de Peñalba (an example of Mozarabic art), the Hermitage of Santo Tomás de las Ollas (10th century) and the Romanesque Church of Santa María de Vizbayo are also nearby.
  The highest view from the city, is the Torre de la Rosaleda, in the Roseleda district, the tallest building in Ponferrada.
caption: Facade of the Templar Castle, built in the 12th century.
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