Ponferrada

Ponferrada is a city in the El Bierzo comarca of Leon province, Spain, originally inhabited by the Astures, a Hispano-Celtic Gallaecian people conquered by Emperor Augustus during the Astur-Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC). Under Roman rule, the region became the Empire's largest mining centre, with the nearby Las Medulas gold mine -- now a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- as its centrepiece. The city's name derives from an iron-reinforced bridge (Pons Ferrata) built in 1082 by Bishop Osmundo to aid Santiago de Compostela pilgrims. The Templar Castle, granted by King Ferdinand II in 1178, covers approximately 16,000 square metres.