Fuentes Nuevas on the Camino
Fuentes Nuevas, or Fuentesnuevas, lies 4.5 km from Ponferrada, at 511 metres above sea level, between Camponaraya and Columbrianos. The Camino crosses it along its main street, passing the hermitage of the Divino Cristo.
What to see in Fuentes Nuevas?
History
It is a village of medieval origin. For centuries the council of Ponferrada and the monastery of Carracedo went to law over the Fabero pasture, between Ponferrada and Carracedelo, which shows how valuable these lands were.
Population
With about 2,600 residents, it is today a residential district of the Ponferrada area.
Economy
Although the city has gained ground, vegetable plots, flowers, greenhouses and vineyards survive, along with some cattle.
The Cantalobos industrial estate
The Cantalobos industrial estate, one of the first in the district, provides work for much of the area.
Services
Fuentes Nuevas has the services of a city:
- Hospital del Bierzo, the district’s main hospital.
- Care home for the elderly.
- Secondary school and primary school.
- Health centre, pharmacy and civic centre.
- Sports hall and municipal swimming pools.
Several city bus lines link it with Ponferrada.
Corners of the village
The residents keep place names with a long history:
- La Cogolla, a former communal oak wood.
- El Cachapón, a traditional bathing spot.
- La cuesta de la iglesia, where the village began.
- La fuente de los Perales, with its washhouse.
- Valdemolín, where there was a mill.
- El Poblado, houses for the families displaced by the Bárcena reservoir.
Religious buildings
- Church of Nuestra Señora, with an 18th-century altarpiece and a stork’s nest on the tower.
- Hermitage of the Divino Cristo, Baroque, from 1662, beside the Camino.
Language
Spanish is spoken, but with a strong Galician accent, the legacy of centuries of ties with western El Bierzo.
Traditions
In autumn the magosto is celebrated, with roast chestnuts and music.
Festivities
- Corpus Christi (June), at the hermitage of the Cristo.
- Nuestra Señora and San Roque (August), with:
- Sardine festival.
- Procession of Light, with candles through the streets at nightfall.
In short
Fuentes Nuevas is more district than village, with the Bierzo hospital and every service, but it keeps its hermitage of the Cristo and its age-old festivities.
| Country | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous community | Castilla y León | |
| Province | Province of León | |
| Comarca | El Bierzo | |
| Municipality | Ponferrada | |
| Location | 42°34′39″N 6°38′41″W | |
| Elevation | 511 m | |
| Population | 2,659 (2023) | |
| Demonym | fuentesnuevino, fuentesnuevina | |
| Postal code | 24411 | |