Historical Zamora
This city is located in the Castilla y Leon region, with Portugal on its west, Leon and Galicia at its north and Salamanca at its south. It is an ancient kingdom which has seen many battles and now boasts of castles and temples, besides its natural beauty of rivers, lakes and serene nature spots.
It is an idyllic place to enjoy some wine and cheese while taking in its history and traditions.
What’s to see in Zamora?
There are plenty of charming Romanesque churches, castles, fortresses and stone walls in surrounding towns of Fermoselle, la Hiniesta, Benavente and Puebla de Sanabria.
One can even visit the breath-taking Sanabria lake or Toro to sample the delectable locally produced Spanish wines. Amazing crafts and pottery are easily available in Pereruela while nature lovers can check out Villafáfila which is a bird haven, Culebra Mountains with distinctive wolf-like landscape, trekking the refreshing river banks of the Duero River for the more adventurous.
Zamora is famed for the Holy week processions with every local involved. It may not be full of tourists as other Spanish cities; nevertheless, it holds a charm of its own with a unique ‘autonomous community’ lifestyle with the original Spanish language known as the Castilian language.
There are more than 20 Romanesque churches with amazing architecture and history in Zamora alone which date back to the Roman era.
History of Zamora
The Iberian Peninsula was a constant struggle between the Moors and the Christians for centuries until the Kingdom of Asturias wrenched Zamora out of the Moorish hands through the Christian warriors once and for all between the 8th-11th centuries. King Henry IV honored Zamora with ‘the most noble and loyal’ city.
Zamora has been embattled with many wars between peoples, kings and heirs, and foreign invasions. Its involvement in so many battles has endeared it ‘the city of Romanesque’ or ‘the well protected’ (la bien cercada) as it had three walls for defense during the 11th-13th centuries. These can be still seen today in Zamora as proof of its battles.
The Gate of Treason is another proof of the sieges that this city endured, besides the Roman bridges, river and stone walls and high defensive towers.
Impressive Historical Sights
The famous Cathedral of Zamora with the Castle-Fortress remains from the 12th century is an architectural masterpiece imprinting its Romanesque past. At the south façade, the striking Bishop’s Gate (Puerta del Obsipo) greets the visitor. Flemish tapestries inside the cathedral date back to different centuries.
The existing monumental city’s castle complete with moat, gate and pentagon-shaped tower is a reminder of knights and kingdoms in days of old; now it holds conferences and teaching sessions as it undergoes restoration.
Every Cathedral in Zamora is an interesting and unique architectural structure inside and out, which is a new discovery for the visitor. There are also many museums in Zamora which are related to religion and otherwise, that makes an interesting history lesson of Zamora and the Spanish region.