Travel Guide to León

Updated: 16/12/21 | 16:56

The kingdom's capital and the parlament's crib

It was first a roman nucleous and thenthe head of an important Medieval Kingdon, the legacy of Leonés is enormeous. The city hosted one of the first courts that were celebrated in the worl. Place of intense pilgrim traffic towards the French Way. It possesses a great historical heritage. Discover the history and the travel guuide with all there is to see in the capital of León.

Plan your stay in León

Visiting and things to do in this travel guide to León can take about a day to a day and a half. Below, you can see our guide of what you should see in the city. Due to its large importance, we have dedicated a specific image to the Cathedral and the museum, which can be found here. In the area surrounding the Cathedral, you will find some of the best places in the city. If you have time, you can take an amazing trip towards to the north to the isolated and marvelous city of Cueva de Valporquero. Taking the highway AP-71 west, you will arrive at the small town of Hospital de Órbigo, with a historically important bridge and the very important city of Astorga. Heading back towards la Meseta, you can take a quick stop for a couple of hours in the interesting town of Sahagún.

Where to Sleep in León

Where to Eat in León

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History of León

Before diving in to our travel guide of what to see in León, it is worth briefly going over it´s history. This one began in the year 29 B.C.. This was when la Legio VI Victrix installed his camp in the Bernesga river shores. During the 70s he was replaced by Legio VII Gemina Pia Felix. The body was destined to be there by the emperor Galba, with the end of protencting the gold mines in Las Médulas. The military unity remained in this place until the invasion of the Suebi in the beginning of the V century.

After the invasions of the Suebi, Visigoths, and Muslims, in the year 910 the Monarch Ordoño II decided to settle in León the capital of the Asturleonés Kingdom. In it´s major political power, a spiritual peak was united when in 1063 the remains of San Isidro arrived to Sevilla. The relics were rescued from Al Andalus by Fernando I. Such action had a great symbolical power, that reafirmed the kingdom as the heir of the Visigoth tradition. Since then, the continuous growth, both demographic and monumental, ended up turning it into the most influyental city in the Christian Spain.

In 1188, under the reign of Alfonso IX, he hosted what would possibly be the first reunion of a parlament in Europe. However, the medieval pests took a certain recession. This was secured with the progressive margin in respect to the center of the peninsular power. Also, the influence was lost of the powerful livestock organization of la Mesta. In total, it was five centuries of slow decline.

Alcanzado el siglo XVI, León quedó dividida en dos bandos. Por un lado estaban los Guzmanes, partidarios de los comuneros, y por el otro los Quiñones, fieles al rey. La Guerra de las Comunidades contra el emperador Carlos V provocó un insólito fervor entre el cabildo catedralicio y los barrios de extramuros. Las dos familias aprovecharon el contexto para intentar afianzar su influencia.

Durante la Edad Moderna, la capital leonesa sufrió un estancamiento de su población, desarrollo y economía. Sólo a finales del siglo XVIII la Ilustración le dio algo de empuje a la ciudad. Los responsables del reflote fueron la construcción de nuevo equipamiento público así como la creación de la Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País.