San Martín del Castañar

The name of the village makes reference to the times of the Gascon repopulation which took place in the Sierra de Francia in medieval times. Some names, place names and dedications still prevail from those times.

The village is surrounded by thick forests and fertile orchards and the roof of the houses are close together. The church bell gable and the tower of the beautiful old castle tower keep stand out.

The visitor can enjoy these places walking along the streets. The village was declared Historical Site. You can start at the council fountain and the portalón (large gate); then, you can discover interesting examples of the traditional architecture of the area, old houses with their coat of arms and the church with an amazing Mudejar coffered ceiling.

Then you will find the old bull ring, which is situated on the place where the fortress castle was located; the castle is nowadays the Interpretation Centre of the Biosphere Reserve of the Sierras de Bejar and Francia.

At the other end of the village, there is one of the most beautiful places in San Martin del Castañar, the ideal place to walk and rest around the bridge, park, Roman tombstones, remains of old roads and old hermitages.