Bañobarez

Bañobárez is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is integrated within the Vitigudino region and the sub-region of El Abadengo. It belongs to the judicial district of Vitigudino.

Its municipal area is made up of a single population center, it occupies a total area of 50.49 km² and according to the demographic data collected in the municipal register prepared by the INE in 2017, it has a population of 302 inhabitants.

Geography

Bañobárez is located in the northwest of Salamanca. It is 92 km from Salamanca capital.

It is located in the region of El Abadengo. It belongs to the El Abadengo Mancomunidad and to the judicial district of Vitigudino.

Northwest: Olmedo de Camaces	North: Olmedo de Camaces	Northeast: Fuenteliante
West: San Felices de los Gallegos		This: Fuenteliante
Southwest: San Felices de los Gallegos	South: Castillejo de Martín Viejo	Sureste: Castillejo de Martín Viejo

Symbols

Shield

The heraldic shield that represents the municipality was approved on November 3, 2017 with the following coat of arms:

« Spanish Shield, Half Cut and Match. First: of azur, two-eyed gold bridge, made of sable; on the tip, three waved sheets of silver. Second of gold, bouquet of five spikes. Third of silver, steed cross of lily-flowered gules, entered into the tip of siple, silver anillete, inside the letters BZ also of silver, assorted of crown figurated of the same, to the ring, Spanish royal crown closed»

Official Gazette of the Province of Salamanca No. 211 of 3 November 2017

Flag

The municipal flag was also approved on November 3, 2017 with the following textual description:

« Rectangular cloth flag of proportions 3:2 (largo per width); fourth in aspa; white upper triangle, lower yellow, the blue asta and the green slope. To the center, the municipal heraldic shield»

Official Gazette of the Province of Salamanca No. 211 of 3 November 2017

Demographics

Graphic of demographic evolution of Bañobárez between 1900 and 2021

Source: Spanish National Statistical Institute - Graphical development by Wikipedia.

According to the National Statistics Institute, as of December 31, 2018, Bañobárez had a total population of 209 inhabitants, of whom 158 were men and 151 women. Regarding the year 2000, the census reflects 429 inhabitants, of which 220 were men and 209 women. Therefore, the loss of population in the municipality for the period 2000-2018 has been 220 inhabitants, a 52% decrease.

Economy

The economy of the municipality, as in the entire region, is based mainly on agriculture and livestock.

The predominant sector in the entire area is the cattle rancher, with an important herd of cattle and pigs (South and East) and sheep (North).

As far as agriculture is concerned, the land is mainly rainfed and is reduced to medium-sized plots of 40-50 hectares. Cereals begin to be cultivated less and less, giving way to the cultivation of fodder plants, for livestock feed.

Industrial and tourist activities in the region are scarce, being reduced to a few small agri-food industries (sheep cheese production), bars, restaurants, shops and workshops that cover the needs of the area. Currently there are only three bars, two grocery stores, a butcher shop, a bakery, a cooperative and other small businesses in the branches of electricity, masonry, metal carpentry and mechanics. The service sector, therefore, is very underdeveloped.

History

The consolidation of Bañobárez, formerly called Vañevárez, as a population center can be placed at the end of the 12th century, the time of the medieval repopulation undertaken, in this case, by the kings of León. It is in those years when they ceded the management of Abadengo to the Order of the Temple, after whose disappearance this territory became part of the Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo.

In this way, Bañobárez became part of the Bishopric of Ciudad Rodrigo, within the Kingdom of León, in the 13th century. Likewise, with the territorial division of Spain in 1833 in which the current provinces are created, it is framed within the Leonese Region, formed by the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca, of a merely classificatory nature, without administrative operation, which in large features would come to pick up the old demarcation of the Kingdom of León (without Galicia or Asturias or Extremadura).

Monuments and places of interest

Bañobárez has a rich cultural, historical and artistic heritage, although it is undervalued.

There are several archaeological sites. Some of them belong to the prehistoric period, such as those discovered in the unpopulated area of Medinilla and Campos Carniceros, where various indications have been observed, consisting of fragments of ceramics and remains of buildings, which could belong to the end of the Bronze Age, with an age of about three thousand years.

Other remains correspond to the Roman period, as well as a funerary stela belonging to the same period, located in La Tarihuela and Medinilla.

In the Medinilla meadow we also find a late Roman necropolis, corresponding to the Spanish-Visigothic period, as well as other Visigothic vestiges. The most common are the tombs, carved in granite, with a trapezoidal shape and lace for the head. Although we also found some double burials, taking advantage of larger granite blocks.

In the municipal nucleus, we find the parish church of the town, dedicated to San Pedro Apóstol. Its manufacture is made of granite, and dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The plan of the building is rectangular. In the tower, a heraldic shield of the Jaque or Xaque family stands out. The construction of the church lasted several years and different artistic styles are recognized inside. The altarpiece is Renaissance and is considered one of the best in the diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo. It is made up of eleven large and fifteen small sculptures. The gilding of the altarpiece was agreed in the year 1583.

The Hermitage of Humilladero, from the 17th and 17th centuries, where the Cristo de la Salud, patron saint of the town, is located, is another of the town's important monuments. It is a small building made of granite blocks with a portico with four columns and a small bell on top.

The town hall was built in 1792, having been restored in 2004-2005.

Culture

Parties

The Bañobárez festivities are held on the second weekend of September, the main festival being on the 14th, in honor of Cristo de la Salud, patron saint of the town.

Another well-known festival is that of the “fifths”, celebrated on December 30. A week before, the fifths of the town go out to the fields to look for firewood and prepare a bonfire that is lit on the night of the 30th, keeping it lit until the next morning, although today this festival is no longer celebrated.

Administration and politics

Municipal elections