Linares de Riofrio

Linares de Riofrío is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is integrated within the Sierra de Francia region, the sub-region of Las Quilamas and the micro-region of La Calería.

Its municipal area is made up of a single population center, it occupies a total area of 27.90 km² and according to the demographic data collected in the municipal register prepared by the INE in 2017, it has a population of 979 inhabitants.

Geography

Linares de Riofrío is located in the Sierra de Francia-Quilamas-La Calería region. The highest point of the municipal term is the peak of Mojón del Marrano with 1383 meters above sea level. Another point of interest is the Sierra Chica with 1258 masl.

Northwest: Escurial de la Sierra	North: Hondura de Huebra	Northeast: Santo Domingo
West: Cilleros de la Bastida		This: Monleon
Southwest: Valero	South: San Miguel de Valero	Sureste: The Tornadizo

Rainfall reaches an annual total of 1005 mm. and the average annual temperature is 12.7 °C. The frost period covers seven months.

Honesty Forest

In its vicinity is the area of La Honfría, a mixed forest dominated by chestnut and Pyrenean, with an important presence of holly and hazel. It is worth noting the humidity of the area (springs, streams and fountains abound) which makes its visit pleasant also in summer times.

To access the Honfría park there is a forest track that allows access by car, from Linares, practically to the top; although it is advisable to make the way on foot. There are also shortcuts that can only be done on foot and make access to the Park faster.

At the beginning of the track we will pass several kilns on our left and an old factory with three more kilns where brown lime was made. After approximately two kilometers, also on the left we will find "La Peña Tarrera", a place where at the end of winter a multitude of daffodils bloom, advancing the path we find "La Fuente el Cerezo" with recreational areas, picnic areas and century-old chestnut trees, continuing the track, there is a detour to the left that will take us to "La Fuente de la Honfría" with a picnic area, playground, fountain, barbecues and shelter that is almost no longer used. From the track that passes in front of the spring and the refuge we can access to "El Hueco", a place from where we can see a perfect panoramic view of the Valle de las Quilamas, on that same forest track we have another detour to access the "Peñas del Agua" from where we can observe panoramic views of the town and the plains that continue to Salamanca after finishing the Sierra de Francia in the northern part. Following the main track will take us to "El pico Cervero" where there is a fire watch post.

Demographics

Graphic of demographic evolution of Linares de Riofrío between 1900 and 2021

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

In the second half of the XX century, Linares experienced significant emigration to other parts of Spain and also to Germany, Switzerland and France. Also in recent years the population shows a slight but sustained decline. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people who come to this municipality as a second home, mainly in the summer.

History

Although the archaeological remains show us a previous settlement in the municipal area, with remains of a vetton castro, the foundation of the current Linares de Riofrío dates back to the repopulation carried out by the kings of León between the end of the century XII and early XIII, being then integrated into the Alfoz de Monleón, within the Kingdom of León. After the disappearance of the Monleón council in 1248, Linares became integrated into that of Salamanca, within the Cuarto de Peña del Rey. With the creation of the current provinces in 1833, Linares de Riofrío was integrated into the province of Salamanca, within the Leonese Region.

Currently, the existence of six rock presses has been verified in the places of "Coquilla", "Las Viñas", "Majada Llana", &# 34;The Roads", "Los Vallejos" and "Relagüesa", all of them performed in berrocales. Over time they have been deteriorating, sometimes due to natural causes and other times by the hand of man. Its loss will be irremediable, if the necessary measures are not taken for its conservation.

photo of the sunset

Economy

Economically, the primary sector predominates and strawberry production stood out at the time, a crop that soon lost its importance. In recent times, construction (related to the importance of second homes) has gained some importance, as has the service sector. There is a hotel, a camp, several restaurants and some establishments for rural tourism.

In its day, one of the main activities of this town was the production of lime, one of the few characteristic industries of the region, being the brown lime from Linares well known for its quality and which was used to make the mortar with which the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca was built. The elaboration of lime was one of the sources of economy in past centuries. The bluish stone from the sierra was transported in carts to the ovens where the firing was carried out. The manufacturing process was very simple and for this, materials from the environment were used; a layer of wood was followed by a layer of stone, another of wood, another of stone, and so on until the kiln was full. Depending on the wood, generally broom or oak, the quality of the lime varied. The burning time used to last around five days and required between ten and twelve carts of firewood. Later, it was also taken in carts to different places in the province for sale. In 1959 there were still 15 ovens in Linares, today only a few remains remain: ruins of a factory and several ovens that worked until a few decades ago.

Culture

Parties

In Linares de Riofrío there are several festivities of which the most important are "El Lunes de aguas" which is celebrated on the second Monday after Easter Sunday and "Our Lady of the Assumption" The 15th of August. To these are added the traditional strawberry festival which is usually the first weekend of June or the hunting fair dedicated mainly to hunting and fishing.

Administration and politics

Municipal elections