Santa Colomba de Somoza
Santa Colomba de Somoza is a Spanish municipality and place in the province of León, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is located in the historic region of Maragatería and has a population of 529 inhabitants (INE 2022). In 2015, in the approval by Unesco of the extension of the Camino de Santiago in Spain to «Caminos de Santiago de Compostela: French Camino and Caminos del Norte de España», Spain sent as documentation a «Retrospective Inventory - Associated Elements» (Retrospective Inventory - Associated Components) in which Santa Colomba de Somoza appears in no. 1783.
Geography
It is located 16 km from Astorga and 61 km from León. The Turienzo river crosses the municipality.
Administrative division
The municipal term has an extension of 179.10 km² and includes Santa Colomba de Somoza and 18 districts:
- Andiñuela de Somoza
- Argañoso
- Foncebadon
- The Maluenga
- Work of King (dispopulated)
- Manjarin (depopulated)
- Murias de Pedredo
- Pedredo
- Prada de la Sierra
- Rabanal del Camino
- Old Rabanal
- San Martín del Agostedo
- Santa Marina de Somoza
- Table
- Turienzo de los Caballeros
- Valdemanzanas
- Viforcos
- Villar de Ciervos
Map of the municipality
History
The history of this town dates back to the Middle Ages, when there is documentary evidence of this town for the first time; but there are vestiges that show its importance from much earlier times, since in the same town there are the remains of a Roman villa, in the place called El Soldán, as well as several tombs that Doctor Julio Carro determined as Phoenician.
The maragato muleteers enjoyed great power and influence in the area between the XVI and XIX. The Maragata region is located at a strategic point in the communications of the interior of the peninsula and Galicia. Astorga itself is today located in the middle of the Nacional VI. The maragatos transported to the interior of the peninsula salted fish brought from the Galician coasts, and, when they returned to their land, they loaded with sausages and dry products. The decline of this caste began with the arrival of the railway to Astorga in 1866.
The old pharmacy, a stone construction and with the decoration of a pharmacy from the beginning of the XIX century, burned down in 2018.
Demographics
| Graphic of demographic evolution of Santa Colomba de Somoza between 1842 and 2021 |
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Rule population (1842-1991, except 1857 and 1860 which is a de facto population) or resident population (2001-2011) according to the Population Censuses since 1842. |
Economy
The main economic activity of the town is currently based on tourism. Its main tourist attractions are its typical architecture, its gastronomy (with the cocido maragato as a banner). The best-known restaurants in the town are located in maragata houses rehabilitated for that purpose.
Currently there are two hotels and four restaurants, as well as a rural house with shared lodging and a rural house for rent. There is also the possibility of camping in the campsite located at the entrance of the town.
Heritage
Santa Colomba de Somoza is one of the Leonese municipalities through which the Camino de Santiago runs. In its surroundings you can find traces of the presence of the Romans and their gold extraction works in the mines of Las Médulas, located in the nearby region of El Bierzo. This is the case of Laguna Cérnea and La Fucarona (old Roman gold pans) and the remains of the Roman villa of Soldán.
- Bridge over the Turienzo River
Bridge built in 1883 next to the LE-142 road and which, after crossing the river, serves the local road LE-6311 on the way to Lucillo or Chana de Somoza.
- Popular architecture
The town preserves the maragato architecture quite well, having numerous maragato-style houses with beautiful cobbled patios. They stand out for the quality of their stone constructions.