The Oak (Salamanca)

La Encina is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. It is integrated within the region of Ciudad Rodrigo and the sub-region of Campo de Robledo. It belongs to the judicial district of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Its municipal area is made up of the towns of Cabezal Viejo, La Encina, Valdespino and Robliza (unpopulated), it occupies a total area of 30.77 km² and according to the municipal register prepared by the INE in 2020, it has a population of 108 inhabitants.

Geography

The neighboring municipalities that border La Encina are Ciudad Rodrigo (north), Martiago and Herguijuela de Ciudad Rodrigo (south), Pastores (east), El Bodón (west). Being 101 km from the provincial capital.

From the subregional point of view, in the Campo de Robledo the following limits are observed that correspond to its historical-traditional and geographical demarcation, within the Ciudad Rodrigo Region.

Northwest: Portugal	North: Campo de Argañán	Northeast: La Socampana
West: Portugal		This: The Agadones
Southwest: Sierra de Gata (Cáceres)	South: Sierra de Gata (Cáceres)	Sureste: The Agadones

Orography

Risco de La Encina

Mirador de los Piñones, on the route dehesa encineña

La Encina is located in the Northern Plateau, specifically in the western sector of the Salamanca peneplain, where silica lithology predominates, such as slates or quartzites. The permeability of this rock causes the proliferation of underground aquifers, ponds and streams used mainly in agricultural and livestock activities. Due to the proximity of the Águeda river, around 3 km away, the most outstanding geographical feature in the municipality's surroundings is "Los Riscos", these fluvial embankments receive the name of "Risco de Martiago& #3. 4; and the "Risco de la Herguijuela de Ciudad Rodrigo"

Regarding the landscape that is presented in the municipality, we observe the characteristic Campo Charro, and as its place name indicates, the dominant species in the entire surrounding landscape is the holm oak, (oaks and pine forests to a lesser extent). Regarding the riverbank, we find gallery forests of great environmental quality, inhabited by a large number of species of great faunal and botanical interest.

Both in the municipality and in the region, there is a great diversity of wild fauna and flora, where species such as wild boar, roe deer, fox or hare and birds such as vultures or golden eagles, among others, predominate. Likewise, as in the rest of the Salamanca region, a great mycological and hunting activity is carried out, due to the great quality and variety of animal and plant specimens that the region offers. The Águeda river also offers the possibility of enjoying recreational activities and bathing areas offered by the morphology of the land, as well as the development of fishing, where species such as the common catfish, common carp, trout, or pike and other species such as otter or the American red crab, an invasive species that is displacing the native one.

History

Oldest dating house, built around 1832

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption

House consistorial

Plaza 8 de Mayo

Some archaeological finds recall the past habitat of these lands, prolific in settlers since prehistoric times. The area of the Sierra Grande hides vestiges of the Chalcolithic period that precede other more numerous ones from the Roman period, such as those of El Olmo and El Encinar. The town itself hides a Roman inscription in which you can see the term TONCATIVS. The first allusions to this town appear from the XII, as belonging to the cathedral chapter of Ciudad Rodrigo. In the XVI century, La Encina is cited as a village and municipality of Ciudad Rodrigo, belonging to Campo de Robledo (one of the five sexmos into which the land of Ciudad Rodrigo was divided), a document dated 1510 is preserved in the municipal archive. In the XVII century reaches its own jurisdiction as a royal town.

With the creation of the current provinces in 1833, La Encina was included in the province of Salamanca, within the Leonese Region. After the construction of the State of the autonomies, like the rest of the province of Salamanca, it was framed in the autonomous community of Castilla y León after its creation in 1983.

Demographics

Population developments

Graphic of demographic evolution of La Encina between 1842 and 2022

Rule population (1842-1897, except 1857 and 1860 which is a de facto population) according to population censuses of the centuryXIX.Population of law (1900-1991) or resident population (2001-2011) according to population censuses of the INE.Population according to the municipal register of 2022 of the INE.

Population centers

The municipality is officially divided into two population centers (La Encina and Robliza), although only La Encina was populated in 2020.

Symbols

Shield

The heraldic shield that represents the municipality was approved on December 20, 1993 with the following coat of arms:

«Scudo: match. Right quartel (left as seen), an oak rooted on the gold field, to represent the cereal fields. Left quarter (right as seen), the guns of Ciudad Rodrigo, that is, on the field of azur three columns in gold; that of the middle is fallen. He's sown in the Royal Crown. »

Official State Gazette No. 20 of 24 January 1994

Administration and politics

Municipal elections

Mayors

Parks

New Park

The municipality has numerous parks scattered throughout the town; The Extremadura Park, the Nuevo Park and the Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente Park stand out. This was inaugurated in 2015 by Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente, the third daughter of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente. During the ceremony, Odile, together with José María Gil, mayor of the town, discovered a commemorative plaque that reads as follows:

"To the memory of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente in recognition of his work in favor of the Iberian nature of which the Sierra de Gata and the Riscos del Águeda are part of, and in honor also of his daughter Odile, for his tireless work to preserve the memory of his father and to continue to help the rural environment"

City Council of La Encina, September 18, 2015.

Equipment

Fun and cultural centre

Front, north side

It stands out the Recreational and Cultural Center and the municipal pediment.

Parties

On January 17, as in the rest of the region, the festivities take place in honor of San Antón, patron saint of animals, lighting the lighting characteristic.

On the 5th of February the festival of Las Águedas is celebrated. It is especially dedicated to women, taking place on February 5 in commemoration of Santa Águeda de Catania.

On May 19, the local festivities are celebrated in honor of the patron saint of the municipality, San Pedro Celestino.

From August 13 to 18, the festivities are celebrated in honor of the Christ of the Good Death.