CITY COUNCIL
Villacarriedo
Contact
Villacarriedo Town Hall
Plaza Jacobo Roldán Losada, 1
39640 Villacarriedo
Phone: 942 590 016
Fax: 942 590 016
Web: www.aytovillacarriedo.es
E-mail: secretaria@ayuntamientodevillacarriedo.es
Schedule: from 08:00 to 14:30h.
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It is enough to walk through the historical and artistic points of Villacarriedo to get to know the valley’s history. The magnificent Baroque Palace of Soñanes, the school of Fathers Escolapios, the “montañesas” houses all in a row and their small churches are only some of the heritage examples in the municipality. Also see the “Cajigona de Villacarriedo” located in one of its squares is a oak tree that is over 100 years old and of cultural importance.
General placement:
On Pisueña river basin, in the heart of Carriedo Valley, 36 Km away from Santander. Limits North with Saro and Villafufre, Sout-East with Selaya, East with San Roque de Riomiera, South with Vega de Pas and West with Santiurde de Toranzo.
Population: 1.736 Extension: 50,7 Km2 Altitude: 160-875 m.
Towns: Abionzo · Aloños · Bárcena de Carriedo · Pedroso · Santibáñez · Soto · Tezanos · Villacarriedo
Capital town: Villacarriedo
Festivities:
[MEC id=”1640″]
Located on high Pisueña river basin, that crosses it North to South. This municipality presents a landscape dominated by mowing pastures splattered with Pas cottages, with a smoother topography than higher altitude municipalities. Many streams go through the territory, completing fluvial and fish fauna richness (ell, salmon, trout). The smoother areas next to Pisueña river are organised in fluvial terraces ocupied by harvest grounds and small population centres. Higher and rougher areas are full of forests, standing out Zarrizuela Oak Grove, at the source of Rubionzo stream, and Aloños Beech Grove, known as “el hayal”. The northern hill of Puerto de la Braguía, south of the municipality, is formed by pine groves of repopulation, of little environmental interest. The course of Pisueña river is included in the Community Importance Place (LIC) of Pas river, inside of Red Natura 2000, that keeps the most valuable habitats of Europe.
Municipal website: www.aytovillacarriedo.es
Municipal servicies: See map
- Palace of Soñanes: the most sumptuous civil construction of Baroque Cantabrian architecture and a referent in regional heritage. Built between 1718 and 1722, it has a fantastic decoration and was declared Cultural Interest Good in 1981. Nowadays it is a luxury hotel-restaurant. The palace is not the only civil building of value, since the municipality is full of manor houses, emblazoned or not, with beautiful examples of tradicional rural houses.
- Religious architectonical heritage: the School of the Fathers Escolapios, built in 1746, has a church with a spectacular set of altarpieces dating from 18th c. Other notable temples are Sta. María (Tezanos), S. Juan Bautista (Santibáñez), Santiago (Pedroso), S. Fructuoso (Aloños) and Our Lady of El Carmen (Bárcena de Carriedo).
- Hydraulic inventions: there are a few flour mills, one in Bárcena de Carriedo (Barrio La Riberilla), two in Abionzo, and the most important due to its size, in Santibáñez. This last one is included since 2004 in the General Inventary of Cultural Heritage of Cantabria.
- Cultural heritage: the Bolera (bowling alley) of Santa Ana, in the neighbourhood of Tezanillos, is the oldest one in Cantabria. It is believed to be from the beginning of 19th century.
Economic activity in the municipality is divided between the primary and tertiary sectors, although just a decade ago livestock farming occupied two thirds of the population. The community of Villacarriedo, that works as activity head of the valley, sta nds out for the activities of basic administrative services and commerce. It is also important its touristic sector, based on natural and heritage richness of the municipality, and sustained by a few accomodation stablishments of great quality. The industry, scarce, is mainly composed by the construction subsector.
- Aloños beech grove (4,5 hours): this foot route of medium difficulty goes through the interior of a small beech grove ruta a pie de dificultad media discurre por el interior de un pequeño hayedo bien conservado, desde el núcleo de Aloños hasta el alto del Tablao, con amplias perspectivas sobre el valle.
- Journey through the towns (10 Km): going by car through the twons from Bárcena de Carriedo to Tezanos, Pedroso, Santibáñez and Aloños, we can see different architecture elements of great heritage value (house manors, traditional houses, fountains, bowling alleys, etc.)
