El Bierzo

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For the Bierzo wine region, see Bierzo (DO).

El Bierzo is a region in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca (Shire) and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital of the region.

Image:Bandera de El Bierzo.svg

El Bierzo flag.

[edit] History

Historically part of the Kingdom of León, and briefly a leonese region province in its own from 1821 to 1823, with the new administrative division of Spain in 1833 the majority of the region was integrated in the province of León^[1], with the Valdeorras municipalities becoming part of Galicia.

El Bierzo developed its own peculiarities as Galician and Leonese traditions mixed under Castilian influence, and thus was granted the administrative status of comarca. Spanish is the official language, but local dialects of Galician is also widely spoken, especially in the rural areas.

The status of El Bierzo as a shire is recognized by law, and it is the only one officially recognized in the autonomous community of Castile and León.

Image:Panorámica de Las Médulas.jpg

Panoramic view of Las Médulas.