Zamora

If you don’t know what to visit when you go through Zamora, Palencia or Ciudad Real, this map is the solution to your problems

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More than half a century after mass tourism began in Spain, the country is among the most visited of the world. Around of 80 million people They arrive in Spain annually, a figure only surpassed by France (+89,000,000). The number is impressive, especially if we compare the scale of its two immediate pursuers, the United States and China. And the reason is simple: 8,000 kilometers of coastline, a wonderful climate and years and years of tourist tradition behind it, with all that this implies in terms of infrastructure. The international nature of the average tourist has caused numerous breakdowns of heads to the authorities during the last years. Spain has tried to attract as many European, Asian or American travelers as possible in a context of tourism recession. During the pandemic parenthesis this was a complicated mission. It was then time to raise the flag of “national tourism”, one that has been flying for two consecutive summers. But what to see in Spain beyond the beaches once crowded by Germans or English? The question has crossed the minds of millions of Spaniards in recent seasons. To answer it, Musement has elaborated this map in which it analyzes the number and quality of scores received by more than 4,500 “points of interest“, that is, attractions and monuments, spread throughout the country. And from this data they have chosen one for each province. An advantage and a problem of this approach: it is useful to know what image the average Spaniard produces when he thinks of places like Palencia or Jaén; but at the same time it summarizes the many positive attributes of each province in a popularity contest. The attractions or monuments numbered here are not necessarily the most interesting, satisfying or beautiful in each place. They are the most famous. It is a personal matter to assess its degree of recommendability. (Musement) If we look at the palette of colors and categories, the north stands out for its large volume of “cathedrals, churches and basilicas.” From the ubiquitous Sagrada Familia of Barcelona to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedralvisiting other highlights of the Camino, be it the Cathedral of León, the Sanctuary of Covadonga, the Cathedral of Burgos, the Co-Cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda or the Basilica del Pilar. Other unique architectural elements sneak in through there, such as Gaudí’s Capricho (Comillas), the Royal Palace of Olite or the Seu Vella. There are also outstanding landscapes: from the La Florida Park in Vitoria to the imposing Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, surrounding the Sil Canyons, the Sanabria Lake or the Palentina Mountain Natural Park in between (some of them in the center of what has come to be called Empty Spain). The natural or national parks are the protagonists of Andalusia, starting with Doñana, continuing through Sierra Nevada and ending with Sierra de Cazorla (in Jaén). Otherwise, a little of everything. From urban monuments of very historical rank (the main squares of Salamanca, Trujillo, Seville or Teruel, although in this case “del Torico”; the Hanging Houses of Cuenca) to heritages of civilizations that thousands of years ago forged the present character of Spain (the Roman theater of Mérida, the wall of Ávila, the Aqueduct of Segovia, the New Bridge of Ronda). Also, not surprisingly, there are a lot of fortresses and palaces fortified: from the Peñarroya Castle in Ciudad Real to the famous Alhambra in Granada, passing through the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs, a surprising winner in the province of Córdoba, also home to the mosque. There is even room for modernity: whether in the form of the City of Arts and Sciences, Dalí’s Theatre-Museum, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Portaventura or of Loro Parque in Tenerife. A little bit of everything. Not always the most notable thing about each province, but a good way to discover corners of the geography that are still hidden for the Spaniards themselves. In Xataka | The most beautiful towns in each province of Spain, gathered in this revealing map *An earlier version of this article was published in September 2021

In Spain there is a “black triangle” of fires between Ourense, Zamora and León. And it is not explained only by heat

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The drawing is bleak. If you open Google Mapsactivate the “fire” function And you take a look at the map of Spain you will see that much of the flames that are devouring the mountain of the country (and some populated areas) seem to concentrate on a particular ‘triangle of fire’ between the provinces of Ourense, León and Zamora. There are the fires of Mozyuelas de la Caballea, Yeres or that of Queixa Chandrexawhich have already razed thousands and thousands of hectares. It is not the only region of Spain punished by the flames, but the big question is … Why do forest fires seem to be primed right in that region? The Spain that burns. It is not being a good August for the mountains of the country. According to The last report of the Ministry of Environment (Miteco), still incomplete because its technicians do not have the data of the large active fires, so far this year the flames have devastated 138,800 ha. And that is the calculation to August 10, so it does not include the devastated surface during the last week. To better understand what this data is, remembering that between January and the first week of September 2024 the forest fires burned 43,655 ha or that throughout 2023 they had calcined 89,000. If we look back, at the last decade, there was only one more disastrous exercise than the current one: 2022, when at this point of the year they had burned Around 215,000 hectares. Is the whole country the same? No. The flames have punished to a greater or lesser extent Andalusia, Estremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia and the regions of Valencia and Madridto quote only some examples, but there is a specific area of the Peninsula that is suffering from the dentelladas of the fire with special virulence: the triangle formed by the provinces of Ourense, León and Zamora. Tan a Fast look To Google Maps to check it. There is Chandrexa de Queixa, which has affected more than 17,000 ha And it is already considered The most destructive of the history of Galicia. Also that of Mozyuelas de la Carballedathat passed from Zamora to León and has calcined several dozens of hectares. Looking for the causes. The big question is … why do that region hit so much fury? What are the causes? The question is interesting because it is not an isolated phenomenon: there are populations, like Castromil’sbetween Ourense and Zamora, who have resigned themselves to deal with fire every year. For the impact of the flames on the ‘triangle’ between Zamora, León and Ourense He wondered Recently in X Francisco M. Azcárate, professor of ecology, biology and environmental sciences. And its entry response is interesting: the succession of forest fires in that region of the Peninsula cannot be attributed to pyologists or negligence. Or that is not the only cause at least. In the background there are more complex structural reasons that have to do with the characteristics of that area or changes in the use of the territory. Meteorology earrings. “Climatically, the area fits perfectly with ecosystems that, naturally, have a high frequency of important fires,” Azcárate starts Before aiming the influence of the rainy season, during which biomass accumulates, and dry, marked by the mass of dry and very flammable vegetation. To this factor is added the frequency of fires in humid Mediterranean climates or the effect of climate change, which influences extreme temperatures and “extends the risk season.” The fire wave has in fact coincided with Another heat which began in early August and that already stands out as one of The most durable Since at least the 70s, which is when the historical Aemet starts. Although it is not an inflexible guideline, experts have not been warning that the fight against forest fires is especially complex when the known as the known as ‘Rule 30-30-30’: Temperatures above 30ºC, wind gusts of more than 30 km/Hy a humidity of less than 30%. Click on the image to go to Tweet. The perfect cocktail. Not only do climatic conditions or heat wave influence, which has spread far beyond the Ourean-Leon-Zamora triangle. Another of the keys that explains the impact of fires in that concrete area of the Peninsula must be sought, Azcárate points out, on the ground and orography. “The region has acidic and little fertile soils. This favors more flammable plant communities, due to the composition of plants’ tissues,” The expert reflects. At stake also enters the orography of that region, marked by an “abrupt relief” that hinders the access of “erratic and strong” seals that can abruptly change the direction of the flames. A few years ago Civio analyzed The main fires recorded in Spain throughout the 2007-2016 decade and discovered that in almost 80% of cases (153 of 196) the gusts exceeded 30 km/h, which could influence the evolution of fire. Something more than weather and orography. Not everything is climate, meteorology, orography or soil characteristics. In the fires it is influencing another factor than You are talking a lot During the last days: the depopulation of the rural one (which is usually accompanied by the abandonment of fields and a change in forest management), something that starts from the provinces of Ourense, Zamora and León They know well. “In general in Spain there has been rural, population and peoples abandonment and depopulation is a food for fires,” Celso Coco warnsfire expert and forest management in The opinion-the mail of Zamora. And what does that suppose? “The consequence is that in those areas where it was worked, it was grown, it was granted, natural vegetation has been installed and there is no use of them, which has increased the forest area greatly. This continuity of vegetation, without management, results in a vulnerable landscape,” duck. In their opinion, forest fires “have existed, exist and exist” and constitute “a natural process”, but changes in the landscape have affected their impact: where they were previously found with land … Read more

The megaindios of Ourense, Zamora and León have paralyzed the Galician bird. It is the nth setback in a horrible year for Renfe

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The Madrid-Galicia bird had become an oasis for Renfe. The Spanish company, objective of all kinds of criticism during 2025 had seen how the Galician corridor was even bending the arm to the airlines. The fires are, now, the last unexpected twist that leaves a trail of cancellations, delays and travelers desperate to find an alternative route to the train. Fires. They are, without any doubt, the news that marks the rate of today in Spain. When we write these linesthere are more than 40 active fires in our country. Of these, two out of three foci They are located in Castilla y León. In addition, only in Ourense (Galicia) have burned more than 60,000 hectares. Lack of resources, forests that are lacking maintenance and one heat wave that seems to have no end They have been the perfect fuel to find ourselves in a situation that has been out of control. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Cut. With the provinces of Zamora, León and Ourense surrounded by the fire, the bird has stopped completely. This morning, Renfe confirmed in his X account that the circulation was interrupted “until the competent authorities allow resumption.” It is the fifth day that Renfe keeps the high -speed line between Madrid and Galicia suspended since Last Thursday, August 14, it would be suspended For the first time the rail service. The previous day, Wednesday, August 13the company already had to suspend some of the paths during the afternoon. Click on the image to go to the original publication From Madrid to Zamora. At the moment, the only solution that Renfe has given is to open a train that makes the journey between Madrid and Zamora. With an eye on the evolution of the fires, for the moment the only alternative they keep open is the one mentioned in the image superior. In the responses to the publication, Renfe confirms that There is no alternative plan For travelers who had tickets bought for any of the Galician cities. Bus alternatives have not been established, For example, and they don’t guarantee When can you return to normal. The nth problem. The interruption of traffic in the Galician corridor is the nth bad news for the company that is living a 2025 to forget. If we make a list of everything that has happened in the previous seven months that we have throughout the year we find the following: A flying line. The situation is even more complicated, taking into account that the Galician corridor was being the line that was best working at Renfe. As high speed has been settling, the data says There is a traveler transfer from the plane to the trainwhich is offered as a more flexible and interesting alternative if you want to spend less than 24-36 hours in Madrid. Besides, The particularities of the line and orders saturation to manufacturers have caused Renfe to have a dominant position on competitors. Although the line is liberalized and any company can operate, the truth is that companies such as Ouigo lack adequate rolling material and They do not expect to have it in the short term. What can the traveler do? At the moment, little if I planned to use the high speed line between Madrid and Galicia. As we have seen, Renfe is only partially offering, between Madrid and Zamora. Once there, there is no other than taking a car or a bus to continue the trip. Options for traveling tomorrow, August 19, between Santiago de Compostela and Madrid Shot prices. The other option, of course, is to fly from Madrid to one of the Galician airports. Of course, from one day to another, flying from Madrid to Vigo, to Coruña or Santiago de Compostela forces to invest more than 100 euros per ticket (there are only three options for less than that money and Vigo does not have them) and in some cases the prices per trip exceed 300 euros. But the trip is very complicated in the reverse sense. From one day to another, the cheapest option to travel between Vigo and Madrid forces to disburse 369 euros, from A Coruña you can travel from 272 euros and from Santiago de Compostela you have to disburse 379 euros. All data have been taken from the flight search engine Skyscanner. Photo | Hugh Llewelyn and Ume In Xataka | Each new data we know about the AVE in Spain points in the same direction: it is winning the game to Barajas

Zamora and Ourense were only richer than the poorest provinces in southern Spain for pensions. And they are already losing them

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The pension system (and above all Your sustainability in the medium and long term) it may be a challenge for the State, but it is also a important economic engine. Retirees generate employment. And move wealth. Its weight is relevant especially in certain provinces of Spain emptied and depopulated in which those over 65 years of age come More than 30% of the entire population. The problem is that some points of the Spanish geography face A worrying threat: lose that last (and crucial) source of income. The reason is very simple: they lose more pensioners than they win. Spain, increasingly old. Spain ages. The average age of the population It has been increasing Throughout the last decades and if nothing changes it will continue to do so (at least) mid -21st centurya drift that arrives accompanied by a widening of the cusp of the population pyramid. And for sample A button: If in 1998 there were 8.63 million people over 60 years old in Spain, in 2022 there were already 12.57 million, 26.5% of the total census. The great paradox. If there are more elderly, it is normal to think that there will be more retirees charging pensions. And it is so, although with certain nuances. As remember Javier Jorrín in The confidential The situation is not the same in all regions of Spain, just as it has not been its demographic drift over the last years. And that in practice can lead to a curious phenomenon: that in a country in full aging there are provinces that begin to lose pensioners. What is the reason? A peculiar Sorpasso. In some provinces there are already more elderly that exceed the life expectancy (81.1 years for them, 86.3 for them) that workers about to retire, a mismatch that invites you to think that in not much time they will begin to lose pensioners. There are three province in fact that they already face that peculiar situation: Lugo, Ourense and Zamora. In all the population over 83, it exceeds the one that moves between 60 and 64. Why does it matter? For several reasons. The number of pensioners in these provinces still grows and the Galician Statistics Institute esteem For example, at the end of the next decade, the population over 65 years in Lugo will have increased sensitively, but there are certain signs that suggest that this increase will end up reversing. In 2039 In the same Galician province there will be 26,800 people between 60 and 65 years against 40,108 over 80 years. Something more than demography. That there are territories of empty Spain that face the perspective of winning less retirees than they lose is not a simple demographic curiosity. Pensions have become a key piece of the Spanish economy, especially of aging and depopulated regions. A study Recent of the University of Castilla-La Mancha concluded, based on data from 2021, that pensions paid to over 65 years Rondan 8% of GDP and his expense promotes the equivalent of 1.2 million of full -time jobs. Household Pilar. A few years ago CCOO developed another report that also revealed its weight in Spanish homes. According to union calculations, one in five Spanish households (21.6%) already depend on an economic level, to a greater or lesser extent, on a retired pensioner. “There are four million homes whose person and reference is retired,” The study concluded. The reason for that percentage? Both the increase in households formed by adults and “the precariousness of the working conditions of people of working age”, which explains that they rely on the resources provided by their retirees. With that data on the table there are Who already points that pensions have become the great source of solidarity towards unpopulated regions. A country with nuances. To understand the figures you have to take into account several keys. And especially the context. The number of pensions in the whole of Spain It has been increasing progressively over the last years and everything indicates that this trend will not be reversed. In spring the airf estimates that the total expenditure on pensions will grow more than 4% annual until 2040 promoted in part by the revaluation based on the CPI, but also the increase of pensioners. The really important thing is how that already withdrawn population is distributed and especially how it will do it as the Boomersa cohort that once starred in internal migration from Spain emptied to large population centers. In fact, while there are regions and provinces that lose inhabitants about to retire (60-64 years) in others their number grows at a good pace. A third key factor is the amount of the amount of the pensions themselves. Images | VLADA SARGU (UNSPLASH) and Philippe Leone (UNSPLASH) Via | The confidential In Xataka | Being your own boss has a price: an average retirement pension 657 euros lower than employees

The Plan of Spain for leading green hydrogen has been faced with an unexpected problem: Zamora

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The countdown for the passage of the H2Med corridor It is underway. The one that will be the first clean hydrogen corridor of the European Union will be underway by 2030, but, as in any project, it is not exempt from controversy, since the section that goes from Zamora (Spain) to Celorico da Beira ( Portugal) has aroused a conflict. The controversy. The Duero Hydrographic Confederation (CHD) He has authorized A INARI SOLAR SL The extraction of 117,000 cubic meters per year of groundwater of the Natural Reserve of Las Lagunas de Villafáfila. The initiative will supply a 40MW green hydrogen production plant. Located in Moreruela Granja (Zamora), the Unión del Pueblo Leonese party (UPL) has warned about environmental impact of this project in a protected wetland. For this reason, divisions between neighbors, environmentalists and politicians have not been expected, between those who support it and who fear its consequences. In addition, the controversy has reached the Unesco Through the Ramsar agreement, an international treaty for the protection of wetlands. The decarbonization process. Spain It has different green hydrogen pointsbeing Zamora one of the most strategic points for the installation of infrastructure for the production of this renewable. However, producing green hydrogen requires large amounts of water, an increasingly scarce resource in Spain. In fact, 82.5% of the water It is used for agricultureand the country Face an accelerated desertification process. For this reason, the choice of the Villafáfila aquifer as a source of supply has generated outrage. The process. The CHD granted The concession in January after a period of public information of a month that, according to the agency, was closed without allegations or reports against. The Confederation argues that the extracted water will be minimal compared to the total of the aquifer, representing only 0.1% of the available resources. In addition, the concession will be 25 years, allowing a maximum flow of 3.8 l/Sy will capture by means of a 70 -meter depth survey. However, environmentalists in action, among other organizations, He has questioned These data because they point out the devastating impact on the wetland. In addition, he has denounced the lack of transparency in the process and has pointed out that authorization has been done on a place where restrictions for agricultural irrigation. From the town. Social discomfort has grown rapidly and already circulates In Change.orgunder the motto: “#Salvemosvillafáfila! A natural treasure in danger of disappearance.” The initiative accumulates more than 7,000 signatures, denouncing that water extraction will endanger an ecosystem necessary for bird migration and the local economy. From the political sphere, and as we have pointed out above, UPL has resorted to authorization before the Junta de Castilla y León and has taken the case to Ramsar agreementwith the aim of opening the door to a possible international review. In favor. From the Popular Party, the president of the Diputación de Zamora, Javier Faúndez, He has shown Your support for green hydrogen, but Reject the choice of aquifer as a water source. In addition, he argues that there are more viable alternatives, such as the Esla River or a nearby reservoir. While from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, on which the CHD depends, has defended the concession ensuring that the regulated procedure has been followed and that the impact will be insignificant. However, the authorization must still pass the filter of the Junta de Castilla y León, which has promised a rigorous evaluation of environmental effects. Forecasts The conflict continues to climb and everything indicates that there will be citizen mobilizations in the coming weeks. The Junta de Castilla y León has the last word, so if the authorization continues, the debate could reach European instances. All this would test the compatibility between the EU climatic ambitions and the conservation of the environment. Image | Akiv and designed by Freepik Xataka A Japanese study is being able to transform methane into a clean energy source: turquorogen turquorogen

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