El Bierzo
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El Bierzo is a region in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital of the region.
[edit] History
Historically part of the Kingdom of Galicia and later of the Kingdom of León, El Bierzo was a province of the Kingdom of Castile from 1591 until 1789. Briefly a province in its own from 1821 to 1823, with the new administrative division of Spain in 1833 the region was integrated in the province of León[1].
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 and Leonese are also widely spoken, especially in the rural areas.
[edit] References
[edit] External Links
- History of El Bierzo (Spanish)
- El Bierzo Regional Council Official Website (Spanish)
- Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Bierzo (Spanish)
- Instituto de Estudios Bercianos (Spanish)
- El Bierzo Leonese Language Association
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