Ponferrada

Ponferrada stands on the Sil in the Bierzo district of northwestern Iberia, along the pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela. Its name recalls the iron-reinforced bridge commissioned by Bishop Osmundo of Astorga in 1082 to help pilgrims cross the river. From 1211 to 1312 the town was held by the Knights Templar, whose castle remains associated with its medieval history.

In the early modern period Ponferrada headed its own district within the province of León. During the Peninsular War it hosted the León provincial junta on several occasions between 1809 and 1811. The town's river crossing and roads continued to link the Bierzo with Galicia and the interior.