Las Médulas, located in Bierzo, northwest of the Montes Aquilanos and along the valley of the Sil River, is a fantastic landscape resulting from Roman gold mining. This place has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Although no one would say that the steep cliffs hide, beneath their bowels, the gold of the Romans, the mining exploitation silenced for centuries has become a beautiful landscape of great tourist attraction.

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Frank Meister

June 20, 2024

Hiking

This landscape was created over 250 years by an estimated 60,000 slaves to supply the Roman Empire with around 1,650 tons of gold. A UNESCO World Heritage Site

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JakobusPilger

July 6, 2024

Hiking

When looking at the rock formations of LAS MEDULAS, one must remember that this landscape is not natural, but rather the (sad) remains of a mountain massif that was ruthlessly exploited for its gold ore as early as the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, this landscape of ruins is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A 15-minute film documentary about this (in German) is available in the ARD media library as part of the highly recommended series “Treasures of the World - Heritage of Humanity”:
zdf.de/swr/schaetze-der-welt/page-video-ard-las-mdulas-und-seine-goldminen-spanien-100.html

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Nearby routes

Best routes near Las Médulas Roman Gold Mines

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La Cuevona (Las Médulas) – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

7.26km

02:22

250m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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#2.

Reirigo Cave – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

14.3km

04:19

410m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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