Environment and surroundings

Curiel de Duero

Curiel de Duero is located on the banks of the Douro River, 5 kilometers from Peñafiel, in the valley known as the Cuco. Although its origins date back to the second millennium BC C. as shown by archaeological remains found dating from the Bronze Age, the village still retains a typical medieval layout, which reflects its importance during this period, mainly during the reconquest period in Spain history.

It is now preserved in the Constitution Square Castle-Palace of Don Diego Lopez de Zuniga, Duke of Béjar (Miguel de Cervantes who devoted the first part of Don Quixote) which was built in the late fourteenth century and served as habitual residence for his family. The Dukes of Béjar retained this office until 1862, date on which it was sold and from that moment began to pass from hand to hand, and he was blown away and sold everything that could have artistic value, so the plasterwork between Toledo and coffered ceilings and the roof trusses. Today some of his remains can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, where the remains of the decoration, on a private farm Torrelodones, where he mounted the castle courtyard, in the Alcazar of Segovia.
On the hilltop overlooking the village lays a second castle, the rock built fortress, very common in defensive fortresses and circular in shape, is considered the oldest in the province of Valladolid (St. X) and belonged to Dona Leonor, Dona Berengaria, Doña Violante among others. Prison was also the children of Pedro I the Cruel, John of Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, to James IV of Majorca, property of Alfonso XI of Pedro I, etc ... It is now privately owned, and has been restored as tourist hotel.

Special mention Santa Maria's Church, originally Romanesque, but where you can see clearly predominant in the construction of the Gothic-Mudejar style of the XV and XVI. The impressive interior boasts coffered Mudejar and the central altarpiece of S. XVI.

At the end of Curiel de Duero shares with neighboring Pesquera de Duero, lies the area known historically as the tongs or pliers High Castile, who was an early settlement consists of caves and passageways, and that is one of the sets hermit more important area.