Las Médulas World Heritage Site

Official name

Las Médulas | UNESCO

Country

Spain | Map

Continent

Europe

Location

Province of Léon, Autonomous Community of Castile-Leon
42.4693° Lat, -6.7707° Lon | Map

Code

803

Time Zone

Europe/Madrid (CET, +0100)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 1997. In the 1st century A.D. the Roman Imperial authorities began to exploit the gold deposits of this region in north-west Spain, using a technique based on hydraulic power. After two centuries of working the deposits, the Romans withdrew, leaving a devastated landscape. Since there was no subsequent industrial activity, the dramatic traces of this remarkable ancient technology are visible everywhere as sheer faces in the mountainsides and the vast areas of tailings, now used for agriculture.