We are Medio Cudeyo

Page 1

WE ARE


Machinery Ingenio Rosario (1885)


The tourist tradition in the district of Medio Cudeyo is closely linked to the Solares Spa, to such an extent that the town itself developed

WE ARE

Water Solares Spa

around the use of these mineralmedicinal waters.

services at the disposal of the citizens. The tourist resource par excellence,

The waters from the Fuencaliente Spring are

the driving force of Medio Cudeyo,

used for a wide range of activities: bottling

is its Spa and its power of attraction

factory, leisure and curing physical illnesses.

is such that it justifies the speciali-

Water, in the mythological concept of the uni-

sation in thermal tourism of the

verse, is a productive, creative and fecund

entire district. Based on the deve-

element and it is precisely at Medio Cudeyo

lopment of the health tourism mar-

where it has become the basis of one of the

ket, the district must make the most

first tourist initiatives.

of its image as a thermal bath centre based on the quality of the en-

The Solares spa tradition goes back to the

vironment, its resources and of the

XVIII century, when the existence of thermal baths used for the treatment of stomach problems and nervous ailments was mentioned in the Ensenada Land Registry in 1753. The first bath establishment opened in 1827 and soon extended to eight bathing establishments and a covered gallery with a fountain and a treelined avenue.

テ]az Bridge


A hotel also opened to cater for the accommodation of customers, together with a number of inns, guesthouses and boarding houses. Towards the end of the XIX century, the architect Carlos Velasco made improvements to the Spa to adapt it to a new luxury

Heras Reservoir

and elitist trend. With this in view, a bathing area in the Neo-Mudejar and Eastern style was built based on the model of other spas, such as the French spa at Biarritz. The Solares Spa Grand Hotel was built in 1902. This is the work of the architect Lavín Casalís

that combines modernist and historical elements, especially the large “liberty” windows on the ground floor, the stucco on the facade and the bolsters and cresting on the outside. A round kiosk was added to the spa and hotel in the park, providing the whole with

Ríver Miera


WE ARE

Water

a garden area where guests could walk. The end of the XIX and beginning of the XX centuries marked the age of splendour of the Solares Spa, when visitors did not necessarily come to treat any type of illness but to use the spa as a summer and leisure resort, the embryo of so-called "thermal tourism". Solares then became the most outstanding Spa in Cantabria and one of the main establishments in the north of the country until it closed in 1976. After far-reaching improvements in 2006, the Hotel Balneario de Solares opened and is now part of the hotel offer in the thermal sector, basing its business on elegance and comfort.

Solares Spa

Solares Spa

Cub贸n washhouse-Sobremazas


The natural resources of the district include outstanding ecological and landscape values. The landscape is dominated by the mass of Peña

WE ARE

Earth Heras landscape

Cabarga, a limestone formation with numerous karstic elements and where Holm oak and eucalyptus tree grow. Peña Cabarga forms an excellent background for Santander Bay and is a viewpoint from

and who has established towns and industries that have permanently deformed the natural environment by introducing a clearly urban aspect.

where the coastline of Cantabria

In general, the landscape is defined by the

can be enjoyed.

limestone mass of Peña Cabarga, which pro-

The rest of the district features the

vides the entire area with a peculiar outlook.

result of the interaction between

Apart from this massif, other natural resources

native vegetable species (mainly

found in the Medio Cudeyo district include the

oak forests) and man, who has

headwaters of the Cubón Spring, where part

transformed the most productive

of the former mining railway line is preserved;

areas into pastures and grasslands

the Solía and San Salvador marshes, which are first-class areas for bird-watching; Mount Castillo, which features the remains of a medieval site on its peak and that was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2002; the Heras Reservoir, originally used to wash minerals; the banks of the Pámanes and Miera rivers,

View of Hermosa


WE ARE

Earth

catalogued as Sites of Community Interest

species such as hazels, hawthorn, ash trees,

(SCI); and the property of the Marquis of

birch trees, chestnut trees, maples; all for-

Valdecilla, recently acquired by the Town

ming small concentrations or, frequently,

Council and that includes excellent speci-

isolated. There are also privet trees, blac-

mens of oak trees, American oak, magnolia

kthorn, elder, blackberry bushes, wild roses

trees, Atlantic cedars, palm trees, lime trees,

and a number of liana and climbing plants,

Holm oak, sorb trees, laurels and eucalyptus

such as bryony and honeysuckle.

trees.

Grasslands and pastures predominate in

The district presents three large areas that,

the northern region. The mountainsides

in turn, feature three types of vegetation:

present fertile lands with an excellent

the Peña Cabarga Massif; the northern area

provision of water and small luxurious woods

between Peña Cabarga and the Solía and

of great interest. Eucalyptus trees give way

San Salvador rivers; and the southern area

to small clumps of oak forests, with a great

between Cabarga and the border of the

variety of trees and bushes; the remains of

district.

ancient vegetation and abandoned crops. The San Salvador tidal river, with its marshy

The Peña Cabarga Massif is a limestone outcrop that has been repeatedly reforested with Eucalyptus trees. The areas that feature higher levels of humidity and greater soil

landscape washed by the tides and affected by sea salt, is important for the biodiversity it harbours, especially birds and invertebrates.

quality present vestiges of the ancient dominance of oak trees, with a court of other

Pastures

Regata park-Ceceñas


WE ARE

Earth

We must also mention the riverbank vegetation along the Pámanes and Miera rivers, which, in certain sections, can be considered full-scale woods. These are species linked to water courses, damp areas, riverbanks... A locally significant mass of water is the Heras-Sobremazas Reservoir. Located on the course of the Cubón Spring, it features a greater diversity of species than other Solía marsh-San Salvador

nearby areas. However, the area nearest the water is incapable of maintaining stable

routes through the district and that include

vegetable species given the slope of the

a number of cultural heritage elements along

banks, which prevents the typical grass

the way. We can mention the routes along

plants and bushes of this type of habitat

the Miera River banks, Sierra Hermosa, the

from taking root, directly affecting the stable

Mining Railway line, Cubón Spring, Peña

residence of birds in this area.

Cabarga, the Route to Santiago and the Marshes. There is even a 22.5 km. route

All these natural and landscape resources can be enjoyed by following a number of

that links each one of the ten villages found in the district. All these routes are easy to follow, enabling visitors to embark on a number of activities such as photography, landscape painting, bird-watching, fishing, potholing and even botany.

Former railway line-San Vitores


The history of Medio Cudeyo goes back to the "Merinidad de Trasmiera", of which the Council of Cudeyo

WE ARE

History

formed part. This term comes from Marquis of Valdecilla

the Castrum Cultellum that the Romans seem to have built on Mount

organisational-administrative nature. The said

Castillo and that is based on its

Alfoz became, towards the end of the XIV

shape that resembles a knife. The

century, the Junta de Cudeyo, which comprised

district that is known today as Me-

twenty-seven villages grouped into three districts

dio Cudeyo was once Crown land

(La Marina, Enmedio and Allendelagua). The

surrounding medieval churches

District of Medio Cudeyo appeared in 1814

and monasteries (San Miguel de

based on the segregation of a number of coun-

Heras, San Víctor,Santa María de

cils that formed part of the Junta de Cudeyo.

Cudeyo).

The chronological scope of Medio Cudeyo

In the XII century, the so-called

covers from extremely early periods based on

“Alfoz de Cudio” existed as a type

archaeological sites, of which we can mention

of association of councils of an

the Castilnegro Fort (1st century B.C.) and Castillo Mountain (VII-XI centuries), to the first decades of the XX century, when the so-called "Indiano" houses were built; a type of house found in many villages in this district. Among the churches of Medio Cudeyo, we can mention Santa María de Cudeyo, the patron saint of the district, which features a stone

Former school of Ánaz

sepulchre of a knight inside.


The religious architecture also includes

Cudeyo were the families that made their

simply chapels and the building of the Co-

fortune in America and then used part of

fradía de la Vera Cruz (Association of the

their wealth to build large houses in which

True Cross), built at the beginning of the

to reside when they visited their native land.

XVII century on one of the branch routes on the Route to Santiago.

We must mention the Plaza de la Marquesa (Marquesa Square) in Nájera, with its cob-

Concerning civil architecture, we can hig-

bled streets, stone benches and street-lights

hlight the Alvarado Tower in Heras. During

from London. The square is surrounded by

the second half of the XVII century, a number

a number of houses in the regional style

of monumental baroque mansions were

with wooden balconies and gable ends,

built, such as those belonging to Ibáñez de

including La Tudanca, the former residence

la Riva Herrera or to the Marquis of Valbue-

of the Marchioness.

na and Rubalcaba. The mansions of the Cuetos and Portilla were built in the XVIII century in Sobremazas. From the end of the XIX century we have the Mansion of the Earl of Torreánaz. A driving force in the architecture of Medio

The railway station was built in 1891 coinciding with the greatest period of splendour of the Solares Spa. This project influenced the development of a railway and industrial look that can be seen in some houses in the La Estación neighbourhood in Heras,

Former Solares Spa


WE ARE

History

Casa Vial in Valdecilla or the Casino in

the one named after him in the town of

Solares, which were built in the modernist

Valdecilla. He also paid part of the construc-

style. Towards the middle of the XIX century,

tion of the schools of San Salvador in the

Ramón Pelayo de la Torriente (Marquis of

district of Medio Cudeyo, which opened in

Valdecilla) was born in Valdecilla. When he

1909 as well as the Marquis de Valdecilla

was only fourteen years old, he emigrated

University Hospital. But it is in the Property

to Cuba and, thanks to his business abilities

of the Marquis of Valdecilla where Medio

he soon became a significant industrial force

Cudeyo enjoys the most relevant testimony

on the island. He travelled to the United

of the figure and work of this most outstan-

States, where he studied and acquired te-

ding neighbour. Its cultural and natural fea-

chnical knowledge on large industrial cen-

tures, its location only 15 km. from Santan-

tres. He married and acquired a small sugar

der, its nearness to the most popular

cane plantation in the district of Aguacate,

beaches or to attractions such as the Ca-

known as Batey Rosario. Meanwhile, he

bárceno Nature Park.

also began to build on his property in Valdecilla what would become his home when he returned from Cuba in 1920. He then sold Ingenio Rosario and settled in his home town until his death in 1932.

This 147,910 m2 property includes six buildings: La Casa Blanca, La Casuca, San Rafael, El Garaje, La Cabaña and La Solana. The main entrance is through a stone portico featuring the coat of arms of

The Marquis embarked on many charity projects and sponsored the construction of

the ancient house of Los Quintana from Penagos.

a number of schools in Cantabria, including

Bottling Solares Water

Aerial view of Sobremazas-La Tudanca


WE ARE

We are water because we live in one of the most traditional thermal towns in Spain. The splendour and importance of Solares in the XIX

What you want us to be Mount Castillo

century has been restored today to offer our guests the possibility of enjoying a unique experience.

We are earth because Medio Cudeyo features beautiful landscapes and sites where one may enjoy pleasant walks and the traditional hospitality of the peoples of this land. And all this seasoned with the prestigious gastronomy of the land.

View of San Rafael-Estate of Marquis of Valdecilla


WE ARE

What you want us to be

We are history because we treasure a rich and diverse cultural heritage - from prehistoric sites to eighteenth and nineteenth century mansions, vestiges of our recent aristocratic and gentlemanly past. The birthplace of illustrious people such as Ram贸n Pelayo de la Torriente, Marquis of Valdecilla; an outstanding benefactor and philanthropist.

Church in Hermosa

Coat of Arms of Los Puebla-Santiago de Cudeyo

View of Pe帽a Cabarga From Santander


We are what you want us to be... Spa, Golf

found at the viewpoint located on Pico Ca-

Course, Property of the Marquis of Valdeci-

barga and that projects a three dimensional

lla, Natural and Cultural Heritage, Country

image into the monument of the magnificent

Tourism and, all in all, a myriad of charming

views that can be enjoyed.

views to be discovered at the Dark Chamber

View from Sierra Hermosa

View of Mount Castillo


WE ARE

What you want us to be

La Casa Blanca-Estate of Marquis of Valdecilla



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