Pedraza: A Walled Village With One Gate
Castilla y León, Spain
Badge Unlock
Pedraza
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
250
XP
+100 Spain
= 350 total
1 day
Pedraza: A Walled Village With One Gate
250 + 100 XP
Pedraza has one way in and out. The gate goes back to the 11th century and was rebuilt in the 16th under Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, whose arms are over the entrance; its black poplar doors were shut every night for centuries, and if anyone needed to pass after dark it was the jailer's job to open them, because the village prison is in the gate tower. The whole place was made a Historic Ensemble in 1951 and has about three hundred and thirty-five inhabitants. On two Saturday nights in July it turns off every electric light and holds a concert by candle.
Required Activities
1
of 5
Go in through the single gate and work out that there is no other way in or out of the village
2
of 5
Find the prison in the gate tower, and find out why the jailer held the keys to the village at night
3
of 5
Find the arms of Íñigo Fernández de Velasco over the entrance, from the 16th-century rebuilding
4
of 5
Come on one of the July candle nights, when the village kills every electric light for a concert
5
of 5
Walk to the castle at the far end, which Ignacio Zuloaga bought and used as a studio
Go in through the single gate and work out that there is no other way in or out of the village
Find the prison in the gate tower, and find out why the jailer held the keys to the village at night
Find the arms of Íñigo Fernández de Velasco over the entrance, from the 16th-century rebuilding
Come on one of the July candle nights, when the village kills every electric light for a concert
Walk to the castle at the far end, which Ignacio Zuloaga bought and used as a studio
Before you go
On two Saturday nights in July the village turns off every electric light for a concert by candle.
The candle nights sell out months in advance. The village is cobbled and closed to traffic.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Castilla y León
Loading region info…
Explore more about Castilla y León:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
250 XP
Spain country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
350 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in Spain.
More challenges nearby
within 100km
The Duratón Gorges: Vultures and the Hermitage of San Frutos
Spain · Castilla y León
wildlife
easy
1d
20 km away
Buitrago del Lozoya: Walls and a Picasso Collection
Spain · Madrid
cultural
easy
1d
21 km away
The Hayedo de Montejo: A Beech Wood Left Over From the Ice Age
Spain · Madrid
nature
easy
1d
27 km away
El Paular: The First Carthusian House in Castile
Spain · Madrid
history
easy
1d
28 km away
La Granja de San Ildefonso: Versailles on the Meseta
Spain · Castilla y León
cultural
easy
1d
31 km away
Segovia: The Aqueduct, the Alcázar and a Late Gothic Cathedral
Spain · Castilla y León
history
easy
1d
33 km away