Burgos

Hospital del Rey

The King’s Hospital was created in 1200 by Alfonso VIII and his wife Leonor of Aquitaine, becoming the most famous hospital on the Camino de Santiago.

It had as protectors the kings of Castile, who always kept it with magnificent rents and privileges. Currently, this building houses the headquarters of the Rectorate of the University of Burgos and the Faculty of Law.

Instituto Cardenal López de Mendoza

The Cardenal López de Mendoza Institute is a Renaissance style building, one of the most important in the city of Burgos, which presents a great combination of late Gothic and Renaissance elements. The building has been dedicated to teaching since its construction and inauguration.

Monasterio de las Huelgas

The most important monasteries built in the city of Burgos are those of Santa María la Real de Huelgas and the Cartuja de Miraflores.

The most important monasteries built in the city of Burgos are those of Santa María la Real de Huelgas and the Cartuja de Miraflores.

The monastery of Santa María la Real is located in the district of Huelgas and was founded by King Alfonso VIII and his wife Doña Leonor of England for use as a royal pantheon. Its importance was such that it became the first monastic center of Castile, on which numerous convents, villas and places depended.

Arco de Santa María

The Arch of Santa Maria is one of the twelve original entrances to the medieval city. It was rebuilt in the sixteenth century by Juan Vallejo and Francisco de Colonia, giving it the appearance of a triumphal arch and representing on its facade the Emperor Charles V, which is surrounded by the most important people of Burgos and Castile.

Casa de Miranda e Íñigo Angulo

The House of Íñigo Angulo, built at the same time, maintains its main and rear facades, with a three-sided courtyard. This courtyard is considered one of the most interesting examples of Spanish Renaissance art and presents an allegorical decoration with classical myths and great characters of antiquity. In the two floors of the courtyard, one can admire a synthesis of the training and humanist philosophy of its promoter: the canon of Burgos and apostolic prothonotary Francisco de Miranda y Salón.

El Ayuntamiento

The City Hall presents its headquarters in the Plaza Mayor, one of the main axes of the city. The building was built on the site of the Puerta de las Carretas, in classicist style, according to a project by the architect Fernando González de Lara from Burgos.

The Plaza Mayor sets the pace of the city, as its passage is mandatory to reach the Espolón and the commercial areas of the city center.

The Plaza Mayor marks the rhythm of the city, as its passage is mandatory to reach the Espolón and the commercial areas of the city center.

El Castillo y su Mirador

The castle is located in the highest part of the city, on the hill of San Miguel. Throughout the times there have been many events that arose in the fortress, but today it is a friendly and worthwhile place to visit, allowing the tourist to make an unforgettable visit inside its walls.

El Paseo de la Isla

The Paseo de la Isla was created by the bourgeoisie in the last third of the 19th century, it begins at the Arco de Santa Maria.

From the Plaza de Castilla leads to a spectacular botanical garden with species from various ecosystems. Complementing this exotic vegetation are some monumental ruins, such as a 12th century Romanesque portico.

El Paseo del Espolón

The Paseo del Espolón is the most representative of the city, a mandatory meeting place for the inhabitants of Burgos to stroll.

On this promenade is located the “Morito”, which sounds on the facade of the Teatro Principal and is also located in the same Consulado del Mar, a building that stands out for the sailor anchor that presents the tympanum of the building. This in the past collected the commercial operations of the seas of Europe.

El Solar del Cid

According to history, this site was the site of the urban residence of the Cid Campeador, located next to the Puerta de San Martín. Today, the monument is preserved and contains the coats of arms of Burgos and San Pedro de Cardeña.

Iglesia de la Merced

When the Order of the Merced settled in Burgos, around the second half of the 13th century, they did so in a primitive church far from the city, where they remained until 1419. In that year they moved to the church that we know today as the Church of La Merced and in the late fifteenth century, erected a new building with the help of some wealthy Burgos families as Los Castillo and Los Pesquera, buried in his church.

Iglesia de San Cosme y San Damian

The Church of San Cosme and San Damián of Burgos was built between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries over an old church. The highlight of the facades of the temple is the plateresque façade built in 1552 by Juan de Vallejo. This features a semicircular arch, flanked by attached columns with busts in the spandrels.

La Plaza Mayor y sus aledaños

The Plaza Mayor is located in the center of the city so it was logical that in ancient times it was the Market Square. Currently in the square is the seat of City Hall in a neoclassical building built in the eighteenth century, in the place where formerly was the Puerta de las Carretas.

Plaza del Cid

The Plaza del Cid is located where the eastern facade of the Teatro Principal is located since 1955. In the square we can see the equestrian statue of the Cid Campeador, work of Juan Cristobal and the warrior Cidian statue, which wields his sword to the south, guiding his gaze towards the protagonists of the Cantar that Lucarini sculpted for the Bridge of San Pablo.

Monasterio de San Pedro de Cardeña

The monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña was the protagonist of the Cidian legend, since it was the place where the remains of the Cid and his wife Jimena were kept for centuries.

The monastery was founded by the Benedictines in 899, establishing itself as an important cultural and spiritual center, especially in the early stages of the construction of Castile. At that time the monastery presented a Romanesque style, but was sacked in 953 by the army of Abderraman III so that today only the old tower, which dates back to the X-XI century and the Romanesque cloister, dating from the twelfth century.

Iglesia de San Esteban

The Church of San Esteban was built in the last third of the thirteenth century and first half of the fourteenth century, over a previous one of Romanesque style. Its structure has a floor plan with three naves and simple ribbed vaults.

It is worth noting the doorway dating from the late thirteenth century, framed within a pointed arch with three archivolts filled with images of saints and next to jambs in which appear some “statues-columns”.

Palacio de Castilfalé

The Castilfalé Palace is known by this name due to its last owners, the Counts of Castilfalé. It is a building built around the mid-sixteenth century that is characterized by a style typical of the Renaissance in Burgos. It was erected on Fernán González Street, on the route of the Camino de Santiago and in the most prestigious area of Burgos, where the rich merchants had their homes.

Plaza de San Juan

Pilgrims accessed the Plaza de San Juan through Las Calzadas. In this square they could enjoy the complex of San Lesmes, consisting of a monastery, a hospital and a church.

There are hardly any remains of the Hospital and of the Monastery of San Juan, the cloister and the chapter house can still be seen today.

The monastery of San Juan is still standing.

Iglesia de San Gil

The Church of San Gil was built in honor of the Athenian saint San Gil, whose fame of sanctity reached Burgos through pilgrims. This temple is attached to the wall and has a sober exterior facades. Inside it has three naves with a transept and a star-shaped vault.

Plaza de Santa María

Santa Maria Square is located at the foot of the Cathedral and is dominated by the presence of a 17th century fountain dedicated to the Virgin and Child.

This square has been the protagonist of the most important historical events such as the reception of kings and bishops to the Cathedral, the celebration of processions, etc.. Also in previous centuries it was the place chosen to locate a popular market of fresh fish.

Puente de San Pablo y Correos

The bridge of San Pablo linked for centuries the historic city with its expansion to the south of the Arlanzón, where there were many religious centers such as the great Dominican convent of San Pablo and the Trinitarian nuns.

Iglesia de San Nicolás

This church is dedicated to Saint Saint Nicholas of Bari and its construction dates back to 1408 under the patronage of Bishop Juan Cabeza de Vaca.

It presents a simple and discreet structure, in which the portal with a pointed arch undoubtedly stands out. The tympanum portrays St. Nicholas seated on a chair and flanked by St. Sebastian and the Burgos saint St. Vitores.

Museo de la Evolución Humana

The Museum of Human Evolution (MEH) is an innovative exhibition museum designed by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg, which brings together all the discoveries – with the Atapuerca findings as protagonists – that have allowed us to go back more than a million years and discover what the human presence in Europe was like at that time.

Catedral de Burgos

The Cathedral of Burgos is dedicated to Santa María la Mayor, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984 and is considered the most representative monument of the city. Its construction began in 1221 and culminated in 1260.

Cartuja de Miraflores

The Carthusian monastery of Miraflores is located on a former royal palace-fortress. It was built for the devotion of King Henry III, who gave his palaces to the Carthusian monks to found a monastery of the Order in the same place.

Years later, Isabella the Catholic filled the church with grandeur and importance, as this was the place she chose to bury her parents, John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal.