Ourense (Orense)
Ourense is an interesting university city in Galicia. It is spelled as Orense in Spanish and it is sometimes referred to as 'A cidade das Burgas'. Major attractions in Ourense are its beautiful Romanesque cathedral and its thermal hot springs.
Ourense is crossed by the rivers of Miño, Barbaña, Loña and Barbañica. The Camino de Santiago passes through Ourense via 2 different routes: La Ruta de la Plata (the silver route) and the Portuguese Way.
Ourense consists of three different parts: The medieval city, the 19th century area and the modern city. Most sights are in the medieval part of the city.
Ourense's old town has many narrow streets and small plazas. It is full of restaurants, café's and bars. Most of them are full with the citiy's university students.
- The Plaza Major is the main square on which the old town is centered. It is surrounded by arcaded shops.
- The Town Hall is on Plaza Major.
- Ourense's Cathedral is its most important monument. It was founded in 572 on the site of the earlier Suevian basilica. It was later destroyed and the current building dates from the 13th century, when it was rebuilt in Romanesque/Gothic styles. The cathedral's façade contains the Door of Paradise, which is an imitation of the Door of Glory in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It includes the 16th-century Capilla del Cristo, or Christ's Chapel that contains an important crucifix.
- Ponte Vella, or Old Bridge, is a 1230 reconstruction of an ancient Roman bridge. The bridge spans the Miño river and it has 7 arches, the largest if which measures 43 m (141 feet).
There are many hotels, restaurants, café's and bars in town. Ourense is 405 km northwest of Madrid. The city has good road and rail connections with many other places in Spain.
; "Image 1 - Plaza Major [185kB]")
; "Image 2 - Ourense ©Andrea Rodriguez [87kB]")
; "Image 3 - Street in Ourense ©Andrea Rodriguez [84kB]")
; "Image 4 - One of the many hot springs in Ourense [120kB]")
; "Image 5 - Ponte Vella
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