World Heritage Identification Number: 803
World Heritage since: 1997
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇪🇸 Spain
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Ancient Gold Mining Landscape of Las Médulas: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
The ancient gold mining landscape of Las Médulas, located in the north-western region of Spain, stands as a testament to the ingenuity and ambition of the Roman Empire. This historic site, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, offers a unique insight into the mining techniques employed during the 1st century AD.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
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.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
The Committee decided to inscribe this property on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv), considering that the Las Médulas gold-mining area is an outstanding example of innovative Roman technology, in which all the elements of the ancient landscape, both industrial and domestic, have survived to an exceptional degree.
Encyclopedia Record: Las Médulas
Las Médulas is a historic gold-mining site near the town of Ponferrada in the comarca of El Bierzo. It was the most important gold mine, as well as the largest open-pit gold mine, in the entire Roman Empire. Las Médulas Cultural Landscape is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Advanced aerial surveys conducted in 2014 using LIDAR have confirmed the wide extent of the Roman-era works.Additional Site Details
Area: 2,208.2 hectares
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 42.46939 , -6.77075
