Guardo

Guardo
Municipality
Coat of arms
Guardo Location in Spain Guardo Guardo (Castile and León)
Coordinates: 42°47′22″N 4°50′47″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Castile and León
Province	Palencia
Government
• Mayor	Juan Jesús Blanco Muñiz (PP)
Area
• Total	62.83 km2 (24.26 sq mi)
Elevation	1,123 m (3,684 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	6,153
• Density	98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Demonym	guardense
Postal code	34880
Website	Official website

Guardo is a town and municipality situated in the Montaña Palentina region in the far north of the province of Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. As of 2023, the municipality had 5653 residents, making it the third most populated in the province.

Physical geography

The town is situated on the banks of the Carrión river on the southern slopes of the Sierra del Brezo, a mountain range that separates the Cantabrian Mountains from the Meseta Central.

Guardo's average elevation is 1123 metres above sea level. The majority of the town is modern, mainly constructed during the first half of the 20th century, although there is a small historic section on a hill to the east. The centre of the town is on the left bank of the river. The right bank contains the railway and industrial facilities, many of which are no longer in operation.

The municipality of Guardo, in addition to the titular town, also comprises the hamlets of Muñeca, Intorcisa and San Pedro de Cansoles.

Guardo itself is 91 km away from Palencia, the provincial capital, 145 km from Valladolid, 137 km from Burgos and 85 km from León.

It is the capital of and by far the largest settlement in the comarca of Alto Carrión.

The elevation of the municipality oscillates between 1836 metres on the summit of Peña Mayor de Guardo in the Sierra del Brezo and approximately 1100 metres on the banks of the Carrión as it flows towards the village of Mantinos.

Guardo is situated on the Camino Olvidado a Santiago, or the 'Forgotten Way' of St James, a route of the Camino de Santiago that was used by the very first pilgrims travelling to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

Climate

Guardo has a fresh Mediterranean climate (type Csb), close to the boundary with a type Cfb oceanic climate. The table below indicates the climatic averages for the locality:

Landmarks

Train Station of Ferrocarril de La Robla in Guardo.

Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist Church)

Situated on a hill in the east of town in a neighbourhood known as El Otero (The Hill). It dates back to the 14th century and is built in the florid Gothic style. Inside there is a Romanesque font that dates back to the 18th century.

Palacio del Arzobispo Bullón (Archbishop Bullón's Palace)

This palace is located in the upper town and is well-known for its splendid Barroque façade dating back to the 18th century. It was declared a Bien de interés cultural and was restored in 2022.

Monumento al Minero (Monument to the Miner)

A 4-metre high bronze figure depicting various coal-mining imagery suspended on a concrete plinth above a pool and fountains. The monument was inaugurated in July 1975 and was completed by the sculptor Jacinto Higueras Cátedra. It is a homage to the figure of the miner and is considered the town's most emblematic monument.

Ayuntamiento de Guardo (Town Hall)

In November 2018, 11 years after the demolition of the old town hall, Guardo's new administrative building was inaugurated and is also home to a police station and an auditorium with capacity for 400 people.

Parque Fuentes Carrionas ('Source of the Carrión' Park)

A small park situated west of the town centre on the banks of the Carrión river. It takes its name from Fuentes Carrionas, a glacial lake that traditionally constitutes the source of this river.

Economy

The town's main economic activity was coal mining, an industry which commenced several decades after the heavy mining operations in the neighbouring Asturias and León provinces since the coal in Guardo was found deeper into the ground and one had to await for the appropriate technological advances.

In 1942 an important chemical industrial plant owned by Unión Explosivos Río Tinto was constructed in the town and was in operation for over four decades. Initially, the factory comprised numerous buildings, which over time were demolished to the small number still standing today. This factory closed for good in May 2008, with its last owner being the US multinational company Celanese.

Notable people

• Ana José Cancio (1960-), Journalist at TVE and RNE
• Francisco Díaz Santos Bullón (1687-1764), priest and statesman: Archbishop of Burgos, Bishop of both Sigüenza and Barcelona and Governor of the Consejo de Castilla
• Jesús Landáburu (1955-), ex-footballer for Real Valladolid, Rayo Vallecano, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid who also played in the Spanish national team
• Claudio Prieto (1934-2015), Classical composer born in Muñeca. The main site of Guardo's secondary school, IES Guardo, was formerly named after him.

External links

• Aerial Photograph
• More Information about Guardo (In Spanish)
• Interactive Map (In Spanish)
• Información, historia y fotografías de Guardo (in Spanish)