Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Quintanilla de Onésimo
Another town situated on the banks of the Duero river is Quintanilla de Onésimo. This town in Valladolid is part of the Campo de Peñafiel region.
While some evidence exists indicating the presence of Bronze Age settlements in the area, the current nucleus is believed to have been constructed around the 11th century. The name of this establishment is derived from the possibility of a Roman farmhouse having existed in the vicinity of the road to Cesaraugusta, which followed the course of the river. The site has also yielded evidence of Visigothic activity from the 7th and 8th centuries. The town formed part of the Merindad del Infantazgo de Valladolid during the Middle Ages and acquired its greatest importance during the 15th and 16th centuries as a crossing point for roads and cattle tracks thanks to the construction of the famous bridge ordered by the Catholic Monarchs themselves. It is worth noting that during the 19th century, French troops occupied Quintanilla with the objective of maintaining control of this important infrastructure.
The arrival of the railway and the Valladolid-Ariza line in 1895 brought the town a certain degree of prosperity, as well as the installation of its own station with buildings for passengers and goods.
Another significant event was the change of name. The municipality was originally known as Quintanilla de Abajo, although it also bore other names such as Quintanilla de Yuso and Quintanilla de Duero. In 1941, the town was renamed Quintanilla de Onésimo in honour of Onésimo Redondo, a native of the locality and Falangist leader.
While the village boasts several notable architectural features, including the 16th-century Gothic church of San Millán and the chapel of Cristo de San Roque, which sits atop an earlier 16th-century construction, its true claim to fame is as the starting point of the Duero Canal. This is the most significant engineering project of the 19th century in this region. The facility was constructed to provide the entire province of Valladolid with water but is currently only used for irrigation purposes.
The Wine Architecture Park is an interesting destination for visitors seeking to learn more about the history of wine. Furthermore, the municipality is situated in the renowned "golden mile" of wine, home to over a dozen wineries registered in the Ribera del Duero Designation of Origin.
The annual celebrations of the patron saint of Quintanilla take place in the summer months. The festivities in honour of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and San Roque will be held between 14 and 18 August. The celebrations are structured around three main events: the procession and raffle of the saint's arch, the picnic that takes place in the village square, and the open-air dances. San Millán also takes place around 12 November.