Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Lara de los Infantes
This is a small municipality in Burgos, administratively dependent on the Council of Jurisdicción de Lara, located in the area of the Sierra de la Demanda mountains. This village, which today has just over 26 inhabitants, played a key role in the history of the region, as its proximity to the Peñalara peak placed it in a privileged position for the defence of this area.
One of the main points of interest in Lara de los Infantes is located on this hill, known as the Castle of Lara, a medieval fortress built in the 10th century. Within its walls, Count Fernán González was born and raised and it was his father who ordered the construction of the palace. He would play a key role during the Christian reconquest of the Peninsula from the Moors. Today only the ruins of the castle remain, but it is known to have had six towers, plus the keep, to which the remains of the spiral staircase column that still stands today is thought to have belonged. The remains of what was once the fence surrounding the building, as well as the old castle moat, are still preserved. Precisely around this castle, today almost entirely in ruins, the inhabitants of the whole Tierra de Lara region celebrate a festival every June to vindicate the historical importance of the site.
However, long before the arrival of Fernán González's family in these lands, the area around Lara de los Infantes was already occupied by other villages. In fact, the Celtic settlements left their mark on the municipality and their remains are visible in the forts that are still standing today in the vicinity of the village. However, it would be the Romans who would be responsible for founding this village, calling it Lara, which would acquire the second part of its name during the Middle Ages, due to its link with the medieval legend of the Infantes de Lara.
Other heritage sites of Lara de los Infantes include the Church of La Natividad de Nuestra Señora, a temple originally built during the Romanesque period, although it has undergone numerous subsequent alterations.
