Las Médulas

Las Médulas is an ancient Roman gold mining site in the El Bierzo region (León), considered the largest open-pit gold mine in the whole Roman Empire. It is a Site of Cultural Interest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and a natural monument since 2002. The mine was abandoned in the late 2nd or early 3rd century because it was exhausted.

The Romans used the 'ruina montium' method, which altered the environment and left a landscape of reddish sands among chestnut and oak trees. Wild boar, roe deer, wildcat and more than a hundred bird species live here.

You can reach it from the Orellán viewpoint or by the path that starts at the Tía Bibiana spring. Today it is a landscape of reddish peaks among chestnut trees, of unique beauty.

Source of the information: Las Médulas (Wikipedia)