Llanes (the ''Concejo de Llanes'', ''Conceyu de Llanes'' in

Asturian language Asturian (; )Art. 1 de lLey 1/1998, de 23 de marzo, de uso y promoción del bable/asturiano aw 1/93, of March 23, on the Use and Promotion of the Asturian Language/nowiki> is a West Iberian languages, West Iberian Romance languages, Roman ...

) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of the province of

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

, in northern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Stretching for about 30 km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bounded to the south by the high ridge of the limestone Sierra del Cuera, which rises to over 1,100 m. The region is part of the ''Costa Verde'' (Green Coast) of Spain, which is known for its spectacular coastal scenery, with 32 white sand beaches, and mountains covered with a deep green mantle. Llanes lies to the north of the

Picos de Europa Picos is a municipality in the state of Piauí in the Northeast region of Brazil. Picos is the state's third-largest city, located in the south-central region of Piauí and is the most economically developed city in the region. The city's fin ...

, a mountain range whose geology is almost entirely of limestone

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

. Most of the inhabitants of the district live on the coastal plain, on which the largest town is Llanes itself, with a population of about 4,000 out of the total for the district of about 13,000. The folklore, food, and fiestas of the region are famous for their colour and history.

Town

Llanes is a traditional fishing port, with an active harbour and many notable monuments and traditions; Parts of the surviving town walls date to 1206 with a medieval Tower of Llanes remaining. There is a romanic-gothic Basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary. One plaque commemorates the 65 sailors from Llanes who sailed on the three ships it fitted out for the Spanish Armada in 1588 (the Santa Ana, the San Nicolas, and the Santelmo). Another plaque commemorates the September 26, 1517 visit of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

who stayed for two nights, when on his way to

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

to be crowned King of Castile. In the 1990s the landmark old Theatre (Teatro Benevente), built as part of the main bridge over the river, was pulled down. Llanes economy is boosted by tourists mostly from the rest of Spain in the summer. The town has traditional shops and restaurants, both in and around the town, and the ''zona de copas'' is lively at night in summer. Three beaches and a cliff-top walk, the ''Paseo de San Pedro'', add to the coastal atmosphere. Nearby is the Playa de Gulpiyuri.

Parishes

Llanes is divided into 28

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

: {{div col, colwidth=14em * Andrín * Ardisana * Barru * Caldueñu * Carranzo * Celoriu * Cue *

Ḥontoria Ḥontoria () is one of 28 parishes (administrative divisions) in Llanes, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, South ...

* La Borbolla * Llanes * Los Caleyos * Los Carriles * La Malatería * Meré * Naves * Nueva * Parres * Pendueles * Po * Porrúa * Posada de Llanes * Pría * Purón * Rales * San Roque l'Acebal * Tresgrandas * Vibañu * Vidiago {{div col end

Mountains

From all of the district of Llanes the view to the south is dominated by the limestone mountain wall, which rises steeply to 744 m at L'Abá. The ridge forming the wall shields the view of the higher Sierra del Cuera above, of which the highest point (in Llanes) is La Peña Blanca, 1177 m. Between the two ridges there are hidden valleys, draining into cave systems. The largest of these valleys is La Llosa de Viango. Unlike the heights of the Picos de Europa further to the south, these valleys are green and pastoral. The mountains are part of the Cordillera Cantábrica, which runs across most of the north and northwest of Spain.{{citation needed, date=November 2017 From September 6, 1937 to September 22, 1937, 5,000 men of the Republican forces held off over 33,000 Nationalists, in this area, in an epic resistance which became known as the Battle of El Mazuco.

Caves

The district contains numerous caves, including a site of archaeological interest at Nueva, and the Cueva Bolado ({{coord, 43, 24, 04, N, 4, 45, 51, W) near La Pereda which also contains ancient art as well as open passages. There are also several significant 'wild' cave systems, including * the Bolugo-Caldueñín system under El Mazuco (the ''Río Belugas'', which sinks at ({{coord, 43, 22, 45, N, 4, 51, 03, W) and resurges at {{coord, 43, 22, 48, N, 4, 51, 54, W) * the Rales system ({{coord, 43, 24, 43, N, 4, 53, 39, W) * El Cuevón de Pruneda, near Purón ({{coord, 43, 22, 39, N, 4, 43, 23, W). These systems were first systematically explored by speleologists from the Oxford University Cave Club and from Speleogroup. In addition, it is suspected that there is a significant cave system underlying La Llosa de Viango.Cave system underlying La Llosa de Viango
– July 2003

Fiestas

In Llanes itself, the patron saint of the town, ''Nuestra Señora del Conceyu'', is celebrated with a Fiesta on 15 August. In addition, there are three big summer Fiestas in the town: 22 July {{usurped,
La Magdalena
}, 16 August San Roque, and 8 September La Guía. These Fiestas are independently organized by three groups, known as "Bandos", with followers in the Llanes population; these have a long and well-known rivalry, and each tries every year to outdo the others and stage the best festivities. Outside the town, the various parishes and localities in the district celebrate the usual diversity of Fiestas in honour of their patron saints, with emphasis on La Hoguera ("The bonfire"), which consists of the felling of a mountain eucalyptus which is then erected in the village after removing the branches and bark. This is celebrated in several villages, including Celorio, Balmori, and Pancar (where they carry out the entire ritual without the help of their neighbours). Also famous is the Noche de las Brujas of Barro (a very traditional and popular celebration centred on Asturian mythology), as is the celebration of Santa Ana, the patron saint of Naves, thanks to the free concert given by popular musicians.

Sport

{, class="wikitable" !Team !Town !Sport !League !Tier !Stadium/Arena , - , Club Baloncesto Crossover Llanes , Llanes ,

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, Segunda Autonómica , 7 , Polideportivo Municipal de Llanes , - , Urraca CF (women's) , Posada de Llanes ,

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, Femenino Regional , 3 , Campo de Fútbol Municipal "La Corredoria" (Posada de Llanes) , - , CD Llanes , Llanes ,

Tercera División Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...

, 4 , Campo Municipal de San José , - , Urraca CF (men's) , Posada de Llanes ,

, Regional Preferente , 5 , Campo de Fútbol Municipal "La Corredoria" (Posada de Llanes) , - , CD Aguilar Balompié , Bricia (Llanes) ,

, Segunda Regional , 7 , Campo de Fútbol Municipal "La Corredoria" (Posada de Llanes) , - , CD San Jorge , Nueva (Llanes) ,

, Segunda Regional , 7 , Campo Municipal "El Ereba" (Nueva de Llanes) , - , CD Llanes , Llanes ,

Futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

, Primera División Regional , 6 , Polideportivo Municipal de Llanes , - , AD Playas de Llanes , Llanes ,

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

, Segunda Asturiana , , Polideportivo Municipal de Llanes , - , Escuela de Voley 9x18 Llanes-Ribadedeva , Llanes/ Ribadedeva ,

, ''School Competitions'' , ----- , ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References

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