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 in the province of Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain.

The town is located at 42° 47' 00" north, 4° 50' 00" west on the banks of the Carrión River on the boundary between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Meseta Central. It is the second most populated municipality after the capital, Palencia, in the province of Palencia. The majority of the urban area 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.

Physical geography

The municipality of Guardo, in addition to the eponymous town, also comprises the following 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 the comarca of Alto Carrión.

The elevation of the municipality oscillates between 1800 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 Mantinos.

Urban structure and monuments

Train Station of Ferrocarril de La Robla in Guardo.

The historic district is divided into three neighborhoods – Barruelo, La Fuente and La Plaza – situated on the eastern slope of the Carrión River Valley. The historic district contains a magnificent Baroque palace built in the 18th century by Bishop Francisco Díaz-Santos de Bullón. The palace currently houses the Centre for Teacher Training and Educational Innovation.

There are several impressive large houses on either side of the palace and another, near the church of San Juan, contains the House of Culture and the Municipal Library. The church was built in the 17th century.

A 16th-century bridge crosses the Carrión River. On 13 June a festival is held in honour of San Antonio de Padua. Every Friday there is a weekly market.

External links

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