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Fabero

Fabero
Coat of arms of Fabero
Coat of arms
Image of Fabero
Image of Fabero
Location of Fabero
Elevation 676 m (2,218 ft)
Area code(s) +0034 987
Website www.aytofabero.com

Fabero (Fabeiro in Galician language) is a small town in the province of Leon and part of the «Castilla y Leon Autonomia» in north west Spain, near Galicia, with a population of about 5000 inhabitants.

The climate is continental, with hot and dry summer that can reach 36 °C though only in the daytime; it is generally cool in the evenings because of the surrounding mountains. Rainy autumns and cold winters are common.

It is located in an area of great natural beauty featuring the mountains and little villages of the Sierra de Ancares and the , and other small villages scattered on the hillsides. The surrounding mountains are covered in oak trees, chestnut trees and pine forests. Wolves and brown bears can be seen in the remote mountain areas, and on rare occasions near the little villages.

The town is near the historic city of Vilafranca, a famous stage on the Pilgrims' Way to Compostela (Camino de Santiago), in the comarca of Bierzo, the wine producing area that has become famous for the quality of its wines and vineyards.

Fabero was a small farming community of substistence farmers until the 1920s when coal mining started because of the presence of pure anthracite coal in the ground. By the 1960s the populatuion had risen to almost 10,000 people after a large influx of labour from the south of Spain and Portugal. The mines were underground and open cast from the 1980s, including the largest open cast coal mine in Spain. The town's famous statue of the barefoot miner is well known. The town thrived as a vibrant mining community until the first decade of the 21st century when the closing of most of the coal mines in Spain forced many to leave and find work elsewhere.

Fabero is in the region of the province of Leon known as El Bierzo, which is a rich agricultural area, now well known for its wines, chestnuts and horticultural products such as peppers, tomatoes, apples, pears and cherries. A mountainous region, it has a long tradition of quality cured meats, including excellent Serrano hams, chorizo (a spicy sausage) and similar preparations with cured pork meat of which the most popular is 'botillo'.


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