PONFERRADA

city, Len provincia, Castile-Len comunidad autnoma ("autonomous community"), northwestern Spain. It lies at the confluence of the Sil and Boeza rivers, west of the city of Len. Identified with the Roman Interamnium Flavium, Ponferrada was refounded in the 11th century as a station on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The city's historic monuments include the castle of the Knights Templars (12th-14th centuries), a fine example of medieval military architecture; the 10th-century Mozarabic church of Santo Toms de las Ollas; and the Gothic church of Santa Mara de la Encina. Located in a coal- and iron-mining district, Ponferrada has steel mills and manufactures coal briquettes. Pop. (1981) 52,499.