Ourens is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Portuguese Way path of the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago), and is crossed by the Miño, Barbaña, Loña and Barbañica rivers. It is also known as A cidade das Burgas  (in Galician) due to its hot springs, being one of the European cities with the greatest thermal heritage.

Geography and geothermal springs

The ancient city of Auria is located on both banks of the Miño river in the south-central part of Galicia, at an elevation of 128 meters above sea level.

Four rivers cross the town: Miño (the main river), Barbaña, Loña and Barbañica. The biggest river divides a rather industrial western suburb, which contains the railroad station, from the main town. Three highway and one railroad bridge cross the river in addition to the famous Roman bridge, Ponte Vella, which is now closed to vehicle traffic. The town is surrounded by forests, mainly oak and pine.

One of the main tourist attractions is related to hot springs, as Ourense holds one of the greatest amount of geothermal water in Europe, becoming one of the six founding cities of the European Association of Historic Thermal Cities in 2009. It is estimated that three million liters of hot springs flow every day throughout the province. There are several places called pozas, burgas (galician terms) or termas (shared term between galician and spanish), with or without entrance fee, where you can have a bath outdoors. One of them (As Burgas) is located inside the old town centre, relating to the ancient Roman tradition, as ruins of a Roman bath were discovered and are now open to visitors.

There are more hot springs located along the river Miño:

• Termas da Chavasqueira. They are located near the fire station and the main entrance to the city, surrounded by green areas and the Miño river. Its waters flow at 63ºC and are bicarbonated, fluorinated, and sulfurized with medium mineralization.
• Fonte do Tinteiro. It’s a manual traction fountain that expels low-mineralized, alkaline, sulphurous, fluorinated and mesothermal waters, located just 500 meters from the A Chavasqueira thermal area, at a 43ºC temperature.
• Pozas do Muíño da Veiga. They are located 3km from the city, next to an old renovated mill. The space has a large main hot spring of 200m2, a second of 130 m2 and two others of 55 and 45 meters respectively. Its waters flow at a temperature between 65ºC and 72ºC. As for its composition, they are low-mineralized, fluorinated, silicated and alkaline waters.
• Pozas de Outariz. They’re near the Pozas do Muíño da Veiga, 4km from the city, and have two different parts separated by a pedestrian bridge that connects the OU-402 road with the enclosure: at the top are the Pozas de Outariz hot springs and at the bottom the Burgas de Canedo ones. The waters of this enclosure are low-mineralized, fluorinated, silicated and bicarbonated. The temperature at which these waters flow is 60ºC.

Sights

Although mainly a town of services, Ourense is not without its tourist sites. The town has three parts: the medieval, the area of 19th-century expansion, and the modern perimeter. Many who pass by on the highway linking Madrid to Vigo are unaware of the medieval quarter, with its narrow streets and tiny plazas. Once an area of a certain dilapidated charm the area is now undergoing renovation and is full of typical restaurants and bars patronized by the university students of the town. The Plaza Mayor is the center of city life with its arcaded shops and the Town Hall.

The Cathedral is the most important monument in Ourense. This cathedral (founded 572; rebuilt in the 13th century) is the second oldest in Galicia. It occupies the same site as the Suevian basilica that stood there in earlier times. Romanesque in structure, but with a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles, it is rather hidden away but, contains a façade with the Door of Paradise in imitation of the Door of Glory of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Inside, the Capilla del Cristo, or Christ’s Chapel (16th century), contains a crucifix venerated throughout Galicia.

The Miño is crossed at Ourense by the Ponte Vella (Old Bridge). With Roman foundations, it was reconstructed by Bishop Lorenzo in 1230 but frequently repaired since then; it has seven arches and a central span of 141 feet (43 m).

La Ruta de la Plata (the silver route in English) and the Portuguese Way, different routes on the Camino de Santiago, both pass directly through Ourense. La Ruta de la Plata, the longest of all the Camino’s routes, begins in Sevilla and moves north through the west of the country. The pilgrims on both routes are important to Ourense’s tourism industry, especially in holy years of St. James when traffic on the Camino is especially high