Pedraza is a medieval walled village in Spain, 37 kilometers northeast of Segovia capital. It is a declared Historic-Artistic Site, with a population of 335, as of 2025. Its name seems to derive from the Pretoria Roman settlement. The town was ruled by various noble families, including Fernando Gómez de Albornoz, who was named lord of Pedraza by King Enrique II of Castilla in 1369. Over the next centuries, the town's trade in merino wool made it prosper in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Its textiles could compete with those made in Flanders. The town's most famous landmark is the Puerta de la villa, the gateway to the town, which dates back to the 11th century and was rebuilt in the 16th century by Íñigo Fernández de Velasco. Today, Pedraza is known for its annual feast of the Virgen del Carrascal, a procession and bull run that takes place from September 7 to 12, and the celebration of San Juan, from July 1 and 2, when thousands of candles light up the town.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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