Dock of the Canal de Castilla

What is considered one of the most important hydraulic and civil engineering works of those carried out in our country between the mid-eighteenth century and the first third of the nineteenth leaves in Palencia interesting and striking samples. The Canal de Castilla, the ambitious and revolutionary project promoted by the Marqués de la Ensenada, overlooks the city at various strategically arranged points, such as its dock or the 31 and 32 locks in Viñalta. The Dock was projected as an expansion of the Canal channel around which all the necessary industrial and logistical activities could be carried out. It facilitated the maneuvering of the barges and had several ships abroad that operated as warehouses and stores. The locks, for their part, were also key points for trade and Canal activity, bringing together various industrial buildings. Currently the Canal means a cultural wealth comparable to what it once had economically. Its environmental exploitation, its recreational and leisure use, as well as the architectural value of the buildings it still preserves, represent a new horizon for an essential work to understand the recent history of Castile. Managed by the Duero Hydrographic Confederation, it is a Site of Cultural Interest.