Fabero, Spain

Fabero is a small town in the Province of León 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.SurroundingsIt is located in an area which features the mountains and villages of the Sierra de Ancares and the valley of Fornela, 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.Local economyFabero 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.