Old Hot Springs of Cortegada, 1937. Coto da Pena Viewpoint

About this heritage

Cortegada is a municipality in the Ourense Province, known as Cortegada de Baños for its hot springs resorts. It is within the Ribeiro Region near the Miño River, an area navigable by small boats for the river’s depth, which is between the Castrelo de Miño and Frieira dams.

The Hot Springs Resort of Cortegada is a unique modernist-style resort located on the left bank of the Minho River. It dates back to 1937 when the thermalism in Spain began to decline, first because of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and later by the civil war and the subsequent Franco's dictatorship, in force from 1939 to 1975.

Part of this resort, particularly, its balcony overlooks the river and that, at times, is practically at water level. We should understand that although the resort previously sat a few meters above the river, the construction, in the 60s, of the Frieira reservoir caused the water to rise substantially, leaving part of the resort flooded permanently.

The waters are weakly mineralized, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, lithiated, sulfurous, and thermal. They are suitable and recommended for the treatment of diseases of the digestive system and dermatological conditions.

The river's current state is not the original one since the construction of the reservoir, which caused the water level to rise and flooded water mills and pesqueiras, but left in contrast ample water zones.

In this area, we can locate the Mirador Coto da Pena, a wooden viewpoint built on a rocky massif and 30 meters from the water, from where you can enjoy a relaxing moment contemplating the reflections of the water, the old resort, and the dense vegetation of its surroundings.

To learn more

Cortegada is in the central valley of the Miño River in the south of the Ourense Province, circa 20 kilometers from the frontier with Portugal. It borders with A Arnoia to the north, Gomesende to the east, Pontedeva to the south, and Crecente to the west. Cortegada is also called Cortegada de Baños for its hot springs resorts.

Cortegada is a thermal village. The waters that bathe this town have an average temperature of around 38 degrees, although specialized publications tell us that the most common temperature is 25.5 degrees, and on rare occasions have even hovered 44 degrees. They are sulfurous and ferruginous and have numerous properties to treat various diseases related to the digestive system and dermatological conditions.

The thermalism boom began to decline, first because of the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and later by the civil war and Franco's dictatorship. However, a new modernist building was built, which finished construction in 1937, and is the one we can appreciate, nowadays, on the banks of the Miño River.

It stands out the balcony that overlooks the river and that, at times, is practically at water level. We should understand that although the resort previously sat a few meters above the river, the construction, in the 60s, of the Frieira reservoir brought the water level to its balcony, leaving several facilities and old thermal pylons permanently flooded. Even so, through two boreholes, they recovered part of the water flow.

The water level growth changed the ecological balance, particularly affecting migratory species, such as salmon and lamprey that had once been abundant, but left these waters because of the impossibility of overcoming the reservoir to spawn.

The Coto da Pena viewpoint is a space created to contemplate the scenery of the Miño River. Built-in wood in 2015, it sits on a rocky massif forming a 30-meter height balcony over the river. From this viewpoint, we can enjoy the views of the old hot-springs resort of 1937 of dense vegetation and, in the background, admire Cortegada village.

To reach this location, we can take from the old resort the path that runs parallel to the river or the one that comes from the new resort.

To know it better

In the Ourense Province, we can enjoy many of its hot springs, especially those of the Cortegada municipality. Known as Cortegada de Baños, Cortegada is near the Miño River within the Ribeiro Region and is famous for its thermal waters and navigable by small boats.

The history of this thermal village dates back to the 19th century. Many travelers from different parts of Spain and Portugal and farmers came to these hot springs for their therapeutic benefits of skin diseases, among others. Additionally, in 1816, Cortegada became one of the first towns to have a bathhouse officially recognized by the government of Ferdinand VII, regulating the operation of different thermal resorts and acquiring the name of "public utility center." Likewise, although the existing springs were well known, they did not use them until 1818.

Remodeled and turned into a thermal club, this resort has three thermoludic pools: a dynamic pool to relax and recover body-mind through jets and waterfalls, underwater jets for leg joints, and a bubble bed pool. The waters are suitable for everyone and indicated for problems of the locomotor system such as osteoarthritis, skin conditions such as psoriasis or dermatitis, respiratory diseases such as asthma or bronchitis, and other stress-related illnesses.

The waters are suitable for everyone and recommended for locomotor system problems such as osteoarthritis, skin conditions such as psoriasis or dermatitis, respiratory diseases such as asthma or bronchitis, and other stress-related illnesses.

In the hot springs area, there is also the Mirador Coto da Pena, a natural space that, thanks to a wooden walkway connecting to the viewpoint, allow us to enjoy the breathtaking landscape of the middle stretch of the Miño River from a height of about 30 meters.