Santa Cruz de Abranes facts for kids

Santa Cruz de Abranes (which is Santa Cruz d'Abranes in the local Leonese language) is a small village in Spain. It's part of the Pedralba de la Pradería area in the Province of Zamora, which is in the region of Castile and León. This village is special because it sits right on the border between Spain and Portugal.

For a long time, until the 1700s, Santa Cruz de Abranes was actually part of Portugal! Now, it belongs to a Spanish area called Senabria. The village is also located inside a special protected natural area known as Sierra de la Culebra. This means the nature around it is kept safe and beautiful.

Discover Santa Cruz de Abranes

Santa Cruz de Abranes is a very small village. Only about 30 people live there. It's known for its quiet, peaceful life close to nature. Being so close to the border, it has a unique history that mixes Spanish and Portuguese influences.

Its Special Language

One of the most interesting things about Santa Cruz de Abranes is its language. It's one of the few places where the old Leonese language is still spoken today!

In 1925, a language expert named Fritz Krüger studied the way people spoke in Santa Cruz de Abranes. He said that their Leonese language was like a "prototype" or a perfect example of how the old Leonese language used to sound. He found that its sounds and grammar were very similar to how Leonese was written in old documents from the 1100s and 1200s. This makes the village a living museum for this ancient language!