In Riolago de Babia, one of the quietest towns in the dreamy Leonese region of Babia, and a favorite resting place of the ancient Leonese nobility, stands the Quiñones Palace. This residential building houses the offices of the Casa del Parque de Babia y Luna, distributed in open-plan rooms resulting from the transformation of the primitive palatial rooms.
Through the gate presided over by the family's heraldic shield you access the garden patio, around which the main building, a small chapel and the old stables are distributed.
Once inside the palace, the reception offers a first insight into the importance of the different special environmental protection zones, as well as the two Biosphere Reserves integrated within the Natural Park, Babia and Omaña-Luna.
This first tour is completed with "The Secrets of Babia and Luna", a module that reproduces the glacier that gave rise to the formation of the valleys in which this natural space is located.
The upper floor exposes in an open room all the values of the territory in a structured way for better understanding, starting with "The high mountains and the rock" and "Giants that shape the landscape" as an approximation to the visible remains of the glacial phenomenon that gave rise to shapes the landscape.
"What the rocks tell us" and "A different horizon" is a visit to natural historical memory and the first transformations of the landscape by human action.
Transhumance and its cultural and natural legacy is deeply rooted in these couples and to better understand this phenomenon, the section called "La mesta y las merinas" compiles the essence of the pastoral framework.
"Prisoners of the Mountains" is a showcase of vibrant wildlife and native plant formations. "Landscape Creators" explains in detail how man and animals contribute to the construction of a landscape of high ecological value like this one, without forgetting other curiosities such as the language, gastronomy and ways of life adapted to the environment.
Finally, an audiovisual with an original format of animation, effects and music impregnates the memory with the indelible memory of this corner of León.
The visit ends in the garden with two impressive Spanish firs and a beautiful statue of a Leonese mastiff made of bronze, in addition to the "Voices of Babia and Luna" collected in the palace chapel on representative tablets.
