Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality of the Province of León, is also the capital city of El Bierzo, the only comarca recognized as an administrative entity by law in the region.

The place traces its origin back to 928 gifting to the Monastery of San Pedro de Montes [es] of a villa between the Sil and the Boeza by Lupo and his wife, which possessed ferrum (iron) and was located at the feet of an abandoned castrum.

[6] The railroad arrived in Ponferrada in 1881, and during World War I local tungsten deposits were exploited to supply the arms industry.

The Spanish National Energy Corporation (Endesa) was founded in 1944, and in 1949, it opened Spain's first coal-fueled power plant in Ponferrada, Compostilla I.

However, in the late 1990s, the city underwent a major transformation with the establishment of several industrial and service firms, the reintroduction of commercial wine production, the opening of a local branch of the University of León offering several undergraduate degrees, and in general, an improvement of the town's infrastructure.

The economy is now based mainly on tourism, agriculture (fruit and wine), wind power generation and slate mining, with a constant small population increase.

Important factors contributing to the recent boom of the tourism industry are the increasing popularity of the Way of St. James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago; a pilgrimage route that goes from France to Santiago de Compostela, Galicia), the designation in 1997 of Las Médulas as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the development of rural tourism lodging and wineries in the area.

Ponferrada lies in the Way of St. James, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and every year many pilgrims pass through the city in their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Las Médulas, ancient Roman gold mines also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List, are only a few kilometres away from the city.

In 1178, Ferdinand II of León donated the city to the Templar order for protecting the pilgrims on the Way of St. James who passed through El Bierzo in their road to Santiago de Compostela.

As with many other historical sites in Europe, many of the blocks that at one point formed the walls of the castle were removed and used in local construction projects.

[12] The highest view from the city, is the Torre de la Rosaleda, in the Roseleda district, the tallest building in Ponferrada.

There are many easily accessible hiking and cycling routes nearby, both on and off-road, including the 330 kilometer long La Mirada Circular which circles the whole El Bierzo valley.

Ponferrada is easily accessible by highway (Autovía A-6) and intercity public transportation is readily available, as several daily ALSA bus services.