Astorga

After the previous Episcopal Palace burned down in 1886, Bishop Juan Bautista Grau commissioned fellow Catalan Antoni Gaudí to design its replacement. Gaudí directed construction from 1889 to 1893 but resigned after the bishop's death following disputes with the diocesan authorities; another architect eventually completed the building in 1913. It is one of only three Gaudí buildings outside Catalonia, alongside Casa Botines in León, and now houses the Museo de los Caminos.

The cathedral was built between the 15^th and 18^th centuries, combining Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque work. Inside, its most notable works include the richly carved 16^th-century high altarpiece by Gaspar Becerra and the Romanesque Virgen de la Majestad. Its museum also preserves the Cruz Processional de Castrotierra, an important 16^th-century silver processional cross.

Astorga's Baroque town hall was begun in 1683 and dominates the Plaza Mayor. Above the clock, two mechanical figures dressed as maragatos, known as Juan Zancuda and Colasa, strike the bell to mark the hours.

The Museo del Chocolate traces the industry that became one of Astorga's distinctive trades from the 17^th century onwards. Its displays include traditional chocolate-making equipment, packaging and advertising, as well as material relating to the local families who produced chocolate for markets across Spain. The museum occupies the former home and factory of Astorgan chocolatier Magín Rubio.