The city of 'León' ('Llión' in the
Leonese language), located at 42.59°N
latitude, 5.57°W
longitude, is the capital of
León province in the
autonomous community of
Castile and León, in northwest
Spain. Its population of 136,985 (
2006)
[1] makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for over one quarter
[2], of the province's population. Its urban area population is calculated at 204,212 (
2006).
----
León is famous for its
Gothic León Cathedral and many other monumental buildings, such as the
Real Colegiata de San Isidoro (which holds the Royal Pantheon, a
mausoleum in which medieval
Kingdom of León's royal family were buried, and also has one of the world's best collections of
Romanesque paintings);
Casa de Botines (an early work of
Spanish architect
Antoni Gaudí, nowadays occupied by a
bank); San Marcos (originally the Military Order of Santiago's home, built in the 16th century); or the new
MUSAC, the Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art.
León is also known for its "fiestas", like
Easter. Leonese processions are declared to be of International Interest and, on those days, many people from all over the world visit León to see and participate in its traditions.
History
León was founded in the
1st century BC by the
Roman legion Legio VI ''Victrix''. In
68 CE Legio VII ''Gemina'' created a permanent military camp, which was the origin of a later city. Its modern name is derived from the city's
Latin name 'Legio VII Gemina' (
Itin. Ant. p. 395; ,
Ptol. ii. 6. § 30), from the
Roman legion recruited by
Galba from
Iberians, which established the site of the city to protect the territory from the wild mountaineers of
Asturias and
Cantabria, and to secure the transport of
gold extracted in the province, especially in
Las Médulas. (
Dion Cass. iv. 24;
Tac. ''Hist.'' ii. 11, iii. 25;
Suet. ''Galba'', 10.) Tacitus calls the legion ''Galbiana'', to distinguish it from the old
Legio VII ''Claudia'', but this appellation is not found on any inscriptions. It appears to have received the appellation of ''Gemina'' (respecting the use of which, and ''Gemella'', see
Caesar ''B.C.'' iii. 3) on account of its amalgamation by
Vespasian with one of the German legions, not improbably the
Legio I ''Germanica'' Its full name was Legio VII Gemina Felix. After serving in Pannonia, and in the civil wars, it was settled by Vespasian in Hispania Tarraconensis, to supply the place of the Legio VI ''Victrix'' and
Legio X ''Gemina'', two of the three legions ordinarily stationed in the province, but which had been withdrawn to Germany. (Tac. ''Hist.'' ii. 11, 67, 86, iii. 7, 10, 21--25, iv. 39; Inscr. ''ap.'' Gruter, p. 245, no. 2.)
That its regular winter quarters, under later emperors, were at León, we learn from the Itinerary, Ptolemy, and the
Notitiae Imperii, as well as from a few inscriptions (Muratori, p. 2037, no. 8, A.D. 130; p. 335, nos. 2, 3, A.D. 163; p. 336, no. 3, A.D. 167; Gruter, p. 260, no. 1, A.D. 216); but there are numerous inscriptions to prove that a strong detachment of it was stationed at Tarraco (modern
Tarragona), the chief city of the province.
The post-Roman history of the city is largely the history of the
Kingdom of León. The station of the legion in Asturias grew into an important city, which resisted the attacks of the
Visigoths till A.D.
586, when it was taken by
Leovigild; and it was one of the few cities which the Visigoths allowed to retain their fortifications. During the struggle with the
Muslim invaders, the same fortress, which the Romans had built to protect the plain from the incursions of the mountaineers, became the advanced post which covered the mountain, as the last refuge of Spanish independence. After yielding to the first assault of the Moors, in
712, it was recovered was restored by
Ordoño I of Asturias around
850.
Old local council
Towards the year
846, a group of Mozarabs (Christian Spaniards who did not flee for the Muslims and lived under the Muslim regime) tried to repopulate the city, but a Muslim attack prevented that initiative. In the year
856, under the Christian king Ordoño I, another attempt at repopulation was made and was successful.
Ordoño II made León the capital of his Kingdom of León (
914) and the most important of the
Christian cities in Iberia.
Sacked by
Almanzor in about
987, the city was reconstructed and repopulated by
Alfonso V, whose Decree of
1017 regulated its economic life, including the functioning of its markets. León was a way-station for
pilgrims on the
Camino de Santiago leading to
Santiago de Compostela.
Suburbs for traders and artisans sprang up, who, after the
13th century, began to influence the municipal government. During the early
Middle Ages, the
livestock industry produced a period of prosperity for the city. In the
16th century, economic and
demographic decline set in and continued until the
19th century. In July
1936, during the
Spanish Civil War, León joined the war against the Republicans.
During the 1960s, León experienced much growth due to in-migration from the rural zones of the province.
In 1983 León was added to the neighbouring region of
Castile, to form the
Autonomous Community of
Castile and León. A minor popular and local political movement was opposed to being ruled from. Consequently, León is the centre of a minor, peaceful political movement for Leonese autonomy. Some of leonese people support the idea of creating a Léonese
autonomous community formed by the
provinces of
Salamanca,
León and
Zamora, which have traditionally composed the Leonese Region.
Monuments and places of interest
León possesses impressive monuments, from outstanding
mediaeval to avantguarde modernity buildings.
The most notable monuments are the Rayonnant
gothic Cathedral, with its excellent
stain glassed windows, the
Basilica de San Isidoro, with its Romanesque paintings, and the old monastery of San Marcos (currently a luxurious
parador) with an exuberant
plateresque façade.
The
Palacio de los Guzmanes, the site of the provincial ''diputación'' (parliament), contains an impressive patio in the plateresque style by
Gil de Hontañón. The old quarter of the city conserves a large part of the medieval wall and some remains of the original Roman wall.
One can also find the
Casa de Botines, a neogothic styled building and an excellent example of the arquitecture of
Antoni Gaudí.
León is the headquarters of the
MUSAC - Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art. Its building has an impressive modernist structure designed by the architectural team of
Mansilla & Tuñón. One of the building's most distinctive features is its facade formed by thousands of large stained-glass panels. The nearby León Auditorium, also by
Mansilla & Tuñón, has an equally stricking presence of crisp white cubes perforated by irregularly set windows.
Other points of interest include the
Barrio Humedo (the drinking and partying area) and the
Plaza del Grano.
Folklore and customs
Among the Leonese customs,
Semana Santa (Easter), during which there are numerous processions through the centre of the city, stands out. One of the most beautiful is the so called Procession of the Meeting which acts out the meeting of three groups representing Saint John, the Virgin Mary and Christ in the explanade in front of the Cathedral. Associated with Semana Santa is the pagan procession for the burial of
Genarín, a poor person run over by the first rubbish truck in León. The procession consists of a march through the city with
Orujo (an alcoholic drink) at the head of the procession to the front of the city walls where the man was supposedly run over and then leaving cheese, a bottle of Orujo and two oranges at the spot.
Sports
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Club
!Sport
!League
!Venue
|-
|
Baloncesto León
|
Basketball
|
ACB
|
Palacio de los Deportes
|-
|
Ademar
|
Handball
|
ASOBAL
|
Palacio de los Deportes
|-)
Government
In the last municipal elections (25 of May 2003) the results were:
★
People's Party (Spain)|Partido Popular (38.5% of the votes and 12 council seats)
★
Partido Socialista Obrero Español (34.24% and 10 seats)
★
Unión del Pueblo Leonés (19.24% and 5 councillors)
★
Izquierda Unida (2.59%)
Currently the mayor is
Mario Amilivia from the
Partido Popular.
Food
Within the wide range of
Leonese cuisine the following dishes are the most representative:
cecina (cured, smoked beef),
morcilla (a superb variant of blood sausage),
botillo (a dish of meat-stuffed pork intestine), garlic soup, el
cocido leonés (a mix of meat with vegetables and chickpeas, served after a vegetable-vermicelli soup) and
mantecadas (a sweet).
Another very important part of the gastronomy of León are the
tapas that you can get in most of the many bars in the city. The most important thing about these
tapas is that they are free unlike in most cities in Spain. It is a very common thing to do to go "de tapas" i.e. to go for a few drinks ("un corto", which is a very small beer, "una caña", which is roughly half a pint of beer or "un vino," a glass of wine) just before lunch but more normally as a light form of dinner.
See also
★
Kingdom of León
★
Leon (province)
★
List of municipalities in León
★
Castile and León
References
★
External links
★
León City Council (in Spanish)
★
Tourism in León (in Spanish)
★
León, northwest of Madrid...
★
Leon on the Camino de Santiago
★
Photos of the city of Léon
★
Paradoxplace León Photo Pages
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