TERUEL

'Teruel' is a city in Aragon, Spain, the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 34,240 in 2006. It is noted for its harsh climate, its ''jamón serrano'' (cured ham), its pottery and its famous Fiestas (''La vaquilla del ángel'' during the second weekend of July and "Bodas de Isabel de Segura" around the third weekend of February).
Teruel's remote and mountainous location (it is 915 metres above sea level) and its low population has led to relative isolation within Spain. A campaign group with the slogan ''"Teruel existe" ''("Teruel exists") was founded in 1999 to press for greater recognition and investment in the city and the province. Due in part to the campaign, transport connections to Teruel are being greatly improved with the construction of a motorway between Zaragoza and Sagunto, large parts of which are now open. However, Teruel remains the only provincial capital in Spain without a direct railway link to the capital, Madrid.

Contents

History

Main sights

Miscellaneous

Famous people

See also

External links

History

In the Middle Ages Teruel possessed a prominent Jewish community, which enjoyed several privileges, and which paid in the fourteenth century a yearly tax of 300 sueldos. Its members were engaged in commerce and industry, especially in wool-weaving. During the persecutions of 1391 many of them were killed, while others accepted Christianity in order to save their lives.[1]
Teruel was fought over in the Spanish Civil War and suffered much destruction. The Battle of Teruel in December 1937-February 1938, was one of the bloodiest of the war. The city changed hands several times, first falling to the Republicans and eventually being re-taken by the Nationalists. In the course of the fighting, Teruel was subjected to heavy artillery and ariel bombardment. The two sides suffered up to 100,000 casualties between them in the three month battle.

Main sights

The beauty of the city's Islamic inheritance has been recognised by UNESCO, which includes four churches in the World Heritage Site ''Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon'', notably the city's ornate cathedral in the Mudéjar style.
One of Teruel's best known monuments is very small statue of a bull on top of a tall column, known as ''El Torico'' ("the little bull"). It is located in the main square, ''Plaza Carlos Castell'', more commonly known as the ''Plaza del Torico'' in the middle of the city center.
Other sights include:

★ The Gothic church of St. Francis (1391-1492).

★ ''Los Arcos'', an aqueduct with two orders of arcade from 1538.

★ ''San Pedro'', a notable ''mudéjar ''church (16th century) with a tower similar to that of the cathedral. It includes a mausoleum housing the mummified bodies of Isabel Segura (a rich lady) and Diego de Marcilla (a poor man who battled at Crusades to earn some money with the intention to return to get married with Isabel) whose love ended tragically. This story is known as ''los amantes de Teruel'' and has inspired writers (for example Hartzenbusch) and an opera composed by Tomás Bretón.

★ Church of ''La Merced'', with a tower in ''mudéjar'' style.

★ Church of ''San Salvador'' (17th century), with one of the most outstanding ''mudéjar'' towers. It houses a 14th century wooden sculpture of Christ.

★ Church of ''San Martín'' (17th century).

★ Church of ''San Miguel'' (12th century), remade in the 17th century in Baroque style.

★ ''Castillo de Alambes'', a 15th century fortification built over the Arabic Alcazar.

★ ''Torre de San Martín'' (13th century), in ''mudéjar'' style, considered the most beautiful in Teruel.

Miscellaneous

On the outskirts of Teruel is Dinópolis Teruel, a combined theme park and museum centred around dinosaurs. Promoted as a ''Parque paleontológico'' (paleontological park), it includes a life-size robotic model of a Tyrannosaurus rex.[2] Dinópolis also owns three other museums in the surrounding area, which display the remains of dinosaurs discovered in the region.[3]. The chimney of Teruel Power Plant belongs to the tallest freestanding structures in Western Europe.

Famous people

★ Luis Buñuel

★ David Civera

★ Lucía Gómez (the mayor since 2003)

See also

★ Diocese of Teruel and Albarracín.

External links

★ Teruel existe

★ Teruel Travelguide and Hotel bookings in English

★ The main page of Teruel's City Hall

★ English World Heritage Centre

★ Flickr Photos