Alcalá la Real
Encyclopedia
Alcalá la Real is a city located in the province of Jaén, Spain
. According to the 2006 census
(INE
), the city has a population of 22,129 inhabitants.
, and at 53 km from Granada
, on the slopes of a hill in the Sierra Magina
known as La Mota. This is commanded by a large Moor fortress around which, until some centuries ago, the settlement revolved.
It is connected to the Guadalquivir
valley by the Guadajoz affluent.
show the human presence in the area in Prehistoric times. It has been hypothesized that this was one of the last places inhabited by Neanderthal Man. Despite the presence of remains from the Iberians
, dating to the late Bronze Age, the first traces of urban structures (perhaps identifiable with the ancient Sucaelo) date to the Roman
times. Archaeological findings include a marble statue of Hercules, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain
at Madrid
.
After the Muslim conquest in 713, the town was renamed Qal'at (قلعة), an Arabic term meaning "fortified city". In the following centuries, Umayyad caliph Al-Hakam II
(971-976) had a series of watchtowers built to defend the city from the Viking/Norman incursions; today 12 of the 15 original towers remain. Around the year 1000 the main of these tower, the Mota, became a true fortress, one of the mainstays of the Al-Andalus
defence against the Christian Reconquista
.
After the dissolution of the caliphate and its fragmentation in a series of taifa
small kingdoms, Qa'lat was a stronghold of the Kingdom of Granada. From here numerous raids were launched against Jaén
and other frontier areas of the Kingdom of Castile
. The city was finally captured on 15 August 1341 by Alfonso XI of Castile
, who conceded it the title of "Real" (Royal), which after that was part of its name.
Alcalá remained under the jurisdiction of Jorquera
until 1364, when king Peter I gave it the privilege of a Government Council, under the royal crown and the state of Villena
. It was elevated to the rank of city in 1432 by king John II
. After a flourishing period, the conquest of Granada in 1492 stripped Alcalá of its strategical importance. The population started to move from the upper hill to the now safer slopes, thus gradually creating the current settlement. The city remained under the marquisses of Villena until the early 16th century, when the centralism introduced by the Catholic Monarchs
started to reduce the power of the barons, although the marquisate remained in existence until the 19th century. The depopulation of the La Mota hill ended during the Peninsular War
against the Napoleonic troops
which occupied the fortress from 1810 and 1812, and set the upper city to fire when retreating, causing also the cathedral's roof to crumble down.
During the Spanish Civil War
, Alcalá was conquered by the Nationalists, who held it until the end of the conflict. This did not save the city a large series of destruction, as the front remained stuck nearby for the whole war.
s and oil production. Other resources include cherries
, shepherding, craftsmanship, plasti industry and metalworks.
The city's economy is growing at reduced speed if compared to the neighouring towns, and numerous young people from Alcalá la Real moves to Granada in search of job.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. According to the 2006 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the city has a population of 22,129 inhabitants.
Geography
Alcalá la Real is situated at 71 km from the provincial capital, JaénJaén, Spain
Jaén is a city in south-central Spain, the name is derived from the Arabic word Jayyan, . It is the capital of the province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, and at 53 km from Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, on the slopes of a hill in the Sierra Magina
Sierra Mágina
The Sierra Mágina is a massif in the province of Jaén , part of the Cordillera Subbética. The highest peak is the Pico Mágina, with an elevation of 2,164 m....
known as La Mota. This is commanded by a large Moor fortress around which, until some centuries ago, the settlement revolved.
It is connected to the Guadalquivir
Guadalquivir
The Guadalquivir is the fifth longest river in the Iberian peninsula and the second longest river to be its whole length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is 657 kilometers long and drains an area of about 58,000 square kilometers...
valley by the Guadajoz affluent.
History
Remains from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
show the human presence in the area in Prehistoric times. It has been hypothesized that this was one of the last places inhabited by Neanderthal Man. Despite the presence of remains from the Iberians
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
, dating to the late Bronze Age, the first traces of urban structures (perhaps identifiable with the ancient Sucaelo) date to the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. Archaeological findings include a marble statue of Hercules, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain
National Archaeological Museum of Spain
The National Archaeological Museum of Spain is a museum in Madrid, Spain, located beside the Plaza de Colón , sharing its building with the National Library....
at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
After the Muslim conquest in 713, the town was renamed Qal'at (قلعة), an Arabic term meaning "fortified city". In the following centuries, Umayyad caliph Al-Hakam II
Al-Hakam II
Al-Hakam II was the second Caliph of Cordoba, in Al-Andalus , and son of Abd-ar-rahman III . He ruled from 961 to 976....
(971-976) had a series of watchtowers built to defend the city from the Viking/Norman incursions; today 12 of the 15 original towers remain. Around the year 1000 the main of these tower, the Mota, became a true fortress, one of the mainstays of the Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
defence against the Christian Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
.
After the dissolution of the caliphate and its fragmentation in a series of taifa
Taifa
In the history of the Iberian Peninsula, a taifa was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.-Rise:The origins of...
small kingdoms, Qa'lat was a stronghold of the Kingdom of Granada. From here numerous raids were launched against Jaén
Jaén, Spain
Jaén is a city in south-central Spain, the name is derived from the Arabic word Jayyan, . It is the capital of the province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and other frontier areas of the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
. The city was finally captured on 15 August 1341 by Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI of Castile
Alfonso XI was the king of Castile, León and Galicia.He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ensued over who would hold regency, which were resolved in 1313...
, who conceded it the title of "Real" (Royal), which after that was part of its name.
Alcalá remained under the jurisdiction of Jorquera
Jorquera
Jorquera is a municipality in the province of Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 529.It is located on a spur sided by the Júcar river. The upper side of the hill is sided by 12th century walls built by the Almohads....
until 1364, when king Peter I gave it the privilege of a Government Council, under the royal crown and the state of Villena
Villena
Villena is a city in Spain, in the Valencian Community. It is located at the northwest part of Alicante, and borders to the west with Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, to the north with the province of Valencia and to the east and south with the province of Alicante. It is the capital of the comarca...
. It was elevated to the rank of city in 1432 by king John II
John II of Castile
John II was King of Castile from 1406 to 1454.He was the son of Henry III of Castile and his wife Catherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster by Constance of Castile, daughter of King Peter of Castile.-Regency:He succeeded his father on 25 December 1406, at the age of...
. After a flourishing period, the conquest of Granada in 1492 stripped Alcalá of its strategical importance. The population started to move from the upper hill to the now safer slopes, thus gradually creating the current settlement. The city remained under the marquisses of Villena until the early 16th century, when the centralism introduced by the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
started to reduce the power of the barons, although the marquisate remained in existence until the 19th century. The depopulation of the La Mota hill ended during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
against the Napoleonic troops
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
which occupied the fortress from 1810 and 1812, and set the upper city to fire when retreating, causing also the cathedral's roof to crumble down.
During the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, Alcalá was conquered by the Nationalists, who held it until the end of the conflict. This did not save the city a large series of destruction, as the front remained stuck nearby for the whole war.
Main sights
- La Mota fotress, of Islamic origin, on the hill with the same name
- Alcazaba, a fortified precinct with a triangular shape, with three towers
- Murallas, a line of walls with several towers,
- Palacio Abacial (18th century), now housing the Museum of Alcalà la Real
- Pilar de la calle Oteros, a monumental plinth for water from 1746
- Pilar de la Mora
- Pilar de los Álamos (1552)
- Pilar de la Toquela (1517)
- Roman bridgeRoman bridgeRoman bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built. Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure....
on the Guadalcoton river, nearby the city - Batmale House (Early 19th century)
- Casa Pineda, a Muslim edifice in stone, recently restored
- Ayuntamento (Town Hall)
- Convent of san José de los Capucinos (17th century), now housing municipal offices and a library
- Iglesia Mayor Abacial (main Abbey church) with towers, built in 1530
- Church of San Domingo de Silos, in GothicGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
-mudéjarMudéjarMudéjar is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity...
style (1341), with a 16th century tower - Church of San Juan (15th-18th centuries)
- Iglesia de las Angustias ("Church of the Pains") from 1747.
- Iglesia de Consolación (16th-17th centuries)
- Church of San Antonio (1753)
- Convento de la Encarnación (1630), in BaroqueBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style
Economy
The economy is mostly based on oliveOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s and oil production. Other resources include cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, shepherding, craftsmanship, plasti industry and metalworks.
The city's economy is growing at reduced speed if compared to the neighouring towns, and numerous young people from Alcalá la Real moves to Granada in search of job.
External links
- English language Guide to Alcalá La Real.
- Etnosur
- Alcalá Histórica. History and art in Alcalá la Real