Alcuéscar

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Alcuéscar municipality
coat of arms Map of Spain
Alcuéscar coat of arms
Alcuéscar (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : ExtremaduraExtremadura Extremadura
Province : Cáceres
Comarca : Tierra de Montánchez
Coordinates 39 ° 11 ′  N , 6 ° 14 ′  W Coordinates: 39 ° 11 ′  N , 6 ° 14 ′  W
Height : 485  msnm
Area : 108.93 km²
Residents : 2,593 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 23.8 inhabitants / km²
Founding: 830
Postal code : 10160
Municipality number  ( INE ): 10010
administration
Website : Alcuéscar

Alcuéscar is a small town and a municipality ( municipio ) with 2,593 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in southwestern Spain in the province of Cáceres in the autonomous region of Extremadura . The historic town center was recognized as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category .

location

Alcuéscar lies at an altitude of about 485 meters above sea level. d. M. a good 40 km (driving distance) south of Cáceres ; the city of Mérida is another 35 km south. The highest point in the municipality is the Peña del Buitre with 710 m. The climate in winter is cool, while in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 535 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year 1857 1900 1950 2000 2016
Residents 2,422 3,087 4,205 3.131 2,727

The significant population decline in the second half of the 20th century is essentially due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

In the area around Mérida wine and olives have been grown since Roman times . The cultivation of wheat and other crops used to serve mainly for self-sufficiency ; there are also many unprocessed areas due to the lack of water.

history

Despite the proximity to Mérida ( Emerita Augusta ), only a few Roman traces have been discovered in the area of ​​the municipality. The church of Santa Lucía del Trampal , not far from the town, probably dates back to the Visigothic period (around 700). Shortly thereafter, the Islamic-Moorish armies conquered the country. Although clear evidence (documents etc.) is missing, the foundation of the place by Mozarabic Christians is put in the year 830. In the year 881 Alfons III dared . from Asturias made an advance into the area, but had to withdraw again due to intense resistance. Only after the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa did the area finally fall into Christian hands. Its complete re-Christianization lasted until the time of the Catholic Kings (around 1500). In the city archive there is a document from 1602 in which Alcuéscar is granted city rights .

Attractions

  • The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a single-nave stone-faced building from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Renaissance portal on the south side, which is framed by two powerful buttresses , is remarkable . The 35 m long, 11 m wide and 12 m high nave is covered by a barrel vault with stitch caps ; in the apse there is an imposing baroque altar.
  • In the village there are several stately houses with coats of arms ( casas señoriales ), most of which belonged to wealthy landowners. The Casa de la Encomienda, on the other hand, was owned by the Order of Santiago .
Santa Lucía del Trampal , view of the three apses and the towers above the crossings
Santa Lucía del Trampal , nave with a view of the central apse

Surroundings

  • A good three kilometers south of the village is the well-preserved church of Santa Lucía del Trampal , made of precisely hewn stones - probably from a nearby Roman temple - which, despite the lack of pronounced horseshoe arches, is part of Visigothic architecture . The single-nave nave of the church, made of quarry stone, was renovated in the 15th century in simple Gothic forms and covered with a wooden gable roof, which rests on flying buttresses. This is followed by the transept from the Visigothic period , to which three separate apses with flat ends were added in the east .

Web links

Commons : Alcuéscar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
  2. ↑ Alcuéscar - map with altitude information
  3. ↑ Alcuéscar - climate tables
  4. ↑ Alcuéscar - population development
  5. ↑ Alcuéscar - History
  6. ↑ Alcuéscar - Church