Alija del Infantado

Alija del Infantado municipality
Alija del Infantado - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Leon
Comarca :	Tierra de La Bañeza
Coordinates	42 ° 8 ′  N , 5 ° 50 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 8 ′  N , 5 ° 50 ′  W
Height :	733  msnm
Area :	52.31 km²
Residents :	647 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	12.37 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	24761
Municipality number  ( INE ):	24003
administration
Website :	Alija del Infantado

Alija del Infantado is a place in northwestern Spain and a municipality ( municipio ) with 647 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León . The place is on a branch of the Camino de Santiago that comes from the south ( Seville , Mérida , Cáceres , Salamanca , Zamora ) and joins the main route in León or Astorga . The partly abandoned hamlets (pedanías) Navianos de la Vega , La Nora del Río , Bécares , Ozaniego and La Vizana also belong to the community .

Location and climate

The place Alija del Infantado is located in the Castilian plateau (meseta) at an altitude of about 735  m and about 1.5 km from the west bank of the Río Órbigo ; in the north of the municipality the Río Jamuz flows into the Río Órbigo. The next largest city is Benavente in the province of Zamora , about 25 km (driving distance) to the southeast ; the city of Astorga is just under 50 km northwest. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 480 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	1,800	1.997	2,258	962	687

The mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms led to a significant population decline since the second half of the 20th century.

economy

Until the mid-20th century, most inhabitants lived the community as self by the field economy and some livestock. Since the last decades of the 20th century, some empty houses have been rented out as holiday apartments (casas rurales) .

history

Although their presence is likely, neither the Celts nor the Visigoths or Moors left any archaeological traces on the territory of the municipality. The place was on the Via de la Plata , a military and trade route laid out by the Romans, which probably also included a bridge over the Río Órbigo. The first written mention of the place comes from the 10th century. In the 15th century a castle was built and the stone bridge was renewed. The town's two church towers also date from this period and testify to its relative wealth. Until 1960 the place was called Alija de los Melones .

Attractions

Castillo

Church of San Verismo

Puente de la Vizana

• The castle of Alija (castillo) on the outskirts is a work of the late 15th century. It has a square floor plan with four three-quarter round corner towers and a keep ( torre de homenaje ) in the middle. The ruins, which were already in ruins, were set on fire in 1808 when the English troops stationed here withdrew and were not rebuilt until the first decade of the 21st century.
• The church of San Esteban , built from rubble stones, was built in the 13th century; however, it was largely rebuilt in the 16th and 18th centuries. The entrance is on the south side , protected by a porch ( portico ) . The three-aisled interior houses several late baroque altarpieces (retablo) with twisted ' Solomonic columns '; the real treasure of the church is a restored artesonado ceiling from the 16th century.
• The Iglesia de San Verismo , with a wooden pillar-supported south porch ( portico ) , stands near the arcade-lined Plaza Mayor ; it was built around the same time and also has a main altar that is worth seeing.
• Storage vaults ( bodegas ) were driven into the flanks of a hill on the outskirts .

Surroundings

• The five-arched stone bridge (Puente de La Vizana), possibly built by the Romans, is located approx. 1.5 km southeast of the village. It has been repaired over the centuries, but partially destroyed again by the floods of the river as if by human hands - the current state is based on a restoration in 1917 and repaired damage by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars in 1808/09.

Web links

Commons : Alija del Infantado  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alija del Infantado - Photos + Info (Spanish)
• Alija del Infantado - Tourism site (Spanish)

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. ↑ Alija del Infantado - climate tables
3. ↑ Alija del Infantado - population development
4. ^ Alija del Infantado - History
5. ^ Alija del Infantado - Castillo
6. ^ Alija del Infantado - Iglesia de San Esteban