Alpera

Alpera municipality
Alpera - rock paintings in the Cueva de la Vieja
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile-La Mancha
Province :	Albacete
Comarca :	Corredor de Almansa
Coordinates	38 ° 58 ′  N , 1 ° 14 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 58 ′  N , 1 ° 14 ′  W
Height :	825  msnm
Area :	178.47 km²
Residents :	2,265 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	12.69 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	02690
Municipality number  ( INE ):	02010
administration
Website :	Alpera

Alpera is a small town and a municipality ( municipio ) with only 2,265 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Albacete in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha in southeastern Spain . The city lies on the Ruta de la Lana , a medieval trade and pilgrimage route.

Location and climate

Alpera is located in the southeast of New Castile about 60 km (driving distance) east of the provincial capital Albacete at an altitude of about 825  m . The climate in winter is temperate, while in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 385 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2019
Residents	2,815	3,167	4,046	2,349	2,265

As a result of the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting loss of jobs, the population of the municipality has decreased significantly since the middle of the 20th century ( rural exodus ).

economy

In the past, the city was mainly agrarian and, to a lesser extent, mercantile-oriented, today trade and handicrafts as well as the service industry play the dominant roles. The most important agricultural products are wine, olives and almonds. The city had a train station, but it has been closed since the route was straightened in 2006. The Autovía A-31 runs about 7 km south of the village.

history

Several caves ( abris ) in the area were already used by people in the Stone Age ; in the Cueva de la Vieja have rock art preserved. Iberian , Roman and even Islamic-Moorish finds are missing. After the recapture ( Reconquista ) by the Christians in 1240 by Castilian troops the area around Alpera came under the basic rule (señorio) of Chinchilla de Monte Aragon ; only in 1568 the place became independent.

Attractions

Ice cellar (pozo de nieve)

• Three Stone Age caves were discovered in the early 20th century - including the Cueva de la Vieja with about 100 rock paintings, hunting scenes (with arrow and bow included). Their age is estimated to be around 5,000 to 8,000 years.
• Only sparse remains of the medieval castle have survived.
• The Iglesia de Santa Marina , built largely from rubble stones , is a single-nave building with side chapels and a transept with a crossing dome from the 18th century. A splinter of the Holy Cross is shown in one of the side chapels .

Surroundings

• About 1 km east of the village is a domed ice cellar (pozo de nieve) from the 16th to 18th centuries.

Web links

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

• Alpera, tourism site - photos + information (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. ↑ Alpera / Albacete - climate tables
3. ↑ Alpera - population development
4. ↑ Alpera - history
5. ↑ Alpera - caves
6. ↑ Alpera - caves
7. ↑ Alpera - Castle
8. ↑ Alpera - Church
9. ↑ Alpera - Ice Cellar