Astorga

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Astorga municipality
Astorga - city view with cathedral
Astorga - city view with cathedral
coat of arms Map of Spain
Astorga coat of arms
Astorga (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Castile LeonCastile and León Castile and León
Province : Leon
Comarca : Maragatería
Coordinates 42 ° 27 ′  N , 6 ° 3 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 27 ′  N , 6 ° 3 ′  W
Height : 870  msnm
Area : 46.78 km²
Residents : 10,867 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 232.3 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : 24700
Municipality number  ( INE ): 24008
administration
Website : www.aytoastorga.es

Astorga is a city in north-west central Spain in the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León . It is the seat of the bishopric of the Astorga diocese , one of the largest dioceses in Spain. The municipality also includes the hamlets (pedanías) Castrillo de los Polvazares , Murias de Rechivaldo , Santa Catalina de Somoza and Valdeviejas .

Location and climate

Historically, Astorga developed at the intersection of important traffic routes, the most important of which are known as the Camino Francés (east – west) and Vía de la Plata (north – south). Today Astorga is about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital León at an altitude of approx. 870  m at the foot of the Montes de León , which in the Peña de Teleno , approx. 20 km west of the city, reach an altitude of 2188 m. Astorga is the capital of the Comarca Maragatería . The Río Tuerto flows about 1.5 km east of the city . The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 605 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year 1857 1900 1950 2000 2017
Residents 4,804 5,573 9,916 12,377 11,153

The steady increase in population since the middle of the 19th century is mainly due to the influx of people from the villages in the area ( rural exodus ).

economy

Although parts of the municipality are still used for agriculture today, Astorga is primarily a small commercial and service town for the western region of the Maragatería and for other communities in the surrounding area. In addition, the production of confectionery and pilgrimage and visitor tourism are of great importance.

history

The place came with the subjugation of the Celtiberian Asturians by the Romans in 17 BC. To the Roman Empire ; the Romans called the place Asturica Augusta and temporarily stationed a legion here. They made it the most important administrative center in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and from here exploited the gold deposits in the Montes de León and in the Bierzo ( Las Médulas ). With the decreasing gold yield, the Roman Astorga also fell. During the Migration Period , the city was occupied by the pagan Suebi ; under the Arian , later Catholic Visigoths , the population converted to Christianity. At the beginning of the 8th century, Astorga, like most of the Iberian Peninsula , was conquered by the Moors , but Alfonso I , King of Asturias , managed to take the city as part of the Reconquista in 753. Around 850 a bishopric was established again, and with the increasing popularity of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela , Astorga also benefited from its location on the Way of St. James ; a new cathedral was built in the 15th century.

Astorga Cathedral (left) and Bishops Palace (right)
town hall
city ​​wall
Episcopal Palace by Gaudí

Attractions

As evidence of the Roman era, a partially excavated Roman villa, parts of the city wall, the so-called "workhouse" Ergastula in the Museo Romano , the partial excavations of the Roman forum , the temple of Augustus , the thermal baths and the sewer system can be visited.

The main sights, however, are the Cathedral of Santa Maria from the 15th century and the neo-Gothic Bishop's Palace by Antoni Gaudí , begun in 1889 and completed in 1913 by Ricardo García Guereta after a twenty-year break . Today it houses the Museo de los Caminos (Museum of the Camino de Santiago ). The town hall is housed in a 17th century palace. At the town hall clock, two figures in local Maragatos costumes strike the hours.

"Tastings"

Astorga has a long tradition of making confectionery. Because of the low yield of the stony fields in the Maragatería , many residents of this area made their living as carters. This was favored by Astorga's location on the road between Madrid and the Galician ports, from which goods were transported from the colonies to the capital. This is how Astorga came into contact with cocoa and sugar . Confectionery manufacturers soon developed in the city that were no longer competitive with the onset of industrialization. However, Astorga is still famous for its

  • Chocolate, made in many variations,
  • Hojaldres, a puff pastry and
  • Mantecados, a fine clarified butter biscuit.

In the chocolate museum Museo de Chocolate you can find out about their history in Astorga and try different chocolates. Hojaldres and mantecados are sold in many bakeries and shops.

Town twinning

Personalities

See also

literature

  • Matías Rodríguez Díez: Historia de Astorga. Celarayn, León 1981, ISBN 84-85378-25-3 .
  • Manuel Arias Martínez and Fernando Llamazares: Astorga y Maragatería. Everest, León 1990, ISBN 84-241-4965-3 .
  • María Consolación Cabero Domínguez: Astorga y su territorio en la edad media (see IX-XIV). León, Universidad de Oviedo 1995, ISBN 84-7719-523-4 .
  • Joaquín Alonso González: Astorga. Ciudad Bimilenaria. Ámbito 2000, ISBN 84-8183-073-9 .

Web links

Commons : Astorga  - 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. ↑ Astorga - climate tables
  3. ^ Astorga - population development
  4. ^ Astorga story
Muszla Jakuba.svg
Navigation bar St. James " Camino Francés "

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