Béjar (Salamanca)

Béjar municipality
Béjar - city center with the Ducal Palace
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and Leon
Province :	Salamanca
Comarca :	Sierra de Francia
Coordinates	40 ° 23 ′  N , 5 ° 46 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 23 ′  N , 5 ° 46 ′  W
Height :	953  msnm
Area :	45.74 km²
Residents :	12,739 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	278.51 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	37700
Municipality number  ( INE ):	37046
administration
Website :	Béjar

Béjar is a western Spanish city and municipality (municipio) with 12,739 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the south of the Spanish province of Salamanca in the autonomous region of Castile-León . The historic center is recognized as a national cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the Conjunto histórico-artístico category .

Location and climate

Béjar is located on the Cuerpo de Hombre river in the hilly to mountainous northern foothills of the Sierra de Béjar at an altitude of approx. 950  m . The city of Madrid is approximately 215 km (driving distance) to the east; the provincial capital Salamanca is about 73 km (driving distance) to the north and the city of Ávila is about 107 km northeast. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 520 mm / year) falls over the year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	11,329	9,488	15,666	15,690	13,221

Despite the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the migration of many families from the countryside to the city ( rural exodus ), the number of inhabitants has remained relatively constant.

economy

The city has been a center of trade, industry and services of all kinds since ancient times. Apart from small vegetable gardens or keeping chickens and sometimes a pig, it lived mainly on the agricultural products of the surrounding area; these were sold by street vendors and on market days .

history

The first settlers in the area of ​​today's city were the Celtic Vettons (around 400 BC); they settled the southern part of today's old town. The rest of the city area up to “La Corredera” was then characterized by agriculture. At the beginning of the 1st century AD, Béjar passed into the hands of the Romans ; under their rule, which lasted until around 450 AD, the city developed into an important trading center. Visigoth traces have not yet been found.

In the course of the Arab-Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula , Musa ibn Nusayr conquered the city. It was not until 1085 that Alfonso VI took it over. Recaptured by León ( reconquista ) . After that, the region was repopulated ( repoblación ) with Christians from the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula : many villages were fortified with castles and city walls, but - not only in Béjar - no further Moorish invasions. In 1485, Isabella I of Castile established the title of " Duke of Béjar " in favor of Álvaro de Zúñiga y Guzmán .

Attractions

El Salvador Church

Plaza de Toros

• At the highest point of the city rises - instead of a former medieval castle - the ducal palace (Palacio Ducal) of the Zuñiga family from the middle of the 16th century.
• At the east end of the arcaded houses Plaza Mayor which is late Romanesque - early Gothic church El Salvador dating from around 1300. While the apse is close to original, which was nave (nave) renovated in the 16th century.
• The church of Santa María la Mayor also dates from this period; it has an apse decoration in Mudejar style . The nave, which was renovated in the 16th century, is a good 15 m wide; Wooden ceilings stretch between three candle arches . Among the numerous furnishings, the altar retable with numerous carved figures and a Romanesque baptismal font are particularly noteworthy.
• The town hall (ayuntamiento) is located in a former warehouse for grain (alhóndiga) , which at times also served as a prison (carcel) . The five-part two-story arcade facade is remarkable.
• The church of the former Franciscan Convent (Convento de San Francisco) now serves as a museum for 19th century painting etc.
• The former Iglesia de San Gil houses sculptures by the sculptor Mateo Hernández.

Surroundings

• About 1 km south of the city is one of the most important cultural and historical sights of Béjar - the bullring ( Plaza de Toros ) , built between 1711 and 1714, is very likely the first stone arena of modern times.
• Approx. 1 km north of the city is the ducal El Bosque park from the 16th century.

Web links

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

• Béjar, sights - photos + information (arteguias, Spanish)
• Béjar, 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. ↑ Béjar - climate tables
3. ^ Béjar - population development
4. ↑ Béjar - History
5. ↑ Béjar - Santa María Mayor Church