Cazorla

Cazorla municipality
	Cazorla - town view
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Province :	Jaén
Comarca :	Sierra de Cazorla
Coordinates	37 ° 55 ′ N , 3 ° 0 ′ W Coordinates: 37 ° 55 ′ N , 3 ° 0 ′ W
Height :	800 msnm
Area :	305.4 km²
Residents :	7,441 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	24.36 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	23470
Municipality number ( INE ):	23028
administration
Website :	Cazorla

Cazorla is a small mountain town and a municipality ( municipio ) consisting of the main town as well as several hamlets (pedanías) and individual farmsteads with a total of 7,441 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the south of the province of Jaén in the autonomous region of Andalusia . The place is recognized as a conjunto histórico-artístico .

location

Cazorla is located on the western edge of the Natural Park of Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas at an altitude of approx. 750 to 850 m . The distance to the provincial capital Jaén is approx. 133 km (driving distance) in a westerly direction; the city of Granada is just under 200 km to the south-west. The neighboring town of La Iruela, which is also worth seeing, is only approx. 3 km to the northeast. The Guadalquivir flows through the municipality . The climate in winter is temperate, while in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 450 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	5,970	7,936	12,999	8,397	7,673

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

Cazorla is to the east of the seemingly endless olive tree plantations of the Jaén province. In the past, cereals, vines, etc. were also planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Livestock (sheep, goats, chickens) and forestry are also operated. Small traders, craftsmen and service companies of all kinds have settled in the village. There are also several holiday homes (casas rurales) .

history

Neolithic rock paintings and other small Neolithic and Bronze Age finds were discovered in the municipality . An Iberian settlement was near the hamlet of Molar . Small finds from Roman times are numerous; In addition, the Romans operated ore mining here . The Visigoths and even the Moors probably did not get this far. After the end of the Caliphate of Cordoba (1031), the remote area became part of the Taifa Kingdom of Jaén . Around 1230 the area was recaptured by the Christians ( reconquista ) and given to the Order of Santiago for military security . Around the same time, the place name Castorla was first mentioned by Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada . With the Alhambra Edict (1492) of the Catholic Kings began the expulsion of the Sephardic Jews ; in the years around 1610 the last Muslims ( moriscos ) were also expelled.

Attractions

Iglesia de Santa María

Ermita de San Isicio

The Castillo de la Yedra, originally built by the Moors (= Berbers) but later rebuilt by the Christians, dominates the city. The keep (torre del homenaje) and large parts of the walls were restored at the end of the 20th century. Museums on the city's history and folklore have been set up inside.
The town center with its winding streets and small squares (Plaza de la Constitución , Plaza de Santa María) is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, even if most of the houses were only built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Century.
The chain-hung Casa de las Cadenas was the residence of a noble family. The name has been passed down since the 16th century, but today's three-story building was probably not built until the 19th century.
The construction of the Iglesia de Santa María is ascribed to the second half of the 16th century. Parts of the building were destroyed in a rock slide in 1694. The rib-vaulted coffered ceiling above the apse is almost unique in its kind .

Surroundings

The Ermita de San Isicio , located on a mountain slope about 1 km outside the village, is dedicated to St. Consecrated to Hesychius of Cazorla , who is said to have evangelized the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula in the 1st century .
The keep of the Castillo de las Cinco Esquinas, which is about 5 km to the south-east and is ascribed to the 15th century, is still partially preserved.

Events

Since 1994, Cazorla has hosted an international blues festival, the Festival Internacional de Blues Bluescazorla . The festival usually starts at the end of July and is well known in Spain . At the beginning with modest proportions, it is now extremely successful with more than 100 bands.

The annual International Theater Festival in Cazorla ( Festival Internacional de Teatro de Cazorla ) has been held since 1996. Every autumn famous Spanish works are performed there by well-known and well-known theater groups in the Teatro de la Merced and the main streets.

On weekends and in summer, Cazorla is visited by Spanish tourists, for whom the place is primarily a transit station for the nearby nature park. From 14.-21. September the annual Feria de Cazorla takes place, during the day - in traditional festive clothing - is celebrated in the houses that are being built in the city; at night there are open air balls and bullfights.

Web links

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

Cazorla; Sights - photos + information (Arteguias, Spanish)
Cazorla and surroundings - photos + information (spanish)
Cazorla, Castillo de la Encina - Photo video (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] Cazorla - climate tables

[3] Cazorla - population development

[4] Cazorla - Economy etc.

[5] Cazorla story

[6] Cazorla - History in Key Words

[7] Cazorla - Castillo de la Yedra

[8] Cazorla - Castillo de la Yedra

[9] Cazorla - Casa de las Cadenas

[10] Cazorla - Casa de las Cadenas

[11] Cazorla - Church of Santa María

[12] Cazorla - Ermita de San Isicio

[13] Cazorla - Ermita de San Isicio

[14] Cazorla - Castillo de las Cinco Esquinas