Covarrubias (Burgos)

Covarrubias municipality
Covarrubias Square
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Burgos
Comarca :	Arlanza
Coordinates	42 ° 4 ′  N , 3 ° 31 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 4 ′  N , 3 ° 31 ′  W
Height :	895  msnm
Area :	41.07 km²
Residents :	552 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	13.44 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	09346
Municipality number  ( INE ):	09113
administration
Website :	Covarrubias

Covarrubias is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) belonging to the poorly populated Serranía Celtibérica with only 552 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Burgos in the Spanish region of Castile-León ; Because of its long history it is also called the “cradle of Castile”. Together with the historic towns of Lerma and Santo Domingo de Silos , it forms the so-called Arlanza triangle (Triángulo de Arlanza) . The entire place was declared a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the category Conjunto histórico-artístico in 1965. It is also located on the Camino del Cid and the Ruta de la Lana coming from Alicante .

Location and climate

The place Covarrubias is located in the wooded valley of the Río Arlanza at an altitude of about 895  m, almost 43 km (driving distance) southeast of Burgos . Also worth seeing are the small town of Lerma, about 24 km to the west, and the ruins of the San Pedro de Arlanza monastery, about 10 km to the east . The Santo Domingo de Silos monastery is located about 20 km southeast. The climate in winter is cool, in summer, despite the altitude, it is temperate to warm; Precipitation (approx. 530 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2018
Residents	1,120	1,685	1,381	629	545

The significant population decline that has been observed since the middle of the 20th century is essentially due to the mechanization of agriculture and the abandonment of small farms and the resulting loss of jobs ( rural exodus ). The hamlet (pedanía) Ura also belongs to the municipality .

economy

The area around Covarrubias is dominated by agriculture, with fruit growing (cherries, nuts and wine) traditionally playing an important role; the community is part of the Arlanza (DO) wine-growing region . The place also offered the necessary regional services in the fields of handcraft and trade. In the meantime, day and weekend tourism play an essential role in the economic life of the municipality.

history

The favorable microclimate of the place surrounded by forests has already attracted people in prehistoric times; the Romans fortified the place with a castrum . The place itself, however, is a foundation of the Visigothic king Chindaswinth (ruled 642-653), who also built a city wall, which was destroyed in 737 by the advancing Arab-Moorish troops. In the 10th century, Count Fernán González († 970) seized the area around Covarrubias and thus laid the foundation stone for the county of Castile, which was independent of the Kingdom of León .

Torreón de Fernán González (10th century)

former collegiate church of San Cosme y San Damián (14th / 15th century)

City gate (around 1600)

His son García Fernández († 995) built the place into the center of a ruling district ( infantado ) and gave him his own jurisdiction. In the period that followed, Covarrubias received sovereignty over a huge area - at times it was subordinate to 20 monasteries and around 70 manors or smaller towns with churches. After the death of the last Infanta Doña Sancha , the area was temporarily deserted. As a result of the reconquest of Toledo by the Christian armies (1080), the center of power of the Kingdom of Castile quickly shifted there; later (1248) then to Seville - Covarrubias, however, retained its reputation as the "cradle of Castile".

In 1256 the marriage between Kristin Håkonsdatter , a young Norwegian princess, and the married but childless King Alfonso X of Castile and León was agreed; a year later, Kristina traveled to Spain, but found that her future husband's wife was pregnant. Then the marriage with the brother of the king, Prince Philip, was agreed, which took place on March 31, 1258 in Valladolid . However, the marriage remained childless and Kristina died four years later (1262) at the age of only 28 in Seville. She was buried in the Collegiate Church of Covarrubias.

In the 15th century the local parish church was Gothicized; the collegiate church still received foundations from the nobility and wealthy citizens. The most important architectural testimony from this time is the mighty city gate from the late Renaissance, built under Philip II , whose rooms were used for a long time as an archive of Old Castile.

Attractions

• The almost medieval appearance of Covarrubias has remained largely unchanged for centuries and shows a mixture of half-timbered and stone houses.
• The city ​​gate Puerta del Archivo del Adelantamiento de Castilla from around 1600, supported by buttresses and - with the exception of a stone heraldic shield - is an example of the late Herrera style ; it now houses the local tourist office.
• The parish church ( Iglesia Parroquial de Santo Tomás ) , an originally Romanesque building from the 12th century, was fundamentally revised in the 15th century. The furnishings (altarpiece, organ, etc.) date largely from the 18th century, with the exception of a simple medieval baptismal font.
• The Torreón de Fernán González , which tapers conically on all four sides , was built in the 10th century and is the oldest existing structure in the town. Nearby is a beautiful stone cross (crucero) from the 16th century.
• The late Gothic former collegiate church of San Cosme y San Damián is located on the outskirts and impresses with its rich furnishings. A small museum in the cloister shows works by Jan van Eyck (?), Pedro Berruguete , Gil de Siloé and others. a.
• In the Barrio Arrabal there is an imposing court column (rollo jurisdiccional or picota) from the 16th century. It is not known whether punishments were carried out at this sacrosanct site.

Partner municipality

• Tonsberg , Norway

Web links

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

• Covarrubias, travel magazine - 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. ↑ Covarrubias - Climate tables
3. ↑ Covarrubias - population development
4. ↑ Covarubbias - History
5. ^ Covarrubias - Sights