Feria (Badajoz)

Feria municipality
Feria - town view with castle hill
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Extremadura
Province :	Badajoz
Comarca :	Zafra - Río Bodión
Coordinates	38 ° 31 ′  N , 6 ° 34 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 31 ′  N , 6 ° 34 ′  W
Height :	570  msnm
Area :	73.72 km²
Residents :	1,144 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	15.52 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	06390
Municipality number  ( INE ):	06049
administration
Website :	Feria

Feria is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 1,144 inhabitants (as of 2019) in the center of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura .

location

The place Feria is about 63 km (driving distance) southeast of Badajoz at an altitude of about 550 to 590 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 615 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	2.712	3,307	4,347	1,435	1,197

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

While the surrounding area was largely agricultural ( olives , figs ) or cattle breeding (sheep, goats, pigs) for centuries , small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds also settled in the village.

history

Small prehistoric finds were made in the area of ​​the municipality and the Celts and Romans already used the strategic location of the castle hill. While Visigoth traces are missing, the Moors built a small fortress ( alcazaba ) . After the reconquest ( reconquista ) by the Christians in the 13th century, the Castilian king Heinrich III. (r. 1390-1406) in 1394 the place - together with the only 18 km away Zafra - to Gómez Suárez de Figueroa, the Grand Master of the Order of Santiago , whose coat of arms consisting of five fig leaves can still be found in the city coat of arms. In 1460 his descendant was raised to count and Philip II (ruled 1556–1598) created the title of Duke of Feria in 1567 .

Fair - Rincon de la Cruz

Attractions

• The keep (torre del homenaje) of the castle (castillo), which was only built in the 15th century, dominates the town, with rounded corners . It is surrounded by an irregular fortress wall, which is secured and stabilized by small towers with a round or square floor plan. The keep has a late Gothic entrance portal and several windows in the Moorish style .
• The construction of the imposing parish church of San Bartolomé began in the 15th century; however, it was not completed until the 16th century.
• The Ermita de los Santos Mártires , built in the 18th century, is on the outskirts.

Surroundings

• Not far from the village are the remains of a megalithic passage grave (dolmen Casa del Monje) . Other dolmens can be reached via a circular route (Ruta del Dolmen) .

Web links

Commons : Feria (Badajoz)  - 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. ↑ Feria - map with altitude information
3. ↑ Feria - climate tables
4. ↑ Feria - population development
5. ↑ Feria - history etc.
6. ^ Feria - Castle
7. ↑ Feria - Church
8. ↑ Feria - Ermita
9. ↑ Feria - Dolmen