Fregenal de la Sierra

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Fregenal de la Sierra municipality
Fregenal de la Sierra - Paseo de la Constitión
Fregenal de la Sierra - Paseo de la Constitión
coat of arms Map of Spain
Coat of arms of Fregenal de la Sierra
Fregenal de la Sierra (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Extremadura
Province : Badajoz
Comarca : Sierra Suroeste
Coordinates 38 ° 10 ′  N , 6 ° 39 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 10 ′  N , 6 ° 39 ′  W
Height : 570  msnm
Area : 236.65 km²
Residents : 4,847 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 20.48 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : 06340
Municipality number  ( INE ): 06050
administration
Website : Fregenal de la Sierra

Fregenal de la Sierra is a small town and a municipality ( municipio ) with 4,847 inhabitants (as of 2019) in the south of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura . The historic town center is recognized as the conjunto histórico-artístico .

location

Fregenal de la Sierra, only approx. 20 km (as the crow flies) from the border with Portugal , is approx. 107 km (driving distance) southeast of the provincial capital Badajoz at an altitude of approx. 560 to 580 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 630 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 6,948 9,615 11,716 5,379 4,914

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 has been largely agricultural ( olives , figs , cork oaks ) or cattle breeding (sheep, goats, pigs) for centuries , traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have also settled in the village. Fregenal was and is known nationwide for the pottery and ironwork made here. Since the 1970s, domestic tourism has played an increasingly important role in the economic life of the small town.

history

Close to the city are the ruins of the Celtic oppidum Nertóbriga , which was later occupied by the Romans . The Visigoths founded the monastery of San Miguel de los Fresnos nearby , of which only the apse of the church has survived . Around the year 713 came the Moors , who were besieged around 1165 by Geraldo Sem Pavor , a military leader in the service of the first Portuguese king Afonso I, and around a century later (around 1240) by the troops of the Leonese-Castilian king Ferdinand III. (ruled 1230–1252) were finally defeated with the help of the Knights Templar . Alfonso X. (r. 1252–1282 / 4) gave the place into the care of the Knights Templar in 1283, who immediately began building a castle (castillo) . After its end (1312), the city came under the Kingdom of Seville , which was later only of nominal importance. Under the Catholic kings Isabella I and Ferdinand II , the city was an important part of the border fortresses with Portugal; in the 16th century Fregenal experienced an economic and cultural heyday.

Attractions

Fregenal - Altarpiece of the Iglesia de Santa Ana
  • The oldest partially preserved building in the city is the Templar castle (castillo) , which was probably built in the 13th century ; in the 17th century the keep (torre del homenaje) received a small bell tower. The city's bullring (plaza de toros) is now located inside the seven-towered wall district .
  • Adjacent rises the single-aisled Iglesia de Santa María de la Plaza , built around 1260 by the Knights Templar . The interior was baroque in the 17th century ; the main altar with its unusually designed middle section dates from around 1735.
  • The Santa Catalina church dates from the 15th century; however, its facade was redesigned in the 17th century. The three-aisled interior is covered by a wooden roof structure .
  • The Santa Ana Church was built in the 16th century. Two transept arms are attached to the nave, which is covered by a star vault , so that a cross-shaped floor plan is created. The main attraction is the altar retable from around 1540 with numerous figures and columns entwined with wine. It is attributed to the Flemish-Spanish carver Roque Balduque , who died in 1561 .
  • The two-story cloister of the Franciscan monastery built in the 16th century is also noteworthy.
  • Several historical fountains and cattle troughs are spread across the city.
Surroundings
  • About six kilometers north of the city is the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios , built around 1500 , in which a miraculous statue of Our Lady is venerated. Behind the altarpiece is a chapel (camarín) with a rich baroque interior. An attached museum displays works of religious art.
  • About seven kilometers south of Fregenal are the Celtic-Roman ruins of Nertóbriga at an altitude of about 680 m , but they are more of historical interest.

Festivals

Fregenal is known throughout Spain for its religious festivals (Semana Santa , Fiestas patronales de la Virgen Santa María de los Remedios , Fiesta de la Virgen de la Salud , Feria y Fiestas de San Mateo ; Romería Gitana de la Virgen de los Remedios) and its folklore events (Festival Internacional de la Sierra) .

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Fregenal de la Sierra  - 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. ↑ Fregenal de la Sierra - Conjunto histórico-artístico
  3. ↑ Fregenal de la Sierra - map with altitude information
  4. ↑ Fregenal de la Sierra - climate tables
  5. ^ Fregenal de la Sierra - population development
  6. ↑ Fregenal de la Sierra - Templar Castle