La Alberca (Salamanca)
| La Alberca municipality | |||
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 La Alberca - Central Square
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| coat of arms | Map of Spain | ||
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| Basic data | |||
| Autonomous Community : |
 Castile and León
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| Province : | Salamanca | ||
| Comarca : | Sierra de Francia | ||
| Coordinates | 40 ° 29 ′ N , 6 ° 7 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 1045 msnm | ||
| Area : | 60.73 km² | ||
| Residents : | 1,081 (Jan 1, 2019) | ||
| Population density : | 17.8 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Postal code : | 37624 | ||
| Municipality number ( INE ): | 37010 | ||
| administration | |||
| Website : | La Alberca | ||
La Alberca is a place and a municipality with 1,081 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the south of the province of Salamanca within the autonomous community of Castile and León in Spain . The municipality also includes the two hamlets (pedanías) Las Batuecas and Prado Carreras . The place is classified as a cultural asset ( Bien de Interés Cultural ) in the conjunto histórico-artístico category.
Toponym
The name of the place probably comes from the time of the Arab-Moorish rule over the region - La Alberca can be derived from the Hebrew word Berka (= lake) with the preceding Arabic article al .
location
The place La Alberca is located on a hilltop about 1045 meters high in the heart of the Sierra de Francia , part of the Iberian Mountains ; it is surrounded by several streams that flow into the Arroyo de La Alberca , which in turn flows into the Río Francia only about 2 km north . The provincial capital Salamanca is about 80 km (driving distance) in a north-easterly direction; several places in the area are also worth seeing (e.g. Miranda del Castañar or San Martín del Castañar ). Because of the altitude, the climate is moderate; Rain (approx. 650 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.
Population development
| year | 1857 | 1900 | 1950 | 2000 | 2017 |
| Residents | k. A. | 1,709 | 1,802 | 1,122 | 1,128 |
The significant population decline since the 1950s is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs.
economy
For centuries, the residents of the village lived as a self-sufficient living from agriculture (mainly from cattle breeding) as well as from handicrafts and retail trade. Since the 1960s tourism has been added as a source of income in the form of day trippers or the rental of holiday homes ( casas rurales ).
history
Even before the arrival of the Romans, the area was populated by the Celtic tribe of the Vettones . Visigoths and Moors have left only a few archaeologically usable traces. After the reconquista ( reconquista ) and repopulation ( repoblación ) of the region, promoted by the Leonese kings , the place belonged to the Kingdom of León and not - like most places in the Sierra de Francia - to the Castilian county ( condado ) of Miranda del Castañar. Many French came as new settlers, succeeding Raimund of Burgundy - this explains the nickname Francia , which is often used in the region . In the 15th century, John II (ruled 1419–1454) of Castile brought the city under the rule ( señorio ) of the House of Alba .
According to tradition, in 1465 the women of the village defeated besieging Portuguese army units, whose flag is still preserved today. The Victory Festival is celebrated on Easter Monday .
Attractions
- The center of the village is the Plaza Mayor , which is surrounded by pillars and lovingly decorated with flowers by the local residents, with its quarry stone and half-timbered houses , whose wooden balconies face south if possible. There is also a fountain with a stone cross on the shaft of which Christ's instruments of passion can be seen.
- The three-aisled parish church ( Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion ) dates from the 18th century. It was completed in the same year as the new Cathedral of Salamanca (1733) and has a remarkable pulpit made of colored granite from the 16th century and several Baroque altarpieces . The church tower was built in 1521 under the first Duke of Alba.
- The Hermitage of Cristo del Humilladero is the oldest and is located at the main entrance to the city.
Surroundings
- Several sacred places of worship and prehistoric caves can be visited in the Natural Park of Las Batuecas . Since 1599 the local Carmelite monastery became an important spiritual center.
- The contemplative monastery of Zarzoso Porta Coeli was founded by Franciscan women in the 15th century.
- The Chapel of Our Lady of Alt Majadas is located in the direction of Mogarraz , about three kilometers away in a chestnut and oak forest. It is in the Romanesque style of the 12th century and has an outside pulpit.
- The hermitage of San Marcos, now in ruins, dates from 1703.
- The Ermita de San Blas is in the direction of the Batuecas. This is where the banner that was captured by the bourgeois women in the struggle against the Portuguese in 1475 is kept.
Cross at the well
Parish church
pulpit
Ermita del Humilladero
Ermita de San Blas
House with balconies
Festivals
- In La Alberca, according to tradition, on January 17th an 'ownerless' pig ( marrano ) that was fed by the population in the months before is driven through the streets of the city. Later it will be raffled at the church door, the proceeds will go to the brothers of St. Anthony . A stone monument on the church commemorates this custom.
- On February 2nd, the municipality celebrates the festival of candles with a procession of the Virgen de la Asunción .
- The pilgrimage to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Majadas Viejas , hidden in the forest, is celebrated on the Saturday before Pentecost.
- The Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15th - baroque splendor, colorful costumes and traditional folklore are predominant.
- A festival is held on the Peña de Francia mountain on September 8th .
Movie
Luis Buñuel shot his famous documentary Las Hurdes - Tierra sin Pan in Alberca and the surrounding area in 1932 , which describes the hard and hard life of the people in the neighboring region of Las Hurdes to the south .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ La Alberca - Map with altitude information
- ↑ La Alberca - climate tables
- ↑ La Alberca - population development
- ↑ La Alberca - History
- ↑ La Alberca - architecture
- ↑ La Alberca - Sights
- ^ Las Hurdes film