Medellin (Spain)

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Medellín municipality
Medellín - castle and place
Medellín - castle and place
coat of arms Map of Spain
Medellín coat of arms
Medellín (Spain) (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : ExtremaduraExtremadura Extremadura
Province : Badajoz
Comarca : Vegas Altas
Coordinates 38 ° 58 ′  N , 5 ° 58 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 58 ′  N , 5 ° 58 ′  W
Height : 264  msnm
Area : 64.96 km²
Residents : 2,263 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 34.84 inhabitants / km²
Founding: 79 BC Chr.
Postal code : 06411
Municipality number  ( INE ): 06080
administration
Website : Medellin

Medellín is a place and a municipality ( municipio ) with 2,263 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the Spanish province of Badajoz in the Extremadura region .

location

The place Medellín is located on the south bank of the Río Guadiana near the confluence of the Río Ortiga at an altitude of about 265 meters above sea level. d. M. The next larger city, Mérida , is about 42 kilometers (driving distance) to the west.

Population development

year 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001 2010
Residents 2,393 2,715 2,621 2,451 2,409 2,343

Since the beginning of the 19th century - the community had around 600 inhabitants at that time - the population has increased slowly but steadily and has remained more or less constant in the last few decades.

economy

For centuries the place lived mainly from agriculture (field crops, wine and olive growing, cattle farming) in its area. Crafts and retail trade also played a certain role. Since the 1960s, the rental of holiday homes has been added as a source of income; in addition, channels have been built to irrigate the fields.

history

The banks of the Río Guadiana were popular hiking trails for animals and people since prehistoric and Celtic times. From the 7th century BC A place with the name Consisturgis has been handed down to us, which is often identified with the Tartessian forerunner of today's settlement. The name 'Medellín' is of Roman origin and was named after the consul and proconsul of the Hispanic provinces, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Caecilia Metellina . The Visigoths (around 570–768) and Moors (768–1234) also left their mark. Peter I of Castile handed the city over to his vassal Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque , who however made himself almost independent of his liege lord and was robbed of all his privileges in 1354 and died shortly afterwards. On March 28, 1809, the Battle of Medellín took place in the vicinity of Medellín as part of the so-called Spanish War of Independence against Napoleonic troops.

Personalities

  • Medellín is the birthplace of Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), the discoverer and conquistador of the Aztec Empire from 1519 to 1521. In August 2010, his monument was smeared with red paint; this should be understood as a protest against the genocide perpetrated against the indigenous people of the country with and after the conquest of Mexico.
  • One of Cortés' most important colleagues, Gonzalo de Sandoval (1497–1527), was born in Medellín.

Attractions

Roman theater and castle
  • The castle ( castillo ) served as a fortress for the entire Serena region . In the castle grounds, which are divided into two by a wall, but largely empty, there is a cistern ( aljibe ) from the Almohad times. A side room has been converted into a small Museo de la Conquista .
  • The Roman bridge ( puente romano ) was repeatedly repaired and restored in the Middle Ages and early modern times.
  • The ruins of a Roman theater were uncovered at the foot of the castle hill.
  • Remnants of the Roman road ( Via de la Plata ) that led to Mérida can also still be seen.
  • Three medieval and early modern churches still stand ( Santa Cecilia , San Martín and Santiago ), of a fourth only ruins remain ( Santa María del Castillo ).
  • Only the foundations of Hernán Cortés ' birthplace have survived - a reconstruction is being considered.
  • The city's historical archive, consisting of 92 volumes with over 30,000 pages, covers the years 1638 to 1819 and was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in March 2015 .

Web links

Commons : Medellín (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. ^ FAZ of August 27, 2010, page 7