Montemolín

Montemolín municipality
Montemolín - Castillo
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Extremadura
Province :	Badajoz
Comarca :	Tentudía
Coordinates	38 ° 9 ′  N , 6 ° 13 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 9 ′  N , 6 ° 13 ′  W
Height :	620  msnm
Area :	202.72 km²
Residents :	1,343 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	6.62 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	06291
Municipality number  ( INE ):	06086
administration
Website :	Montemolín

Montemolín is a small town and a municipality ( municipio ) with 1,343 inhabitants (as of 2019) in the southeast of the Spanish province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura .

location

The place Montemolín is a good 113 km southeast of the provincial capital Badajoz or about 95 km south of Mérida at an altitude of about 615 to 630 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the rather low amounts of precipitation (approx. 650 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	2,954	3,437	4,834	1,691	1,421

The significant population decline in the second half of the 20th century is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture and the resulting loss of jobs.

economy

The people of earlier times lived essentially on farming as self-sufficiency ; Traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds also settled in the village.

history

Celtic, Roman and Visigoth traces have not yet been discovered in the municipality. In the early 8th century the region was overrun by the Moors , who, however, settled under the Leonese King Alfonso IX. (ruled 1188-1230) had to deal with the Christian reconquest ( reconquista ) , which could be stopped by the Almohads until the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212). The final reconquest of the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula took place under the Leonese-Castilian King Ferdinand III. (reg. 1230-1252). The latter handed the place over to the Order of Santiago in 1246 .

Attractions

Montemolín - Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción

• The most important attraction of the place is the ruin of the fortress ( alcazaba ) built by the Almohads at the end of the 12th century on a hill about 100 m higher with numerous towers on a square floor plan. It was built partly from rammed earth mixed with small stones; the corners of some towers are reinforced with bricks . The fortress came around the year 1246 into the hands of the Order of Santiago, who with a keep ( Torre del homenaje sided) and with some semicircular outer towers. The castle was no longer used and fell into disrepair. You can see a dungeon (mazmorra) , a cistern (aljibe) and the remains of the keep .
• The parish church (Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción) , which is impressive in its external dimensions (length 72 m, width 32 m, height 18 m), was built in the Mudéjar tradition from a mixture of broken stone and bricks. It was built in the second half of the 16th century and was originally the Church of the Knight Order; it has no tower, but a bell tower with befindlicher behind belfry . There are numerous altars inside the star-vaulted church.

Web links

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

• Montemolín, history etc. - 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. ↑ Montemolín - Map with altitude information
3. ↑ Montemolín - climate tables
4. ^ Montemolín - population development
5. ↑ Montemolín - History
6. ↑ Montemolín - fortress
7. ↑ Montemolín - Church ( Memento of the original from September 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.