Niharra

Niharra parish
Niharra - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Castile and León
Province :	Ávila
Comarca :	Valle de Amblés
Coordinates	40 ° 35 ′  N , 4 ° 50 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 35 ′  N , 4 ° 50 ′  W
Height :	1090  msnm
Area :	11.28 km²
Residents :	180 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	15.96 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	05191
Municipality number  ( INE ):	05172
administration
Website :	Niharra

Niharra is a place and a central Spanish municipality ( municipio ) with 180 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the province of Ávila in the autonomous region of Castile-León .

Surname

The place name, which sounds unusual for Castile , is traced back to an Arabic analogy to an old Spanish word for “stack of hay” ( almiar = supply, stack + heno = hay) or to a Basque substratum of the Castellano or to immigration (Basque arro = large basin , Water catchment area, which fits the location of the place). Both Arabized and Basque (such as Amavida , Mingorría , Naharrevisca ) toponyms from the time of the repoblación , the repopulation by Mozarabs , Basques or immigrants from Asturias around the 11th century are widespread in the province of Ávila.

location

The place Niharra is located in the Valle de Amblés through which the Río Adaja flows, a good 21 km southwest of Ávila or approx. 127 km northwest of Madrid at an altitude of approx. 1090  m . The climate in winter is cool, in summer it is quite warm despite the altitude; the small amounts of precipitation (approx. 420 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2017
Residents	289	381	366	198	188

The steady population decline since the 1950s is mainly due to the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the associated loss of jobs.

economy

The economic life of Niharra is largely agrarian - in the past, grain, grapevines, etc. were planted for self-sufficiency ; Vegetables came from the house gardens. Cattle breeding (previously mainly sheep and goats, today mostly cattle) was also operated. Small traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the village. In the meantime, rural tourism (turismo rural) also plays an increasingly important role in the economic life of the municipality.

history

Little is known about the earlier history of Niharra, but the Celtic (perhaps Vettonic ) high fortress Castro de Ulaca in the neighboring village of Solosancho proves an early settlement of the region. The existence of a Roman country estate ( villa rustica ) , smaller coin finds from the 2nd century, a Roman road and a nearby “ Roman bridge ” suggest an ancient settlement. Visigoth evidence is missing. In the 8th century the Moors overran the area; however, nothing is known of settlements.

In the 11th century, the area was recaptured by the Christians ( reconquista ) and by order of Alfonso VI. repopulated from León by Raymond of Burgundy ( repoblación ) . In a document from the year 1250, a large community named Valle Amblés is mentioned, to which Niharra , which is not mentioned by name and may not yet exist, also belonged.

Attractions

Pared de los Moros

• The simple church of San Cornelio and San Cipriano dates back to the 16th century and is mostly made of precisely hewn large field stones. Above the west facade there is a two-part bell gable (espadaña) , the upper part of which is made of bricks . Probably in the 18th century the portal on the south side was protected by a porch ( portico ) . Inside the single-nave church, an artesonado wooden ceiling, a wooden tribune in the west and several carved and picture altars are impressive .

Surroundings

• About two kilometers southwest of the village are the ruins of an ancient country estate ( villa rustica ) from the 2nd to 5th centuries (Pared de los Moros) , the walls of which were built using the technique of opus caementitium . But also small Bronze Age finds were made here.

Web links

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

• Niharra, Tourism - Photos + Info (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. ^ Ana Agustín: Con nombre propio , diariodeávila.es, May 16, 2010.
3. ↑ Niharra - climate tables
4. ↑ Niharra - population development
5. ↑ Niharra Church
6. ↑ Niharra - ancient country estate ( Memento of the original from January 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.