Tierra de Campos
Tierra de Campos ( "Land of the Fields") refers to a largely uniform natural, economic and cultural region ( Comarca ) in the Castilian plateau in the north of Spain .
geography
The approximately 4500 km², slightly undulating, but in some places also almost flat area of the Tierra de Campos lies at heights of approximately 700 to 850 m and includes parts of the Spanish provinces of León , Valladolid , Zamora and Palencia ; it extends south of a line between the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés) gateway cities Sahagún , Carrión de los Condes and Frómista , north of the River Duero , or more precisely north of the Río Sequillo , west of the Río Carrión and the Rio Pisuerga and east of Río Cea .
In the past, the region had far more inhabitants than it does today - without Palencia there are only around 40,000 to 50,000; in the 19th century there were around 300,000. The mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs in the 20th century led to a large part of the population moving to the larger cities ( rural exodus ). Most of the approx. 200 municipalities only have around 50 to 350 inhabitants. The largest towns are Villalpando (approx. 1,500), Grijota (approx. 2,000) Sahagún (approx. 2,500) and Medina de Rioseco (just under 5,000); although Palencia (approx. 80,000) is more on the eastern edge of the Tierra de Campos , it is widely regarded as the capital.
There are numerous smaller rivers and streams in the fertile (loam and loess soils ) but rain-poor (maximum approx. 550 mm / year) region, which, however, almost without exception fall dry in summer and early autumn. The main rivers are the Río Valderaduey and the Río Sequillo . In the 19th century, the area was opened up by the Canal de Castilla , which was originally intended as a transport and trade route for grain, but is now almost exclusively used for field irrigation.
economy
The field economy , which was concentrated from February to May / June, was the predominant form of economy. Livestock keeping (sheep, goats) was hardly practiced, only horses and donkeys were kept as draft and pack animals; Eggs, chicken, sometimes pork and pork sausages ( chorizos ) were the only sources of protein , large farmers and the higher clergy had pigeon houses built. Traders and craftsmen settled in the cities and larger towns, and it was not uncommon for them to achieve a certain level of prosperity.
history
The area was populated by the Celtic people of the Vaccaeans in pre-Roman times . The Romans and Visigoths left only a few traces. The region was called Campus Gallaeciae or Campi Gothorum in the early Middle Ages . In the 8th century, the area was used by the Moors invaded, but already in the 9th century Asturian-Leonese army conquered the areas north of the Duero back ( reconquista ) ; afterwards a new settlement ( repoblación ) took place. In the 10th and 11th centuries the area was the scene of numerous armed conflicts between the ancient kingdom of León and the upstart Castile . At the end of the 10th century, the Moorish military leader Almansor temporarily nullified the Christian territorial successes, but in the 11th century the Kingdom of León expanded its territory again to the Duero border. After previous attempts, León finally united with the Kingdom of Castile in 1230 . The region experienced its heyday in the late Middle Ages and in the early modern period.
Attractions
The area of the Tierra de Campos was and is the breadbasket of Spain. In the Middle Ages, the area was extremely wealthy, which is also manifested in numerous churches and defensive structures. The most important trading town was Medina de Rioseco , whose historic city center is recognized as the Conjunto histórico-artístico . While in the church of the Way of St. James located North ( Sahagún , Frómista ) and East ( Grijota among other things) the Comarca Romanesque dominates, it is the in the southwest and south Late Gothic or Renaissance . While in the rural areas of the landscape, poor in natural stones and trees, the houses in earlier times were made of rammed earth or air-dried adobe bricks , in the cities they were mostly built from fired bricks and subsequently plastered; the upper floor often rests on stone or wooden supports (soportales) . The churches were usually built of bricks; they were later furnished with more or less elaborately crafted baroque altars ; the portals, which are sometimes constructed from natural stone, look like foreign bodies. In the eastern and southern part of the Tierra de Campos , on the other hand, natural stone buildings are more common because there are adjacent rocks and mountains (e.g. Montaña Palentina or Montes Torozos ). The numerous pigeon houses , often made of rammed earth , are among the typical but mostly dilapidated buildings of the region ; Their floor plan is usually round, but there are also those with a square floor plan.
Castle ( castillo ) near Montealegre de Campos
City gate in Villalpando
medieval stone bridge over the Río Valderaduey near Becilla de Valderaduey
San Tirso Church in Sahagún
San Andrés Church in Aguilar de Campos
Pigeon houses at Gatón de Campos
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Others
Tierra de Campos is also the title of a 2017 novel by David Trueba .
literature
- Ángel Vaca Lorenzo: La Tierra de Campos y sus Bases Ecológicas en el Siglo XIV.
- V. Perez-Díaz: Emigración y sociedad en la Tierra de Campos. Estudio de un proceso migratorio y un proceso de cambio social. Inst. Del Desarrollo Económico, Madrid 1969.
- J. Callado et al .: El mito de Tierra de Campos. Ensayo en torno al disimetrismo del río Cea. Diputación de León, León 2003.
Web links
- Tierra de Campos, Palencia, natural stone churches - Photos + information (Spanish)
- Tierra de Campos, western part, Mudejar churches - photos + information (Spanish)
- Tierra de Campos, castles - photos + information (spanish)
- Tierra de Campos, pigeon rabbits etc. - photo + info (Spanish)
Remarks
- ↑ There are different opinions about the geographic extent of the Tierra de Campos
- ↑ Tierra de Campos - Book Review