Villanueva de Cameros

Villanueva de Cameros municipality
Villanueva de Cameros - town view
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	La Rioja
Province :	La Rioja
Comarca :	Camero Nuevo
Coordinates	42 ° 10 ′  N , 2 ° 39 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 10 ′  N , 2 ° 39 ′  W
Height :	900  msnm
Area :	18.44 km²
Residents :	74 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	4.01 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	26123
Municipality number  ( INE ):	26169
administration
Website :	Villanueva de Cameros

Villanueva de Cameros is a mountain town and a municipality ( municipio ) belonging to the poorly populated region of the Serranía Celtibérica with only 74 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the autonomous community of La Rioja in northern Spain .

Location and climate

The place Villanueva de Cameros is located on the Río Iregua a good 42 km (driving distance) southwest of the provincial capital Logroño at an altitude of approx. 1070  m . Soria , the capital of the Old Castilian province bordering the Rioja to the south , is located approx. 58 km south-east. The climate is temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 655 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2001	2018
Residents	341	483	313	123	72

As a result of the mechanization of agriculture , the abandonment of small farms and the resulting lower demand for labor, the number of inhabitants has decreased significantly since the middle of the 20th century. The hamlet (pedanía) Aldeanueva de Cameros , which still has around 20 inhabitants, also belongs to the municipality .

economy

For centuries, the community was oriented towards agriculture for the purpose of self-sufficiency , with livestock farming (milk, cheese, meat) in the foreground. Today holiday apartments (casas rurales) are rented out mainly in the summer months .

history

Celtiberian , Roman , Visigoth and even Islamic-Moorish traces of settlement were not discovered in the municipality. The high-lying area served as summer pasture for sheep and goats for centuries . A military reconquest ( reconquista ) by the Christians did not take place, but the place was gradually settled as part of the Repoblación . In the Middle Ages, the region was disputed between the kingdoms of Castile and the Kingdom of Navarre . Since the 13./14. In the 18th century, the territory of the Tierra de Cameros belonged to the Lara family , i.e. Castile. After the abolition of the manors in 1811, it belonged to the province of Soria and only came to the newly created province of Logroño in 1833, from which the La Rioja region later emerged.

Attractions

Church of San Martín

• The one standing at the highest point of the place and dedicated to St. Iglesia de San Martín , consecrated to Martin of Tours , is a building from the 16th century, which, however, underwent changes in the 19th century. The rib-vaulted nave (nave) is now exposed to stone and contains several altar retables (retablos) , under which the main altar , which shows early classical forms, clearly protrudes.
• There are several chapels (ermitas) spread across the municipality .
• A stone bridge near the village dates from the early 17th century. Earlier constructions were destroyed in floods.

Web links

Commons : Villanueva de Cameros  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Villanueva de Cameros - photos + short information (spanish)
• Valle del Iregua - Photos + Quick Facts (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. ↑ Villanueva de Cameros / Ortigosa de Cameros - climate tables
3. ↑ Villanueva de Cameros - population development
4. ↑ Villanueva de Cameros - History and Sights
5. ↑ Villanueva de Cameros - Church