Segovia (original) (raw)

City in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain

Municipality in Castile and León, Spain

Segovia
Municipality
View with the Sierra de Guadarrama in the backgroundAlcázarAqueductCathedralGate of San Andrés
Flag of SegoviaFlagCoat of arms of SegoviaCoat of arms
MapLocation of Segovia
Coordinates: 40°56′53″N 4°7′6″W / 40.94806°N 4.11833°W / 40.94806; -4.11833
Country Spain
Autonomous community Castile and León
Province Segovia
Government
Mayor Clara Martín García (PSOE)
Area
• Total 163.59 km2 (63.16 sq mi)
Elevation 1,005 m (3,297 ft)
Population (2018)[1]
• Total 51,683
• Density 320/km2 (820/sq mi)
Demonym Segovian
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 40001-40006
Website Official website

Segovia ( sig-OH-vee-ə,[2] say-GOH-,[3] Spanish: [seˈɣoβja] ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (Meseta central), near the northern slopes of the Sistema Central range and on a bend of the Eresma river.

The city is famous for its historic buildings including three main landmarks: its midtown Roman aqueduct, its cathedral (one of the last ones to be built in Europe following a Gothic style), and the medieval castle, which served as one of the templates for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle. The city center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.

The name of Segovia is of Celtiberian origin. Although historians have linked its old name to _Segobriga, the recent discovery of the original Roman city in the nearby village of Saelices discarded this possibility. The name of "Segovia" is mentioned by Livy in the context of the Sertorian War.

Under the Romans and Moors, the city was called Sego([u])via (Σεγουβία,[a] Ptolomeo ii. 6. § 56) and Šiqūbiyyah[b] (شقوبية) respectively.

Segovia is located near the Eresma rivercourse (a second-order tributary of the Douro), close to the northwestern slope of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, a subrange of the Sistema Central.

The main route of the Camino de Santiago de Madrid passes through the city.

Segovia has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification) bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (BSk), resulting from the high altitude and the distance from the coast. The average annual temperature is 12.42 °C (54.4 °F), with an average low in January of 0.3 °C (32.5 °F) and an average high in July of 29.7 °C (85.5 °F). The annual precipitation range from 400 to 500 mm per year in the lower plains, and can reach above 1000 mm in the nearby mountainous area of Sierra de Guadarrama, as rainfall and snowfall is more frequent up the mountains. Decent showers coming from summer thunderstorms help the mountainous area of the province to be rainier than average than most of the central Spanish plateau, which gives the area lush vegetation. All of this make the province a damp corner in the context of the region. The predominant forms of vegetation in the mountainous areas include pine, evergreen, oak, beech and juniper.

Climate data for Segovia (1988-2010) 1,005 metres (3,297 ft)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.1(68.2) 21.5(70.7) 24.6(76.3) 28.0(82.4) 33.2(91.8) 38.1(100.6) 38.6(101.5) 38.7(101.7) 36.3(97.3) 30.3(86.5) 23.4(74.1) 22.6(72.7) 38.7(101.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.2(46.8) 10.4(50.7) 13.9(57.0) 15.1(59.2) 19.7(67.5) 25.8(78.4) 29.7(85.5) 29.4(84.9) 24.0(75.2) 18.0(64.4) 11.8(53.2) 8.8(47.8) 17.9(64.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.3(39.7) 5.8(42.4) 8.6(47.5) 9.7(49.5) 14.0(57.2) 19.0(66.2) 22.2(72.0) 22.1(71.8) 17.7(63.9) 13.0(55.4) 7.6(45.7) 5.1(41.2) 12.4(54.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.3(32.5) 1.1(34.0) 3.2(37.8) 4.2(39.6) 8.2(46.8) 12.1(53.8) 14.6(58.3) 14.8(58.6) 11.4(52.5) 7.9(46.2) 3.4(38.1) 1.3(34.3) 6.9(44.4)
Record low °C (°F) −17.0(1.4) −13.0(8.6) −13.2(8.2) −5.6(21.9) −3.0(26.6) 0.4(32.7) 4.0(39.2) 4.4(39.9) 0.6(33.1) −5.0(23.0) −10.4(13.3) −13.4(7.9) −17.0(1.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 38(1.5) 31(1.2) 30(1.2) 44(1.7) 66(2.6) 43(1.7) 17(0.7) 20(0.8) 28(1.1) 59(2.3) 52(2.0) 46(1.8) 474(18.6)
Average precipitation days 7 6 6 8 10 5 3 3 5 9 9 8 79
Average snowy days 3.8 3.1 1.7 1.5 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.1 1.6 2.2 14.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 124 152 203 213 250 314 358 328 246 177 126 110 2,601
Source 1: [4]
Source 2: [5][6]

Aside from the main city, there are a number of other villages within the municipality of Segovia.

The first recorded mention of a settlement in what is today Segovia was a Celtic possession. Control later passed into the hands of the Romans. The city is a possible site of the battle in 75 BC where Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius was victorious over Quintus Sertorius and Hirtuleius. Hirtuleius died in the fighting.[8]

During the Roman period the settlement belonged to one of numerous contemporary Latin convents. It is believed that the city was abandoned after the Islamic invasion of Spain centuries later. After the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León and Castile, the son of King Alfonso VI, Segovia was resettled with Christians from the north of the Iberian peninsula and beyond the Pyrenees, providing it with a significant sphere of influence whose boundaries crossed the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Tagus.

Segovia's position on trading routes made it an important centre of trade in wool and textiles. The end of the Middle Ages saw something of a golden age for Segovia, with a growing Jewish population and the creation of a foundation for a powerful cloth industry. Several splendid works of Gothic architecture were also completed during this period. Notably, Isabella I was proclaimed queen of Castile in the church of San Miguel de Segovia on December 13, 1474.Segovienne was a local flannel cloth used for upholstery in the 14th to 17th centuries. It was a twilled weave structure with a hairy surface produced by using Spanish wool.[9][10]

Drawing of Segovia ('Segobia') by Anton van den Wyngaerde c. 1562.

Like most Castilian textile centres, Segovia joined the Revolt of the Comuneros under the command of Juan Bravo. Despite the defeat of the Communities, the city's resultant economic boom continued into the sixteenth century, its population rising to 27,000 in 1594. Then, as well as almost all the cities of Castile, Segovia entered a period of decline. Only a century later in 1694, the population had been reduced to only 8,000 inhabitants. In the early eighteenth century, Segovia attempted to revitalize its textile industry, with little success. In the second half of the century, Charles III made another attempt to revive the region's commerce; it took the form of the Royal Segovian Wool Manufacturing Company (1763). However, the lack of competitiveness of production caused the crown withdraw its sponsorship in 1779. In 1764, the Royal School of Artillery, the first military academy in Spain, was opened. This academy remains present in the city today. In 1808, Segovia was sacked by French troops during the War of Independence. During the First Carlist War, troops under the command of Don Carlos, Count of Molina unsuccessfully attacked the city. During the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, Segovia experienced a demographic recovery that was the result of relative economic stability.

The population growth experienced during the nineteenth century accelerated steadily beginning around 1920: 16,013 inhabitants recorded that year, 33,360 in 1960, and 53,237 in 1981. Since the 1980s growth has slowed markedly: 55,586 in 2004 and 56,047 in 2007.

As of 1 January 2019, there were 11% of inhabitants who were foreigners – 4.478% coming from other countries in Europe, 2.37% being Africans, 3.7% being from the Americas, and 0.435% being Asians.[11]

World Heritage City

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Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct

UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia
Criteria Cultural: i, iii, iv
Reference 311
Inscription 1985 (9th Session)
Area 134.28 ha
Buffer zone 401.44 ha

In 1985 the old city of Segovia and its Aqueduct were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The old city contains a multitude of historic buildings both civil and religious, including a large number of buildings of Jewish origin, notably within the old Jewish Quarter. One of the most historically important Jewish sites is the Jewish cemetery, El Pinarillo. Among the most important monuments in the city are:

The Alcázar de Segovia.

Segovia Cathedral as seen from the Alcazar.

Religious architecture

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Iglesia de San Esteban

Old main synagogue

View of the church of San Millán de Segovia from Cervantes street

Churches and chapels

[edit]

The city maintains an important collection of Romanesque churches of both stone and brick, which include the churches of San Esteban, San Millán, San Martín, la Santísima Trinidad, San Andrés, San Clemente, Santos Justo y Pastor, Iglesia de la Vera Cruz (Order of Malta), and San Salvador.

The old main synagogue is a former synagogue, converted into a convent after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

Monasteries and convents

[edit]

The city of Segovia preserved also several monasteries and convents with active religious life:

View of Segovia from Mirador de la canaleja.

Loba Capitolina at the foot of the aqueduct.

Urban sculpture in Segovia feature works depicting illustrious figures linked to the city, but there are also several works of a religious nature. One of the most iconic sculptures of the Loba Capitolina sits in front of the aqueduct. A copy of the Capitoline wolf is preserved in the Capitoline Museum and was a gift that Rome gave to the city in 1974 during the events of the bimillennial anniversary of the aqueduct.

Until a few decades ago, a monument dedicated to the artist Daniel Zuloaga, which was installed in 1924, could be seen in the Plaza de la Merced, but it was relocated to the Plaza de Colmenares. Currently located in the center of the Plaza de la Merced, looking towards the church of San Andrés is a bust of the poet Rubén Darío, sculptor Santiago de Santiago, which was donated by the Nicaragua government to the city in 1973. Letters related to the bust are also found in the Promenade Lounge, the famous poet José Rodas was first installed in 1927 in the plaza of the gardens, and moved to its present site in 1960 by the Segovian sculptor Aniceto Marinas. There is also a tribute to Antonio Machado; the poet Segovia also took refuge here from 1919 to 1932, a sculpture honoring him is located in the garden of his home museum, and was done by Emiliano Barral.

Religious figures such as Domingo de Soto, Pius XII, Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint John of the Cross have their own urban sculptures, including the first work of Ortega and several from José María García Moro, a prosperous Segovia sculptor who also created the Monument to the Youth located on the Plaza del Conde de Cheste. A few peasants have been recognized on the streets or town squares, as is the case for Aniceto Marinas, who dedicated a monument in 1943 to his friend and partner Mariano Benlliure.

In the field of arms is the monument to Daoíz and Velarde, Aniceto Marina's work. By the same artist is the sculpture dedicated to the list of people associated with the comunero Juan Bravo, made in 1921 and located in the heart of the city at the Square of the Sirens, the name given to two statues that top the stairs representing the mythological beings, which were made by Francisco Bellver in 1852. Other sculptures in the city include one devoted to physician Andrés Laguna made by the Segovian Florentino Trapero and located at Plaza de los Huertos, the bust of Lope de la Calle Martín, president of the provincial council, that was made by Emiliano Barral and can be seen in the square of San Facundo, or the monument "El Favorito" by Toribio García de Andrés in the early 20th century.

In addition to this series of monuments and sculptures some other religious images worth mentioning can be found in the quieter corners of the city. The most significant of these is the Virgin of the Aqueduct, located in the central niche of the monument at the Plaza del Azoguejo since the 16th century; it memorializes Colmenares. A series of virgins can also be found at the Fuencisla on Velarde Street, the los Remedios in front of San Juan Gate, the Socorro at the San Andrés Gate and the del Carmen on the street of its own name, among others.

Segovia also has a work by Luis Sanguino, who lives in the city. It is "El Mesonero Mayor de Castilla" ("The Elder Hotelkeeper of Castile"), at the Plaza del Santo Espíritu.[15]

Alcazar Gardens.

Plaza de la Artillería

The economy of Segovia revolves around metallurgy, agriculture, furniture, construction and tourism. The town itself plays host to thousands of day trippers from Madrid each year due to its popular attractions.

Segovia is served by the Autopista AP-61 which opened in 2004. Segovia-Guiomar railway station provides a rail connection to Madrid Chamartín and Valladolid-Campo Grande via the AVE network's Madrid–León high-speed rail line.

The city of Segovia is home to a large number of primary schools and secondary schools, the oldest of which (IES Andrés Laguna, founded in 1841) having been officially declared "of cultural interest." A high proportion of the student population attends state primary and secondary schools, while private schooling in Segovia is mostly religious in nature.

Segovia's premier higher education institution is IE University, a business-oriented undergraduate university, building upon Instituto Empresa's successful MBA program at Madrid-based IE Business School. Also present is the Segovia campus of the University of Valladolid, offering studies for careers in computer engineering, law, journalism, advertising and education.

MUCES (Muestra de Cine Europeo Ciudad de Segovia) is the Spanish acronym to The City of Segovia Festival of European Cinema, an annual film festival which takes place in the city since 2006, usually in November. It gives the wider public a chance to get to know quality European cinema and, above all, it offers the general public an opportunity to see European films which have not yet been commercially screened in Spain, but have been very successful with critics and audiences in their own countries. "My Cat Lives in Segovia" is one of the films presented to the audience.[16]

Facade of the cathedral night view.

Monastery of Saint Mary of Parral.

Paso during the Holy Week in Segovia.

Segovia has 10 fraternities:

There are many due to the longevity of the city, among the main ones are:

There are also other different legends in the incorporated neighborhoods.

Twin towns – sister cities

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Segovia is twinned with:[23][24]

Segovia is the Antipode of Masterton, New Zealand.

Footnotes

  1. ^ the phonological use of β to denote the sound used in Spanish for b and v is modern. It was not used in European writing traditions (orthologies), except, as here, Greek which thus lacks the letter v.
  2. ^ The principle of b for lack of v in Arabic is identical

References

  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ^ "Segovia". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Segovia". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  4. ^ Meteorología, Agencia Estatal de. "Valores climatológicos normales: Segovia - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología - AEMET. Gobierno de España". www.aemet.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  5. ^ Meteorología, Agencia Estatal de. "Extreme values: Segovia - Valores extremos absolutos - Selector - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología". www.aemet.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  6. ^ Meteorología, Agencia Estatal de. "Extreme values: Segovia, Instituto - Valores extremos absolutos - Selector - Agencia Estatal de Meteorología". www.aemet.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ "DECRETO nº. 107/1983, de 3 de Noviembre, por el que se aprueba la constitución en entidad local menor del núcleo de población de Revenga, perteneciente al municipio de Segovia" (PDF) (in Spanish). Boletín Oficial del Estado. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  8. ^ From the Gracchi to Nero, H. H. Scullard, p 91 however Philip Spann disagreed - Quintus Sertorius and the Legacy of Sulla, p110
  9. ^ Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth. Internet Archive. New York ; London : Norton. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-393-01703-8.
  10. ^ Tortora, Phyllis G.; Johnson, Ingrid (17 September 2013). The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Textiles. A&C Black. p. 544. ISBN 978-1-60901-535-0.
  11. ^ "Padrón municipal de habitantes. Revisión anual a 1 de enero de 2019. Distribución población por nacionalidades". Ayuntamiento de Segovia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Arquitectura romana: Acueducto de Segovia". Historia de la Arquitectura en España. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  13. ^ Lapunzina, A. (2005). Reference guides to national architecture: Architecture of Spain. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
  14. ^ "Royal Mint". www.erih.net. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Castillo de Sanguino - Luis Sanguino". 24 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  16. ^ "MUCES. The City of Segovia Festival of European Cinema". Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  17. ^ Calleja Guijarro, Tomás (2005). Taller Imagen S.l. (ed.). Romances de El Tuerto de Pirón (Printed book : Poetry : Spanish (spa) : Ed. aum. and illustrated) (in Spanish). Espirdo: Segovia Sur, D.L.
  18. ^ "10 leyendas y curiosidades de Segovia". Siente Castilla y León (in Spanish). 24 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  19. ^ Segoviaudaz (29 October 2019). "Las siete leyendas más inquietantes". Segoviaudaz.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Las leyendas que quizá no conozcas del Alcázar de Segovia". Viajes (in European Spanish). 17 January 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Leyenda del Alcazar de Segovia". España Fascinante (in Spanish). 21 April 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  22. ^ "SENIOR, ABRAHAM - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com.
  23. ^ "El 75% de los hermanamientos de Segovia con otros municipios está inactivo". elnortedecastilla.es (in Spanish). El Norte de Castilla. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  24. ^ "Побратимени градове". pleven.bg (in Bulgarian). Pleven. Retrieved 2 January 2019.