Martos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Russian sculptor, see Ivan Martos.
| Martos | |||||
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| Location | |||||
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| Coordinates : {{{lat_long}}} Time zone : CET (GMT +1) |
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| General information | |||||
| Native name | Martos (Spanish) | ||||
| Spanish name | Martos | ||||
| Postal code | 23600 | ||||
| Website | http://www.aytomartos.com/ | ||||
| Administration | |||||
| Country | Spain | ||||
| Autonomous Community | Andalucía | ||||
| Province | Jaén | ||||
| Comarca | [[|Metropolitan area of Jaén]] | ||||
| Mayor | José Antonio Saavedra (PSOE) | ||||
| Geography | |||||
| Land Area | 259'10 km² | ||||
| Altitude | 725 m AMSL | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 24.061 (2006) | ||||
| Density | 92'9 hab./km² () | ||||
The city of Martos is located in the province of Jaén in the autonomous community of Andalusia in south-central Spain.
It has a population of 24061 inhabitants, making Martos the fifth largest municipality in the province. The city is located on a western peak of the Sierra Jabalcuz mountain range. It belongs to the metropolitan Area of Jaén, of which it is considered to be the second most important city after the capital. Its economy is based on agriculture, in particular the cultivation of the olive tree. Martos is considered to be the first producer of olive oil of the world. Also important are various industries, especially those related to the treatment of plastic.
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[edit] History
The city has been linked to the Roman settlement of Colonia Augusta Gemella, and starting in the 8th century was ruled by the Moors under various Islamic states for over 500 years. In 1225, King Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon captured the city from the Moors and incorporated it into his kingdom.
During the Middle Ages, Martos became a strategic place, and its defences were reinforced with the construction of numerous fortifications in the city.
At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, Martos underwent significant economic and urban development (reflected in the city's architecture), in large part due to the wealth derived from the industrial production of olive oil. Martos thus became one of the most prosperous cities of eastern Andalusia.
[edit] Places to visit
Among its monuments worth noting are the following: The Pilar de la Fuente Nueva (Pillar of the New Fountain), the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Villa (Virgin of the Town), the Church of Saint Martha, the Church of Saint Amador, Front of San Francisco, the Hermitage of Saint Bartholomew (San Bartolomé), the Hermitage of Saint Michael, the Convent of the Trinitarians, the Town Hall (a former jail and chapter house), the Hospital and Church of Saint John of God, the Hermitage of Saint Lucy, the Roman Bridge, and the Círculo Nueva Amistad.
Also important are the old walls that surround the city, of whose towers three are still standing: the Homenaje Tower, the Albarrana Tower, and the Almedina Tower. Martos has two castles or fortifications. The urban castle called "Castillo de la Villa ", and the "Castillo de la Peña ". The "Castillo de la Peña" is placed in the top of the "Peña", a hill witness of the Prebético formed basically by limy rock who reaches 1.003 m. of altitude. For Martos it crosses a route to practise walking or cycling, a former route of railroad named "Vía Verde del aceite" that offers magnificent landscapes of the region, passing for metallic gangplanks and impressive bridges of iron.
[edit] Economy
Since already it has been said, Martos possesses an agricultural immense richness thanks to the culture of the olive grove, which places the city in the summit as for production and quality of what is named a “liquid gold ".
Nevertheless in the last years, the industry has done a great act of presence in the economy of this city, especially the relative one to the plastic, the industry of the car, metallurgists, the construction of roads, etc. Among all the existing factories in the city, it is necessary to emphasize the French multinational Valeo, dedicated to the production of projectors and lighting of vehicles, on which many other factories depend.
[edit] Festivals
Among the numerous festivals carried out in the city it is necessary to highlight:
- Holy week: Considered of tourist interest of Andalusia.
- San Bartolomé's festival: Principal festival. August
- Carnival
- San Amador: On May 5
- Virgin of the Villa: On the first Tuesday after Holy Week
- Saint Martha: On July 29
- Romería of the Virgin of the Victory: last weekend of May
- Festival of the olive: on December 8
[edit] References
"Martos". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 22, 2005.
[edit] External links
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