Segovia
| Segovia | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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  Segovia
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community |  Castile and León |
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| Province | Segovia | ||
| Comarca | Capital y Área Metropolitana | ||
| Judicial district | Partido de Segovia | ||
| Government | |||
| - Alcalde | Pedro Arahuetes García (PSOE) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 163.59 km2 (63.2 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 1,000 m (3,281 ft) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| - Total | 56,660 | ||
| - Density | 346.4/km2 (897.1/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Segoviano, na | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 40001-40006 | ||
| Official language(s) | Spanish | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
| Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| State Party | Spain |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, iv |
| Reference | 311 |
| Region** | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1985 (9th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. It is situated north of Madrid, 35 minutes by train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.
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Etymology
Segovia is a Celtic name. Under Roman and Moorish rule, the city was called Segovia (Σεγουβία, Ptolemy ii. 6. § 56) and Šiqūbiyyah (Arabic شقوبية) respectively. This Celtic name probably means "fortress" or "castle".
Geography
Location
Segovia is located within the Iberian Peninsula, near Valladolid, the autonomous capital, and Madrid, the capital of Spain.
The province of Segovia is one of nine that make up the Autonomous Community of Castile and León. It is neighbored by Burgos and Valladolid to the north, Ávila to the west, Madrid and Guadalajara to the south and Soria to the east. The altitude of the province varies from 750 meters in the extreme northwest to a maximum of 2,430 meters at Peñalara peak.
The town is part of the main route of the Camino de Santiago de Madrid.
Climate
The climate is continental Mediterranean, cold and dry, resulting from the high altitude and the distance from the coast. The average annual temperature is 11.5 °C, with an absolute minimum in December of -14 °C and maximum in July of 37 °C. The annual precipitation is 520 millimeters per year, making 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.
History
Segovia was first recorded as a Celtic possession, with control eventually transferring into the hands of the Romans. The city is a possible site of the battle in 75 BCE where Metellus was victorius over the general of Sertorius, Hirtuleius. Hirtuleius died in the fighting[1]
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 began restocking with Christians from the north of the 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 nomadic trading routes made it an important center 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.
Like most Castilian textile centers, 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 year 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 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.
Demographics
The population growth experienced during the nineteenth century accelerated steadily beginning around 1920: 16,013 inhabitants that year, 33,360 in 1960, 53,237 in 1981. Since the 1980s growth has slowed markedly: 55,586 in 2004 and 56,047 in 2007.
Economy
The economy of Segovia revolves around metallurgy, agriculture, furniture, construction and, particularly, tourism. The town itself plays host to thousands of day-visitors from Madrid each year.
Education
The city of Segovia is home to a large number of primary schools and secondary schools, the oldest of which (IES Mariano Quintanilla, founded in 1845) having been officially declared "of cultural interest." Primary and secondary education in Segovia is mostly religious in nature.
Regarding higher education, Segovia's premier institution is IE University, devoted primarily to business school and boasting a successful MBA program. Also present is the Segovia campus of the University of Valladolid, offering entrance into careers in computer engineering, law, journalism, advertising and teaching.
Famous people
- Don Abraham Senior Coronel[1]
- Juan Bravo
- Pedro Delgado
- Nicomedes García
- Andrés Laguna
- Cándido Lopez (Mesonero Mayor de Castilla)
- Aniceto Marinas
- Manuel Pérez Brunicardi
- Cayetano Redondo Aceña
- Florentino Trapero
- Benjamín Yeo la Tercera
Twin Cities
Edinburgh, United Kingdom, since 1985.
Marysville, United States, since 2001.- Tucson, United States.
Tours, France, since 1972
Gallery
 View of the back façade of the Segovia Cathedral, the ancient City Walls (8th century), and the Guadarrama mountains. |
 Aerial view showing part of the city. |
 Alcazar of Segovia, was built between the 12th and 16th centuries. |
 The Segovia Cathedral (at night), created between 1522 and 1577. |
 San Millán Church, built between 1111 and 1124. |
 General view of the Monastery of El Parral, founded in 1447. |
 The Segovia Cathedral as seen from the air. |
 Old main synagogue |
 Santísima Trinidad Church (12th century). |
 San Martín Church |
 Interior courtyard of the San Martín Church. |
 La Casa de los Picos |
 La Vera Cruz Church, built in the year 1208. |
 Facade of the Compañía de Jesús Church, was built in 1577 by the italian architect Giuseppe Valeriano. |
 Cloister of Colegio del Seminario, built by Juan de Mugaguren. |
 San Esteban Church |
 Puerta de San Andrés. |
 San Justo Church. |
 San Clemente Church. |
 Former Real Prison |
 Torreón de los Lozoya |
 'Mesón de Cándido', an old restaurant of the city. |
 View of the Gardens of Alcázar. |
 Segovia circa 1840. Bibliographic Institute Hildburghausen. |
References
- ↑ From the Gracchi to Nero, H. H. Scullard, p 91 however Philip Spann disagreed - Quintus Sertorius and the Legacy of Sulla, p110
External links
Media related to Segovia at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Official tourism office of Segovia
- Segovia photo and video essay Part I and Part II
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