Hervás

Hervás
Ervás
Municipality

View of Hervás

Coat of arms
Hervás
Hervás

Location in Extremadura

Coordinates: 40°16′26″N 5°51′57″W / 40.27389°N 5.86583°W / 40.27389; -5.86583Coordinates: 40°16′26″N 5°51′57″W / 40.27389°N 5.86583°W / 40.27389; -5.86583
Country  Spain
Autonomous Community  Extremadura
Province Cáceres
Comarca Valle del Ambroz
Government
 • Mayor Sergio Pérez Martín (PSOE)
Area
 • Total 60 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation(AMSL) 688 m (2,257 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 4,190
 • Density 70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (GMT +2) (UTC+2)
Postal code 10700
Area code(s) +34 (Spain) + 927 (Cáceres)
Website www.hervas.es

Hervás (Spanish pronunciation: [erˈβas]; Extremaduran: Ervás) is a Spanish town in the north of the province of Cáceres. It had 3,839 inhabitants in 2005. It is 120 km from Cáceres and 90 km far from Salamanca. It is the capital of the Valle de Ambroz comarca in the Ambroz River valley. It has a soft continental climate.

History

In the 12th century, the Knights Templar built Santihervás hermitage under the patronage of the Christian martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. By this hermitage the town started to grow during 13th and 14th centuries.

From its foundation on it belonged to the lordship of Béjar in the Kingdom of Castile: it passed to Cáceres jurisdiction on the 30 November 1833.

La Judería

Lots of Jewish families started to settle from the 15th century on, they even maintained their rituals some years after 1492. The Jewish quarter (Judería) has been maintained and it is one of the tourist lures of the town.

Economy

The textile industry was very important from the 18th to 19th centuries. After that, the chestnut wood industry, handicrafts and tourism have been the pillar of Hervás' economy.

Remarkable buildings

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