Cuenca, Spain: Difference between revisions
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The twentieth century began with the collapse of the Giraldo cathedral's tower in 1902, which affected also the facade. It had to be rebuilt by Vicente Lámperez, with two new twin towers at both ends of the facade which have remained unfinished without the upper part of them. |
The twentieth century began with the collapse of the Giraldo cathedral's tower in 1902, which affected also the facade. It had to be rebuilt by Vicente Lámperez, with two new twin towers at both ends of the facade which have remained unfinished without the upper part of them. |
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The first decades of the twentieth century were as turbulent as in other [[Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain|regions of Spain]]. There was poverty in rural areas, and [[Roman Catholic Church|the Catholic Church]] was attacked, with monks, nuns, priests and a bishop of Cuenca, [[Cruz Laplana y Laguna]], being murdered. During the [[Spanish Civil War]] Cuenca was part of the [[Second Spanish Republic|republican]] zone (''Zona roja'' or: "the red zone"). It was |
The first decades of the twentieth century were as turbulent as in other [[Nationalisms and regionalisms of Spain|regions of Spain]]. There was poverty in rural areas, and [[Roman Catholic Church|the Catholic Church]] was attacked, with monks, nuns, priests and a bishop of Cuenca, [[Cruz Laplana y Laguna]], being murdered. During the [[Spanish Civil War]] Cuenca was part of the [[Second Spanish Republic|republican]] zone (''Zona roja'' or: "the red zone"). It was liberated in 1938 by [[Franco|General Franco's]] troops. During the post-war period this area fell into [[extreme poverty]], and a lot of people had to migrate to more prosperous regions, mainly the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]] and [[Catalonia]], but also to other countries such as [[Germany]]. The city started to recover slowly from 1960 to 1970, and the town limits went far beyond the gorge to the flat surroundings. |
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During the last years, the city has experimented a moderate growth in population and economy, the second one effect thanks specially to the growing tourism sector, and both of them fuelled by dramatic improvements in road and train communications. Cuenca has strongly bet on culture and as a result of this it was declared a [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/781 World Heritage] site in 1996. In the recent years, new cultural infraestructures such as the municipal Concert Hall or the Science Museum place Cuenca in a good position to apply for the title of [http://www.cuenca2016.es/sp/_index.asp European Capital of Culture in 2016]. |
During the last years, the city has experimented a moderate growth in population and economy, the second one effect thanks specially to the growing tourism sector, and both of them fuelled by dramatic improvements in road and train communications. Cuenca has strongly bet on culture and as a result of this it was declared a [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/781 World Heritage] site in 1996. In the recent years, new cultural infraestructures such as the municipal Concert Hall or the Science Museum place Cuenca in a good position to apply for the title of [http://www.cuenca2016.es/sp/_index.asp European Capital of Culture in 2016]. |
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Revision as of 09:35, 29 June 2009
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Criteria | Cultural: ii, v |
| Reference | 781 |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
Cuenca is a city (2009 pop. 54,600) in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. It is the capital of the province of Cuenca (see map), one of the largest provinces in Spain (17,061 km2.), almost as large as countries like Slovenia or Montenegro.
History
When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria. However, the place where Cuenca is located today was uninhabited at that time.
When the Muslim Arabs captured the area in 714, they soon realized the value of this strategic location and they built Conca alcazaba (an Arabic fortress) between two gorges dug between the Júcar and Huécar rivers, surrounded by a one km long wall. Cuenca soon became an agricultural and textile manufacturing city, enjoying growing prosperity.
Around the twelfth century the Christians, living in northern Spain during the Muslim presence, started to slowly recover the Iberian peninsula. Castile took over western and central areas of Spain, while Aragon enlarged along the Mediterranean area. The Muslim Kingdom, Al-Andalus, started to break into small provinces (Reinos de taifas) under Christian pressure, and in 1100 these areas were near Conca. Conca had been handed to Castile, under the marriage agreement between princess Zaida and Alfonso VI, but it was soon recovered by the Muslims in 1108, after the battle of Sagrajas.
The city of Cuenca was reconquered from the Moors by Alfonso VIII of Castile on September 21, 1177. Alfonso VIII granted a city title, and it was considered to be "Muy noble y muy leal" (Very noble and very faithful). It was given a set of laws, the Fuero, written in Latin, that ruled Cuenca's citizenship, and it was considered one of the most perfectly written at that period of time. The diocese of Cuenca was established in 1183; its second bishop was St. Julian of Cuenca, who became patron saint of the city.
During the next few centuries Cuenca enjoyed prosperity, thanks to textile manufacturing and livestock exploitation.The cathedral started to be built at that time, in an Anglo-Norman style, with many French workers, since Alfonso VIII's wife, Leonor de Plantagenet, was French.
During the eighteenth century the textile industry declined, especially when Carlos IV forbade this activity in Cuenca in order to prevent competition with the Real Fábrica de Tapices (Royal Tapestry Factory), and Cuenca's economy declined, thus losing population dramatically (5,000 inhabitants). During the independence war against Napoleon's troops the city suffered great destruction, and it made the crisis worse. The city lost population, with only around 6,000 inhabitants, and only the arrival of railroads in the nineteenth century, together with the timber industry, were able to boost Cuenca moderately, and population increased as a result to reach 10,000 inhabitants. In 1874, during the Third Carlist War, Cuenca was taken over by carlist troops, supporters of Carlos María Isidro as king instead of the ruling Isabel II, and the city suffered great damage once more.
The twentieth century began with the collapse of the Giraldo cathedral's tower in 1902, which affected also the facade. It had to be rebuilt by Vicente Lámperez, with two new twin towers at both ends of the facade which have remained unfinished without the upper part of them.
The first decades of the twentieth century were as turbulent as in other regions of Spain. There was poverty in rural areas, and the Catholic Church was attacked, with monks, nuns, priests and a bishop of Cuenca, Cruz Laplana y Laguna, being murdered. During the Spanish Civil War Cuenca was part of the republican zone (Zona roja or: "the red zone"). It was liberated in 1938 by General Franco's troops. During the post-war period this area fell into extreme poverty, and a lot of people had to migrate to more prosperous regions, mainly the Basque Country and Catalonia, but also to other countries such as Germany. The city started to recover slowly from 1960 to 1970, and the town limits went far beyond the gorge to the flat surroundings.
During the last years, the city has experimented a moderate growth in population and economy, the second one effect thanks specially to the growing tourism sector, and both of them fuelled by dramatic improvements in road and train communications. Cuenca has strongly bet on culture and as a result of this it was declared a World Heritage site in 1996. In the recent years, new cultural infraestructures such as the municipal Concert Hall or the Science Museum place Cuenca in a good position to apply for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016.
Main monuments
Our Lady of Grace cathedral - La catedral
It was built from 1182 to 1270. The façade was rebuilt after it crumbled down in 1902. It is the first gothic style Cathedral in Spain (together with Avila's one), because of the influence of Alfonso VIII wife, Leonor Plantagenet, from Aquitaine, who introduced the Anglo-Norman style.
From that date the cathedral has undergone some changes. An apse-aisle (doble girola) was added in the 15th century, while the Renaissance Esteban Jamete's Arch was erected in the 16th century. The main altar was redesigned during the 18th century by famous architect Ventura Rodríguez: it features a precious iron-work gate. The façade was rebuilt in 1902 from ruins due to the collapse of the former bell tower, the Giraldo. In the early 1990s modern coloured windows were installed, and in 2006 one of the two old baroque organs from Julián de la Orden was recovered. The other organ has also been restored, and on 4 April 2009 an inauguration ceremony was held.
The naves do not follow exactly a straight line. The San Julián altar, dedicated to Saint Julian of Cuenca, at the apse-aisle, consists of columns made of green marble.
Another curiosity are the "Unum ex septem" signs at some chapels. It is said that if one prays looking at these signs one would obtain a five-year forgiveness for one's sins, and seven years if one prays during the patron saint's day.
Saint Peter church - Iglesia de San Pedro
With Romanesque origins, the church was rebuilt by Jose Martin de la Aldehuela during the 18th century and displays since that time a Baroque façade. It shows an octagonal shape outdoors but it is circular inside, and it is located at Plaza del Trabuco.
This church can be reached by going up along San Pedro Street from Plaza Mayor.
Saint Michael church - Iglesia de San Miguel
It was erected during the XIII century, with only one nave and an apse. In the XV century a second nave at the north side was added. The dome was built by Esteban Jamete in the XVI century and finally the wooded ceiling of the two naves was changed by stone-made vaults during the 18th century.
Saint Michael was restored in the XX century, and its management was transferred to Cuenca's municipality from Cuenca's Diocese, so that this church could be used to hold classical music concerts. In fact, Saint Michael is home of the Religious Music Week - Semana de Musica Religiosa together with other places within the city and its province.
It is located at San Miguel street, next to Plaza Mayor. Saint Michael is accessed through a descending narrow passage which starts at Plaza Mayor left lateral (looking from the Town Hall).
San Felipe Neri Church
Our Lady of Light church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Luz)
The Savior church - Iglesia del Salvador
Built in neogothic style during the 18th century, with only one nave and a high tower. It shows a modest baroque facade and some remarkable baroque altars indoors. The door is however quiet modern, added in the late 1990s.
The famous religious procession "Las Turbas", held on Good Friday morning, starts at this location, since the image of "Jesús el Nazareno", which is at the forefront of the procession, is kept within "El Salvador".
- Las Petras convent
Saint Paul bridge - Puente de San Pablo
It was built from 1533 to 1589, a construction driven by the canon Juan del Pozo, over the river Huecar's Gorge, aiming at connecting the old town with St Paul convent.
The original bridge collapsed, and the current one was built in 1902, made of wood and steel according to the style dominating at the beginning of the 20th century. It is up to 60 metres high, and supported upon the remains of the old bridge.
Seminary - Seminario
The seminary, a rectangular building stretching from Plaza de la Merced to Mangana Square, was established under the ruling of the bishop José Flores Osorio and built by Vicente Sevilla, around 1745. The magnificent baroque façade at Plaza de la Merced was however set up in 1748
It holds a library with numerous ancient books, some of them “incunables” (previous to 1501). There is also a Rococo meeting room inside and a Gothic altarpiece at the chapel, but visits are not allowed.
In 2004 some books from this library were stolen, but the suspect of the robbery was caught and the books recovered before entering on a auction process.
Now an average of 10 - 15 future priests are trained there, according to Spanish Episcopal Conference link statistics
Parador Nacional de Turismo, The old Saint Paul convent
St Paul convent was built in the XVI century by command of the canon priest Juan del Pozo, a monk belonging to the Dominican Order. Brothers Juan and Pedro de Alviz were in charge of the building project; Pedro worked on the convent and the cloister and Juan on the church.
The church was finished in the 18th century, in rococo style.
The convent was ruled by Dominican monks, but during the 19th century was handed over to the Pauline Fathers, who were based here until 1975, when they left due to the possible collapse of the building. In the 1990s the convent was restored to house the Parador Nacional de Turismo de Cuenca, a hotel.
The cloister has an ornamental source of water, and the cafeteria is the old chapel.
From the convent the old town can be reached easily by crossing St Paul bridge.
Bishop's Palace
The bishop's palace features, on three of its museums, the Diocese's Museum, which has a remarkable collection of religious art. It can be easily accessed from the Cathedral.
The rooms where the collection is shown were remodeled by architect Fernando Barja Noguerol, and Gustavo Torner selected the art pieces from an inventory made by some priests of the Diocese in 1977. Some of the diocese's artistic patrimony was lost during the Spanish War of Independence, the confiscation of ecclesiastical property by Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, and the Spanish Civil War.
Masterpieces like The Byzantine Diptych (book-like silver work whose origin is dated around 1370, containing saints' relics), paintings by El Greco, and handcrafted carpets from Cuenca's school, can be seen at the museum.
El Castillo
El Castillo is the name for the remains of an ancient Arab fortress, representing the older structures of Cuenca. Only a tower, two stone blocks, the arch which allows to enter/leave the old town from the Barrio del Castillo and a fragment of the walls have been left. The arch (arco de Bezudo) is named after Gutierre Rodriguez Bezudo, from Segovia, who fought the Arabs with king Alfonso VIII to conquer Cuenca.
The castle was home of the Holy Inquisition after 1583, and it was finally destroyed during the 19th century by French soldiers during the Spanish War of Independence.
Nearby are the small chapel and cemetery of San Isidro.
Mangana Tower
A very popular civil building in Cuenca, whose origins remain unclear.
In 1565 it was painted by Antoon van den Wijngaerde, which indicates that at that time Mangana had already been built up, and after the attacks by French soldiers during the Spanish War of Independence war - at the beginning of the 19th century - and having been hit previously by a thunderbolt in the 18th century, it became badly destroyed. Mangana Tower was rebuilt by Fernando Alcántara in Neomudejar style - inspired on Arab decorative motifs - in 1926. Finally Victor Caballero gave Mangana its current look in a fortress-like style in 1968.
It has a clock on one of its walls and a recording of bell chimes can be heard in the old town at certain times (every quarter of an hour).
There are views from the near viewpoints over the river Jucar's gorge and the modern neighborhoods. Mangana can be reached on foot from Plaza Mayor.
Town Hall - Ayuntamiento
Remarkable building in baroque style built up during the ruling period of king Carlos III and supported over three roman archs. It was finished in 1762, as it can be read on the façade.
The central arch is the only one giving access to vehicles to Plaza Mayor.
Hanging Houses - Las casas colgadas
Built over a rock above the Huecar's river Gorge in the XV century, they are the only remaining sample of this type of buildings which were frequent in this city long time ago.
Las Casas Colgadas can be considered the most famous civil building in Cuenca. They house a restaurant and the Museum of Abstract Arts and they serve as the background of millions of photos made from the st Paul bridge.
Monument devoted to the Holy Heart of Jesus
On top of the Cerro del Socorro you can find the monument devoted to the Holy Heart of Jesus, whose materials were transported on donkeys in the mid-20th century. This place is a magnificent viewpoint over the city. It can be accessed by taking the road to Palomera / Buenache de la Sierra (Huecar river's Gorge) and turn right after 5 km, approx.
Home of the Cuenca's Province council - Diputación provincial de Cuenca
A simple but elegant building with 2 floors built at the beginning of the XX century according to a project conceived by provincial architect Rafael Alfaro.
The Cuenca shield at the façade is made of Carrara marble.
The gardens, with flowers and hedges over a grass meadow, are laboured with great care
Museums
- Archeological Museum - Museo Arqueológico
- Diocese's Museum - Museo Diocesano
- Museum of Abstract Art - Museo de Arte Abstracto
- Museum of Science - Museo de Ciencia de Castilla La Mancha
Parks
- Los Moralejos
- Santa Ana
- San Fernando
- San Julián
Festivities
- Jueves Lardero
- St. Julian's Day (Julian of Cuenca) -January 28
- Saint Matthew's Day
Quote
"Most Spanish towns faced with Cuenca's need to expand in the 18th century would have spread out along the surrounding countryside. But Cuenca, perched on the top of a hill, turned not to the earth but to the sky. Its improbable solution stands all along that part of the town that clings to the side of the hill and that faces the River Huécar: its hanging houses. The flat-fronted dwellings in the Barrio de San Martìn, so starkly simple a child could draw them, rise seven or eight teetering stories above a ravine and the River Huécar to the east. It is as if the town were trying to outgrow itself, reaching ever higher in an effort to compensate for the ravine below."
- — Isabel Sota, from "Hanging Houses of Cuenca", in the October 21, 1990 edition of The New York Times
Name origin
Its name may derive from the Latin conca meaning "river basin", referring to the gorge of the rivers Júcar and Huécar. It may also be derived from the now-ruined Arab castle, Kunka. Other alternative original names have been suggested, including "Anitorgis", "Sucro" or "Concava". The city of Cuenca is also known as the "Eagle's Nest" because of its precarious position on the edge of a gorge.
Transports
The city is a popular day or weekend trip from Madrid. to which it is conveniently connected by rail (RENFE) and by Bus (Auto Res 2 hour or 2:30 hour trip duration). It is very easy to reach Cuenca from Madrid (166 km), taking the A-3 (Madrid - Valencia) and leaving at Tarancón (km 79) junction to take the N-400 / A-40 to Cuenca. Within two or three years a new high-speed rail link is foreseen to be set up between Cuenca and Madrid, making the trip last only 45 minutes. AVE
Please find below a map containing instructions on how to get to Cuenca by car.
File:Way of reaching Cuenca.jpg
International relations
Twin towns - Sister cities
Cuenca is twinned with:
Gastronomy
When going to Cuenca you should try some of these plates:
- Ajo arriero, made of cod, potato and garlic, can be extended on bread
- Cordero, some pieces of lamb simply roasted or in caldereta
- Morteruelo, a kind of pâté made of different kinds of meat, mainly hare, partridge, hen and pork.
- Pisto manchego, a mixture of vegetables (tomato, pepper, courgette/zuchinni) cut up and fried together, similar to the "ratatouille" from France.
- Setas, during the autumn a great variety of mushrooms can be collected in the forests near Cuenca. The most frequent is the so called "Níscalo", but other species, such as the delicious boletus, can be also found.
- Trucha, trouts from the mountain rivers just grilled
- Oreja, Forro, Panceta ... different parts of porks usually grilled
For desserts, please try the Alajú, an Arab cake made of honey, almonds, nuts and grated orange rind. To have a typical alcoholic drink, please order Resoli, served in a glass with ices or directly drinking it from a "porrón" after a meal
Holy week
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Neo-Gothic façade of the Cuenca Cathedral -
Looking through an arch in old Cuenca -
Casas Colgadas (Hanging Houses) -
Júcar River flowing through Cuenca
Climate
The climate of Cuenca is the typical continental mediterranean of Spain's "Meseta" (inner plateau). Winters are relatively cold, but summers are quite hot. Spring and Autumn seasons are short, with pleasant temperatures during the day but with rather cold nights due to its altitude: 956m above sea level, up to 1000m in the old town.
| Average / Month | Average | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High temperature Celsius | 18.8 | 9.4 | 11.1 | 14.2 | 15.7 | 20.1 | 25.9 | 30.7 | 30.3 | 25.5 | 16.6 | 13.1 | 10 |
| Low temperature Celsius | 6.3 | -0.7 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 7.6 | 11.7 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 11.3 | 6.8 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| Precipitation millimetres | year: 507 | 45 | 41 | 32 | 56 | 60 | 44 | 15 | 17 | 47 | 53 | 49 | 58 |
| Source: AEMET | |||||||||||||
External links
40°04′N 2°09′W / 40.067°N 2.150°W
