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Updated October 22, 2003 About
Segovia
| Segovia
is a UNESCO World Heritage City and host to ECSCD-8 | |
| Segovia,
capital of Segovia provincia, in the comunidad autónoma ("autonomous community")
of Castile-León, Spain, northwest of Madrid. An Iberian settlement from about
700 BC, it was taken in about 80 BC by the Romans. It was occupied at the beginning
of the 8th century by the Moors, from whom Alfonso VI recaptured it in 1079. Thereafter
the city enjoyed prosperity and a position of some importance in medieval Castile,
serving as a royal residence during the reign of Alfonso X the Wise (c. 1284)
and as the site of the Spanish mint from 1586 until 1730. It is the city in which
Isabella was proclaimed queen in 1474. An outbreak of plague at the end of the
16th century ushered in a long period of decline, but the city's fortunes revived
with the railway-building era of the 19th century. | | There
are two well-differentiated areas in Segovia: an upper town encircled by ancient
walls situated on the narrow limestone ridge between the two rivers, and a lower
part outside the walls. The centre of the old town is the Plaza Mayor, site of
the 16th century Gothic cathedral, from which streets lead into the outer suburbs.
Crossing the Plaza del Azoguejo, the focal point of traffic, is the Roman aqueduct
known as El Puente, one the the finest and best-preserved examples of its kind. |
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| | Notable
churches include those of San Esteban (with a superb tower), San Martín, La Trinidad,
San Lorenzo, and San Millán, all Romanesque and from the 12th century; and Vera
Cruz (13th century), the former church of the Knights Templars. The Romanesque
Church of San Justo is notable for its valuable 12th century paintings. The Alcázar,
mentioned as early as the 12th century, was the fortified palace of the kings
of Castile; the original building was mostly destroyed by fire in 1862 but has
since been extensively restored. Segovia also has an artillery academy in the
former Convent of San Francisco and has several museums. | | In
the late Middle Ages Segovia was the centre of a flourishing textile industry,
which declined; agriculture took its place. The city now has many factories. Pop.
(1986 est.) 53,526 | | For more information
about Segovia, see the excellent Segovia pages of the Organisation
of World Heritage Cities or click for Wine,
Castles & Roasts! | | More
can be found on on Spanish
food & wine at the Tasca Food & Wine Resource Centre |
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