Zaragoza 64203 224605008 2008-07-09T16:54:14Z 82.56.101.187 /* External links */ {{otheruses}} {{Refimprove|date=May 2008}} {{Spanish city | native_name = Zaragoza| spanish_name = Zaragoza | image_flag = Bandera de Zaragoza.svg| image_flag_size = 150px| image_coat_of_arms = Escudo de Zaragoza.svg| image_coat_of_arms_size = 110px| image_city_map = Zaragozamapa.PNG| image_city_map_size = 170px| image_city_map_caption = | lat_long = {{coor dm|41|39|N|0|54|W|type:city(650,000)_region:ES}}| time_zone = CET (GMT +1)| time_zone_summer = CEST (GMT +2)| image_skyline = 0849 pilar ebro 2004.png| image_skyline_size = 250px| founded = 24 BC| native_language = Spanish| community = Aragon| community_link = Aragon| province = Zaragoza| province_link = Zaragoza (province)| comarca = Zaragoza| comarca_link = Zaragoza (comarca)| divisions = 13| neighborhoods = | mayor = Juan Alberto Belloch| political_party = PSOE| political_party_link = Spanish Socialist Workers' Party| area = 1062,64| altitude = 199| population = 682,283| date-population = 2008| population-ranking = 5| density = 601.14| date-density = | website = http://www.zaragoza.es/| postal_code = 50001 - 50018| area_code = | }} '''Zaragoza''', also called '''Saragossa''' in [[English language|English]], is the capital city of the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community]] and former [[Kingdom of Aragon|Kingdom]] of [[Aragon]], [[Spain]]. It is situated on the river [[Ebro]] and its tributaries, the ''Huerva'' and ''Gállego'', near the centre of the region, in a valley with a variety of landscapes, ranging from desert (''Los Monegros'') to thick forest, meadows and mountains. The population of the city of Zaragoza in 2007 was 667,034,<ref>[http://cmisapp.zaragoza.es/ciudad/estadistica/pob_total.htm Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. Estadísticas<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ranking fifth in Spain. The population of the [[metropolitan area]] was estimated in [[2006]] at 783,763 inhabitants. The [[municipality]] is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragon population. The city lies at an altitude of 199 [[metre]]s above sea level, and constitutes a crossroads between [[Madrid]], [[Barcelona]], [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]], [[Bilbao]] and [[Toulouse]] (France) &mdash; all of which are located about 300 [[kilometre]]s (200 [[mile]]s) from Zaragoza Currently, Zaragoza hosts [[Expo 2008]], which is a [[World's Fair]] on water and sustainable development, until [[September 14]]. ==History== ===Early history=== The city used to have the name Salduba or Saldyva, a [[Punic]] name of a Carthaginian military post built on the remains of a [[Celtiberian]] village, when the Romans invaded the area it fell under [[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]] of ''Caesaraugusta'', founded under [[Augustus]] in [[Hispania Citerior]]. ===Arab Saraqusta=== In [[714]] The Arabs took control of the city, naming it Saraqusta (سرقسطة). It later became part of the [[Emirate of Cordoba]], It grew to become the biggest Arab city of Northern Spain. In 777 [[Charlemagne]] attempted to take the city but he was forced to withdraw when faced by the organized defense of the city and the [[Basque people|Basque]] attacks in the rear ([[Chanson de Roland]]). From [[1018]] to [[1118]] Zaragoza was one of the [[taifa]] kingdoms, independent Muslim states which emerged in the [[11th century]] following the destruction of the [[Caliph of Cordoba|Cordoban Caliphate]]. During the first three decades of this period, [[1018]]–[[1038]], the city was ruled by the [[Banu Tujib]]. In [[1038]] they were replaced by the [[Banu Hud]], who had to deal with a complicated alliance with [[El Cid]] of Valencia and his Castillian Masters against the [[Almoravids]] who managed to bring the Taifas Emirates under their control. After the death of El Cid his kingdom was overrun by [[Almoravids]] and by 1100 Almoravids had managed to cross the Ebro into [[Barbastro]], which brought Aragon into direct contact with Almoravids, The [[Banu Hud]] stubbornly resisted [[Almoravids]] and ruled until they were eventually defeated by the [[Almoravids]] in May [[1110]]. The last sultan of the Banu Hud, Abd-al-Malik ''Imad ad-Dawla'', the last king of Zaragoza, forced to abandon his capital, allied himself with the Christian Aragonese under [[Alfonso I of Aragon|Alfonso I el Batallador]] and from the time the Muslims of Zaragoza became military regulars within the Aragonese forces. ===Aragonese era=== [[Image:IsabellaofCastile05.jpg|200px|thumb|[[Ferdinand II of Aragon|King Ferdinand II]] of [[Aragon]] and [[Queen Isabella I]] of [[Castile]]: [[Catholic Monarchs]].]] In 1118 the Aragonese conquered the city from the Almoravids and made it the capital of the [[Kingdom of Aragon]]. At his death without heirs in 1137, Zaragoza was swiftly occupied by [[Alfonso VII of León|Alfonso VII of León-Castile]], who vacated it in 1137 only on condition it be held by Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona as a fief of Castile. Zaragoza was the scene of two controversial martyrdoms related with the [[Spanish Inquisition]]: those of [[Saint Dominguito del Val]], a choirboy in the basilica, and [[Pedro de Arbués]], head official of the inquisition. While the reality of the existence of Saint Dominguito del Val is question, his "murder" at the hands of "jealous Jews" was used as an excuse to murder or convert the Jewish population of Zaragoza. St. Vincent was concerned that the converts were not being properly educated as Christians, but such an explicit focus on the religiosity of the converts was as rare in his sermons as it was elsewhere during this period. Much more often, he stressed not the integration of the convert but the segregation of the Jew, and this in explicitly sexual terms. Of course, St. Vincent was very much concerned with sexual offenses of any kind, and he was convinced that sexual appetites were becoming increasingly deviant in his day. Nowadays, he complained, Christian men "want to taste everything: Muslims and Jews, animals, men with men; there is no limit." He was especially concerned about what he perceived to be an explosion of sex between Christians and Jews. In 1415, he told a Zaragozan audience that "many Christian men believe their wife's children to be their own, when they are actually by Muslim and Jewish [fathers]." If the citizens did not put a stop to such interfaith adultery, he warned, God would do so through plague. His sermon provoked a sexual panic. Christian patrols searched the streets, on the lookout for predatory Jews or Muslims in search of Christian women. One Muslim was seized, found with "iron tools for . . . forcing open doors in order to obtain Christian women for Muslim men". Another was arrested after witnesses claimed to have seen him fleeing a Christian woman's room by the flat rooftops one night. So many charges were brought that the responsible judicial official was accused of fomenting a riot against the Muslims and the Jews. According to St. Vincent, the problem was one of ambiguous identities. Jews and Muslims were living among Christians, dressing like Christians, even adopting Christian names, so that "by their appearance they are taken and reputed by many to be Christians." The solution he advocated was one of heightened marking and segregation. So powerful was his reasoning that it convinced the Pope, the kings of Castile and of Aragon, and innumerable town councils and municipal officers to attempt the most extensive efforts at segregation in the Middle Ages. It suffered two famous sieges during the [[Peninsular War]] against Napoleonic army: a [[Siege of Saragossa (1808)|first]] from June to August [[1808]]; and a [[Siege of Saragossa (1809)|second]] from December [[1808]] to February [[1809]] (see [[Agustina de Aragón]], [[Siege of Saragossa (1809)]]). ===Modern history=== [[Image:Parque Metropolitano del Agua (Zaragoza).jpg|thumb| Metropolitan Water Park, at the Expo.]] The Spanish Civil War is the event that had the deepest impact on local communities in the 20th century - by its end in 1939, towns were left poor, ruined and divided; estimates put the death toll between 500,000 and one million people. Zaragoza was bombed during this three-year war and was the site of important conflicts. Groups fought with varying agendas but the conflict was largely between Nationalists, or Francoists, and Republican Loyalists. Nationalist groups - the eventual victors - were led by General Franco, a fascist who went on to collaborate with fellow iron-fisted rulers Hitler and Mussolini. The Republican groups were a conglomeration of left-leaning factions, ranging from anarchists to liberal capitalists. Aragón, with a militant trade-union membership throughout the region (in the prelude to the Civil War, Zaragoza workers had been on general strikes), should have been a natural stronghold of the Republicans. Poor organisation, however, meant the region's Republicans failed to capitalise on this and, but for a few pockets of ongoing rural resistance, eventually fell to the dominant Francoist groups. Franco knew the region, having set up Spain's primary military academy in Zaragoza in 1928, prior to the Civil War (it is still in use today). The region is famous, however, as an important area in plans for the Durruti Column, perhaps the largest militia of anarchists in the war: 2000 militiamen marched toward Zaragoza from Barcelona, setting up communities outside the city because armament shortages made them unable to battle controlling Nationalists there. In Zaragoza, the remains of Italian soldiers killed in the civil war are located at the San Antonio de Padua church. As Franco exercised his victory by executing many of his Republican enemies (up to 20,000 were killed), the first stirrings of WWII were underway. Officially neutral in the war, Spain's physical environment largely escaped unscathed - although many Spanish citizens volunteered to fight with Axis or Allied powers. Despite a decline in the outlying rural economy, Zaragoza has continued to grow. During the second half of the 20th century, its population boomed as a number of factories opened in the region. ==Demographics== Population growth, in thousands, can be seen here: <timeline> ImageSize = width:650 height:300 PlotArea = width:450 height:230 left:180 bottom:35 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:700 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:0 BarData= bar:1900 text:"1900" bar:1910 text:"1910" bar:1920 text:"1920" bar:1930 text:"1930" bar:1940 text:"1940" bar:1950 text:"1950" bar:1960 text:"1960" bar:1970 text:"1971" bar:1981 text:"1981" bar:1991 text:"1991" bar:1994 text:"1994" bar:1996 text:"1996" bar:2001 text:"2001" bar:2004 text:"2004" bar:2005 text:"2005" bar:2006 text:"2006" bar:2008 text:"2008" PlotData= width:17 bar:1900 color:brightblue from:0 till:99 bar:1910 color:brightblue from:0 till:112 bar:1920 color:brightblue from:0 till:141 bar:1930 color:brightblue from:0 till:174 bar:1940 color:brightblue from:0 till:239 bar:1950 color:brightblue from:0 till:264 bar:1960 color:brightblue from:0 till:326 bar:1970 color:brightblue from:0 till:480 bar:1981 color:brightblue from:0 till:591 bar:1991 color:brightblue from:0 till:594 bar:1994 color:brightblue from:0 till:607 bar:1996 color:brightblue from:0 till:602 bar:2001 color:brightblue from:0 till:611 bar:2004 color:brightblue from:0 till:639 bar:2005 color:brightblue from:0 till:647 bar:2006 color:brightblue from:0 till:661 bar:2008 color:brightblue from:0 till:682 </timeline> <center> {{Demography 7col|530px|[[1991]]|[[1996]]|[[2001]]|[[2004]]|[[2005]]|[[2006]]|[[2008]] |594 394|601 674|610 976|638 799|647 373|660 895|682 283}} </center> *Historical Series of population: [http://www.ine.es/inebase/cgi/um?M=%2Ft20%2Fe245%2Fp05&O=inebase&N=&L=1 National Statistics Institute of Spain (INE)] *Dates 2006 [http://cmisapp.zaragoza.es/ciudad/estadistica/pob_total.htm City council of Zaragoza.] ==Climate== [[Image:Clima Zaragoza (España).PNG|thumb|300px|right|Zaragoza climate chart (Airport)]] Zaragoza has a mediterranean continental desert climate as it is surrounded by mountains. The average rainfall is a scanty 310 mm with abundant sunny days, and the rainfalls centers in spring. There is drought in summer. The temperatures are high in summer reaching up to 40[[°C]] (102[[Degree Fahrenheit|°F]]). In Winter the temperatures are low (usually 0 to 10 °C) either because of the fog (about 20 days from November to January) or a cold and dry wind blowing from the NW, the ''[[Cierzo]]'' (related to other northerly winds such as the Mistral in the SE of France) in the clear days. == Economy == [[Image:Z 2008.PNG|thumb|right|110px|Expo Logo]]In addition to the advantageous geographic situation, a [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] [[Opel]] factory was opened in 1982 in [[Figueruelas]], a small village nearby. The progressive decline of the agrarian economy turned Opel into one of the main pillars of the regional economy, along with: [http://www.balay.es Balay], which manufactures household appliances; [http://www.caf.net CAF] (''Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A.'') which builds railway engines for both the national and international markets; [http://www.saica.es SAICA] and Torraspapel in the stationery sector; and various more local companies, such as [[Pikolin]] and [[Lacasa]], that are gradually making their ways into the international market. [[As of 2006]], the city's economy is benefitting from projects like [[Expo 2008]] (the next official [[World's Fair]], with the theme of ''water and sustainable development'', to be held between [[June 14]] and [[September 13]], [[2008]]), [http://www.zaragozaexpo2008.com], [http://www.plazadosmil.com ''Plataforma Logística de Zaragoza'' (PLAZA)], [http://www.ptr.es ''Parque Tecnológico de Reciclado'' (PTR)], as well as being on the route of the [[AVE]] high-speed rail route since December [[2003]], which consolidates the city role as a communications hub. Zaragoza is home to a [[Spanish Air Force]] base, which was (until 1994) shared with the [[U.S. Air Force]]. <ref name="global">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/zaragoza.htm Zaragoza Air Base<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In English, the base was known as [[Zaragoza Air Base]]. The Spanish Air Force maintained an [[F/A-18 Hornet]] wing at the base. No American flying wings (with the exception of a few KC-135's) were permanently based here, but it served as a training base for American fighter squadrons across Europe. It is the main headquarters for the Spanish Land Army, hosting the ''[[General Military Academy of Zaragoza|Academia General Militar]]'', a number of brigades at ''San Gregorio'', and other garrisons. == Culture == [[Image:Zaragoza by Velazquez.jpg|thumb|right|280px|''View of Zaragoza'' by [[Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo]].]]Zaragoza is linked by legend to the beginnings of Christianity in Spain. According to legend, the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]] appeared miraculously to [[Saint James the Great]] in the [[1st century]], standing on a pillar. This legend is commemorated by a famous Catholic [[basilica]] called ''[[Nuestra Señora del Pilar Basilica|Nuestra Señora del Pilar]]'' ("Our Lady of the Pillar"). The event, called "Las Fiestas del Pilar", is celebrated on [[October 12]], which is a major festival day in Zaragoza. Since it coincided in [[1492]] with the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, that day is also celebrated as ''[[Hispanic Day|El Día de la Hispanidad]]'' ([[Columbus Day]], literally ''Hispanic Day'') by Spanish-speaking people worldwide. "El Pilar" lasts for nine days, with all kinds of acts: from the massively attended Pregon (opening speech) to the final fireworks display over the Ebro, there are bands, dances, procession of gigantes y cabezudos (carnival figures made of papier mache), concerts, exhibitions, the famous "vaquillas" bulls and the bull festival. Some of the most important features are the Ofrenda de Flores (Flower offering) to the virgin on the 12th, when an enormous cloak is made of the flowers == Education == The [[University of Zaragoza]] is headquartered in the city. As one of the oldest universities of Spain and a major [[research and development]] center, this [[public university]] awards all the highest academic degrees in dozens of fields. == Transportation == The city is connected by [[motorway]] with [[Madrid]], [[Barcelona]], [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]], [[Bilbao]] and [[Toulouse]] &mdash; all of which are located about 300 [[kilometre]]s (200 [[mile]]s) from Zaragoza. The [[Zaragoza Airport]] is a small commercial airport. It also is the home of the [[Spanish Air Force]] 15th Group, as well as being utilized by [[NASA]] as a contingency landing site for the [[Space Shuttle]] in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL). [[Image:EstacionZaragozaDelicias.png|thumb|600px|center|Zaragoza Delicias Station]] [[Zaragoza]] is also connected to the Spanish High Speed railway ([[RENFE|Renfe's]] [[AVE]]), by the Madrid-Barcelona line. Madrid is reachable in 1 hour 15 minutes, and Barcelona in approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. The central station is "Intermodal Zaragoza Delicias Station" where they operate railway lines and buses. In addition to long distance railway lines or high speed railway, Zaragoza has a network of [[cercanías]]. The city has a network of buses which is controlled by TUZSA. (Urban Transport Company of Zaragoza). TUZSA The network consists of 28 regular lines, 4 line-up, 4 launchers, special line 1, 8 special lines on the occasion of Expo 2008 and 7 lines at night. == Sport == Zaragoza's football team, [[Real Zaragoza]], plays in the Segunda División.. One of the most remarkable events in the team's recent history is the winning of the former [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]] in [[1995]]. The team has also won the Spanish National Cup "[[Copa del Rey]]" six times: [[1965]], [[1966]], [[1986]], [[1994]], [[2001]] and [[2004]] and a [[Fairs Cup]] ([[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1963-64|1964]]). Zaragoza's handball team, [[CAI BM Aragón]], plays in the [[Liga ASOBAL]]. Their local basketball team, [[CAI ZARAGOZA]], is now on the [[Liga Española de Baloncesto|LEB league]] where they finished 1st in the 2007-08 season. They play at the Príncipe Felipe with a capacity of 11,000 and their head coach is Segura Curro. Zaragoza was strongly associated with [[Jaca]] in its failed bid for the [[2014 Winter Olympics]]. == Places of interest == [[Image:Expo 2008 Zaragoza.jpg|thumb|250px|View of the Expo]] Near the [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar|basilica]] on the banks of the Ebro are located the city hall, the Lonja (old [[currency exchange]]), La Seo (literally in Aragonese language, "the cathedral") or [[Cathedral of San Salvador]], a magnificent church built over the main mosque (partially preserved in the 11th century north wall of the Parroquieta), with romanesque apses from 12th century; inside, the imponent hallenkirche from 15-16th centuries, the baroque tower, and finally, with its famous Museum of Trapestries near the Roman ruins of forum and port [[city wall]]. Near this area is a [[tapas]] zone called ''El Tubo'' and a [[nightclub]] district called ''El Casco Viejo''. Other nightclub districts are ''La Zona'', ''El Rollo'' and "el ambiente" (the scene) for gay people. [[Image:100 0284.JPG|thumbnail|right|200px|Outside View of the Aljafería]] Some distance from the centre of the old city is an expansive [[Al-Andalus|Moorish]] castle or palace called the [[La Aljafería Palace|Aljafería]], the most important Moorish buildings in Northern Spain and the setting for [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s opera [[Il Trovatore]] (The Troubadour). The Aragonese parliament currently sits in the building. The churches of San Pablo, Santa María Magdalena and San Gil are built in 14th century, but towers can be old minarets of 11th century; San Miguel of 14th century; Santiago (San Ildefonso) and Fecetas monastery are baroque with mudejar ceilings of 17th century. All churches are Mudéjar monuments of that comprise the [[World Heritage Site]] Other important sights are the stately houses and magnificent palaces in the city, mainly of 16th century: palaces of condes de Morata or Luna (Audiencia), Deán, Torrero (colegio de Arquitectos), Don Lope or Real Maestranza, condes de Sástago, condes de Argillo (today Pablo Gargallo museum), archbishop, etc. The most important Zaragoza museums are the Museum of Fine Arts, with paintings of early Aragonese artists, 15th century, and of El Greco, Ribera and Goya, and the Camon Aznar Museum, with paintings ranging from Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Velazquez and Goya to Renoir, Manet and Sorolla. Since [[June 14]], 2008, the site of [[Expo 2008]] opened its doors to the public. The exhibition will run until [[September 14]] this year. ==Sister cities== [[Image:Plaza de las catedrales, Lonja y Seo.jpg|right|250px|thumb|View of [[La Seo]] and La Lonja.]] The following cities are twinned with Zaragoza:<ref>[http://cmisapp.zaragoza.es/ciudad/zaragozainternacional/hermanamientos.htm Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. Hermanamientos y Protocolos de Colaboración<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> * [[Pau, France|Pau]] {{FRA}} * [[Biarritz]] {{FRA}} * [[Móstoles]] {{ESP}} * [[Bethlehem]] {{flagicon|Palestine}} [[West Bank]] * [[León, Nicaragua|León]] {{NIC}} * [[La Plata]] {{ARG}} * [[Zaragoza, Guatemala|Zaragoza]] {{GUA}} * [[Tijuana]] {{MEX}} * [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]] {{PRI}} * [[Coimbra]] {{POR}} * [[Zamboanga City]] {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Philippines]] * [[Kyoto]] {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Japan]] ==See also== * [[Archdiocese of Zaragoza]] * [[Zaragoza Airport]] * [[Expo 2008]] ==Monuments== [[Image:Puerta del Carmen.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Carmen Gate]] * [[La Seo Cathedral]] * [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar]] * [[Nuestra Señora del Pilar|Madonna del Pilar]] * [[Aljaferia]] ==References== <!--This article uses the Cite.php citation mechanism. If you would like more information on how to add references to this article, please see http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php --> <div class="references-small"> <references /> </div> ==External links== {{Commons|Zaragoza, Spain}} * {{wikitravel}} *[http://www.zaragoza.es/ Council of Zaragoza] *[http://www.aragonguide.com/cats.asp?cID=67 Zaragoza Monuments, Galleries, Walks and Attractions] *[http://www.bardenas-reales.net Bardenas Reales desert (Aragon/Navarra)] *[http://www.zaragoza-booking.com/ Zaragoza Hotels)] {{Geolinks-cityscale|41.657|-0.876}} [[Category:Zaragoza]] [[Category:Zaragoza province]] [[Category:Municipalities in Zaragoza]] [[Category:Roman sites in Spain]] [[ar:سرقسطة]] [[an:Zaragoza]] [[ast:Zaragoza]] [[be-x-old:Сарагоса]] [[bg:Сарагоса]] [[ca:Saragossa]] [[cs:Zaragoza]] [[cy:Zaragoza]] [[da:Zaragoza]] [[de:Saragossa]] [[et:Zaragoza]] [[el:Σαραγόσα]] [[es:Zaragoza]] [[eo:Zaragozo]] [[eu:Zaragoza]] [[fa:ساراگوسا]] [[fr:Saragosse]] [[fy:Saragossa (stêd)]] [[ga:Zaragoza]] [[gl:Zaragoza]] [[hr:Zaragoza]] [[id:Zaragoza]] [[is:Zaragoza]] [[it:Saragozza]] [[he:סרגוסה]] [[ka:სარაგოსა]] [[lad:Saragosa]] [[la:Caesaraugusta]] [[lv:Saragosa]] [[lb:Saragossa]] [[lt:Saragosa]] [[hu:Zaragoza]] [[nah:Zaragoza]] [[nl:Zaragoza (stad)]] [[ja:サラゴサ]] [[no:Zaragoza]] [[nn:Zaragoza]] [[oc:Saragossa]] [[pms:Saragòssa]] [[pl:Saragossa]] [[pt:Saragoça]] [[ro:Zaragoza]] [[ru:Сарагоса]] [[simple:Zaragoza]] [[sk:Zaragoza]] [[sr:Сарагоса]] [[fi:Zaragoza]] [[sv:Zaragoza]] [[tet:Saragosa]] [[th:ซาราโกซา]] [[vi:Zaragoza]] [[tr:Zaragoza]] [[uk:Сарагоса]] [[vec:Saragozsa]] [[vo:Zaragoza]] [[cbk-zam:Zaragoza]] [[zh:萨拉戈萨]]