Segovia 2

Subtle Illumination: Aqua-Colored Lights Glowing in a Bell Tower at Night

Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia province in the autonomous community of Castile and L?on. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.

In Segovia, This is Where the Taxis Wait Next to the Roman Aquaduct on the Far Left Side of the Image

"Segovia" is of Celtiberian origin. The first inhabitants named the city Segobriga." This name comes from two terms of celtiberian origin, language of the celtic Indo-European branch. Comes from the term Sego, which means "victory" (prefix also present in other cities such as Segeda and Segontia) and the suffix -briga, which would mean "city" or "strength". So it might be translated as "City of the victory" or "Victorious city". Under the Romans and Arabs, the city was called Segovia and ?iq?biyyah respectively.

Segovia is located within the Iberian Peninsula, near Valladolid and Madrid, which is the capital of Spain. The province of Segovia is one of nine that make up the Autonomous Community of Castile and Le?n. It is neighbored by Burgos and Valladolid to the north, ?vila 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 Pe?alara peak. The town is part of the main route of the Camino de Santiago de Madrid.

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 a 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 vegetation in the mountainous areas include pine, evergreen, oak, beech and juniper.

Very Narrow Street in Segovia

Segovia was first recorded as a Celtic possession, control eventually transferred into Roman hands. Segovia 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.

Population growth during the 19th century grew 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.

In 1985 the old city of Segovia and its Aqueduct were declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO. Within the environment of the old city, stand diversity of historic buildings both civil and religious, not just Catholics but also Jews, like the district that served this minority, which commemorates the different cultures in the city.

One example of this cultural diversity is represented by the former synagogue, now the church of Corpus, and the Jewish cemetery located in "El Pinarillo" with its interpretation center in the most important Jewish palace of the Spanish altjamas, the chief accountant Meir Melamed, son-in-law and successor of Abraham Senior, chief rabbi of the Kingdom of Castile, Melamed after converting to Christianity under the name of Fern?n N??ez Coronel, was alderman of the city and occupied important positions in the kingdom.

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 Toledo's conquest by Alfonso VI of Le?n and Castile, son of King Alfonso VI, Segovia restocked with Christians from the north of the peninsula and beyond the Pyrenees, giving it 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 was 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.

Black and White Photograph of the Roman Built Aquaduct Slashing its way into the Heart of Segovia

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 Segovia entered a period of decline. A century later in 1694, the population fell to 8,000 inhabitants. In the early eighteenth century, Segovia tried to revitalize its textile industry.

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). 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.

Segovia monuments include: The Aqueduct of Segovia, located in the emblematic Plaza del Azoguejo, is the staple of the city. The date of its construction, which could be carried out at the end of the 1st century or early 2nd century, and it is the Roman civil engineering work most important in Spain. It was applied to about 25,000 granite blocks together without any mortar, has a length of 818 meters, consists of over 170 bows and hand highest is 29 meters, as it reaches the Azoguejo, the most visited area.

The Alcazar of Segovia, the royal palace located on top of a rock between the rivers Eresma and Clamores, is documented for the first time in 1122, although it may exist in earlier time.

It was one of the favorite residences of the kings of Castile, built in the transition from Romanesque to Gothic and Mud?jar decor highlighting its ample rooms. The building is structured around two courtyards and has two towers, the Keep and John II.

It was a favorite residence of Alfonso X the Wise and Henry IV,, and Isabella the Catholic left him to be crowned Queen of Castile in the main square. Devastated by fire in 1862, was later rebuilt. Now houses the General Militar de Segovia archive and museum of the Royal School of Artillery, managed by the Board of the Alcazar. Source: Wikipedia.