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Plaza Piñuela

www.ayto-caceres.es/

 

english

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A1ceres,_Spain

 

is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. As of 2009, its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the second largest in geographical extension in Spain.

 

There have been settlements near Cáceres since prehistoric times. Evidence of this can be found in the caves of Maltravieso and El Conejar. The city was founded by the Romans in 25 BC.

 

The old town (Ciudad Monumental) still has its ancient walls; this part of town is also well known for its multitude of storks' nests. The walls contain a medieval town setting with no outward signs of modernity, which is why many films have been shot there. The Universidad de Extremadura, and two astronomical observatories are situated in Cáceres. The city is also a seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Coria-Cáceres.

 

Cáceres was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1986 because of the city's blend of Roman, Moorish, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture. Thirty towers from the Islamic period still stand in Cáceres, of which the Torre del Bujaco is the most famous.

 

History

 

 

 

 

 

Maltravieso Cave.

The origins of Cáceres go back to prehistoric times, as evidenced by the paintings in the Cuevas de Maltravieso (Maltravieso Caves) which date back to the late Paleolithic period. Visitors can see remains from medieval times, the Roman occupation, Moorish occupation and the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain. Cáceres has four main areas to be explored: the historical quarter, the Jewish quarter, the modern center, and the outskirts.

 

The first evidence of humans living in Cáceres is from the Late Paleolithic era, around 25,000 BC. Cáceres as a city was founded as Castra Caecilia by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius and started to gain importance as a strategic city under Roman occupation, and remains found in the city suggest that it was a thriving center as early as 25 BC. Some remains of the first city walls built by the Romans in the 3rd and 4th centuries still exist, including one gateway, the Arco del Cristo.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city was occupied by the Visigoths, and entered a period of decline until the Arabs conquered Cáceres in the 8th century. The city spent the next few centuries mostly under Arab rule, although power alternated several times between Moors and Christians. During this time, the Arabs rebuilt the city, including a wall, palaces, and various towers, including the Torre de Bujaco. Cáceres was reconquered by the Christians in the 13th century (1229). During this period the city had an important Jewish quarter: in the 15th century when the total population was 2,000, nearly 140 Jewish families lived in Cáceres. The Jewish population was expelled by Queen Isabella and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1492, but many remains of the Jewish presence of the period can still be seen today in the Barrio San Antonio.

 

Cáceres flourished during the Reconquista and the Discovery of America, as influential Spanish families and nobles built homes and small palaces there, and many members of families from Extremadura participated in voyages to America where they made their fortunes. In the 19th century, Cáceres became the capital of the province, marking a period of growth which was halted by the Spanish Civil War. Today, the headquarters of the university as well as several regional government departments are to be found in Cáceres.

 

Português

 

pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A1ceres_(Espanha)

 

Cáceres é um município de Espanha na província de Cáceres, comunidade autónoma da Estremadura, de área 1 768 km². Em 2011 tinha 95 026 habitantes (densidade: 53,7 hab./km²). A cidade está ligada à rede ferroviária portuguesa através do Ramal de Cáceres.

História

 

A presença humana no território que hoje em dia corresponde à cidade de Cáceres remonta à Pré-história. Na zona de Calerizo existem várias escavações onde foram encontradas pinturas de mãos humanas com a particularidade de ter o dedo mindinho amputado.

 

Mas foi, sem dúvida, no século I a.C., aquando da fundação romana, da capital administrativa do local, Norba Caesarina, junto da via de comunicação mais importante da zona (depois conhecida como Via da Prata), que a cidade conheceu os primeiros tempos de prosperidade. No século V d.C., os visigodos arrasaram a cidade e até ao século IX não se ouviu mais falar de Cáceres.

 

Os muçulmanos aproveitaram a localização estratégica, na qual tinha assentado a colónia romana, para construir uma base militar para fazer frente aos cristãos vindos do norte durante a época da Reconquista. A denominação árabe do território é incerta, mas entre elas Hizn Qazrix o Al Qazrix é o nome mais provável.

 

No século XII, devido ao avanço dos cristãos, a cidade foi fortificada com uma muralha de adobe. Esta não serviu de muito pois o rei Afonso IX, monarca do Reino de Leão, tomou a cidade anos depois a 23 de Abril de 1229, dia de São Jorge, que desde então é o padroeiro da cidade.

 

A partir desse momento, Cáceres começa a transformar-se, construindo igrejas no lugar das mesquitas e palácios cristãos sobre os palácios muçulmanos. Com algumas modificações desde o século XVIII, a cidade chega aos nossos dias quase sem alterações, sendo uma das cidades monumentais mais bem conservadas do Mundo.

 

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Uploaded on May 20, 2012
Taken on May 19, 2012