Alcañiz Explained

Official Name:Alcañiz
Pushpin Map:Spain Aragon#Spain
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Alcañiz within Aragon##Location of Alcañiz withinSpain
Subdivision Name2:Teruel
Subdivision Name3:Bajo Aragón
Subdivision Type4:Judicial district
Subdivision Name4:Alcañiz
Leader Title:Mayor
(2019–)
Leader Name:Ignacio Urquizu Sancho
Leader Party:PSOE-Aragón
Area Total Km2:472.12
Elevation M:340
Population Demonym:Alcañizano
Population As Of:2019
Population Total:15 947
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Coordinates:41.0511°N -0.1336°W
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:44600

Alcañiz (pronounced as /es/) is a town and municipality of Teruel province in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. The town is located on the banks of the river Guadalope. Alcañiz is the unofficial capital of the Lower Aragon historical region. It lies some 113km (70miles) from Teruel, the provincial capital, and 92km (57miles) from Zaragoza, the capital of Aragon.

Alcañiz is the capital of the Bajo Aragón comarca and the second city in the province after Teruel.

History

The current settlement of Alcañiz dates to the Islamic era in Spain. It was captured by the Christian troops of Alfonso I of Aragon in 1119, but was later taken back by the Moors. It was conquered again by count Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona in 1157, and again lost, until it was finally recaptured by his son Alfonso II of Aragon. In 1179 the latter gave the town to the military Order of Calatrava.

On 23 May 1809 during the Peninsular War, the Battle of Alcañiz was fought between a Spanish force led by General Blake and French troops commanded by General Suchet. During French occupation Suchet made an administrative territorial division of Aragon by which Alcañiz became the capital of the province of Alcañiz. This short-lived province briefly unified the Lower Aragon historical region.[1] Alcañiz, however was bypassed in the 1833 territorial division of Spain and later attempts to create an Alcañiz Province were not successful.

Formerly there was a railway line between Alcañiz and Tortosa, offering a new gateway to the sea for Aragon through this town. Construction work began in 1891, but it was haphazard and the first trains between Alcañiz and Tortosa began only in 1942. The last stretch between Tortosa and Sant Carles de la Ràpita was never completed before the line was terminated by RENFE in 1973.[2]

Jewish history

In 1380, a few Jewish families, scattered in the surroundings of the town, joined to create a community, which was under the jurisdiction of the Order of Calatrava. During the massacres of 1391, the Jewish community in town was protected. Alcañiz was the hometown of Joshua Lorki, a converted Jew who initiated the religious Disputation of Tortosa between Christian and Jewish scholars.[3] A law was forced on the town Jewish community, imposing a fine on any Jew who wished to move out of the city. Most of the town Jews eventually converted to Christianity, before or during the Spanish Inquisition in 1492.[4]

Demography

The population in Alcañiz is 15 939 people in 2018

Demographic evolution!1857 !!1860 !!1877 !!1897 !!1900 !! 1910 !! 1920 !! 1930 !! 1940 !! 1950 !! 1960 !! 1970 !! 1981 !! 1991 !! 2001 !!2011 !!2019
7,5227,6197,3277,4337,6998,397align=center 8,5968,961 8,6919,812 10,166 10,851 11,63912,82013,43116,40215,947

Geography and climate

Alcañiz has a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk) with moderately cool winters with some rain to hot, mostly dry summers with little rain and thunderstorms. Heavy rains happen in spring and autumn, especially during May, October and November. There is approximately 1 snowy day every year. Some years have no snowfall while others have a few days of snow. Heavy snow is unknown.[5]

Main sights

Sights in Alcañiz include:

A few kilometers from the city are the rock paintings of the Val del Charco del Agua Amarga, included in the UNESCO Heritage Site Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula .

Notable people

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Eliseo Serrano Martín, El Matarraña y la Historia Moderna. Portal Aragon.
  2. http://paginespersonals.upcnet.es/~jmg41/ResumenViaLibre.pdf Historia de la línea de La Puebla de Híjar-Alcañiz-Tortosa-Sant Carles de la Ràpita
  3. Web site: Alcañiz. jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
  4. Web site: ALCAÑIZ . jewishencyclopedia.com.
  5. Web site: Clima Alcañiz. meteoblue.