La Rioja (Spain)

La Rioja is an autonomous community of Spain located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative status is defined in the first article of its statute of autonomy as a historical identity. It covers part of the Ebro valley in its northern area and the Iberian system in the south. Geographically it is divided by seven rivers that descend from the mountain towards the Ebro, which is the backbone of the region, which is why La Rioja is called "the one of the seven valleys". The northern area, the valley, has a Mediterranean climate and the southern area, the mountainous, a more humid and continental one.

Traditionally, it is usually divided into three sub-regions from west to east, following the course of the Ebro: La Rioja Alta, La Rioja Media and La Rioja Baja. Or in two parts: La Rioja Alta and La Rioja Baja, having its dividing line in the Iregua river, where Logroño is located. Each of them contains its corresponding central and service municipalities.

The community is single-province, so there is no council and it is organized into 174 municipalities. Its population is 315,381 inhabitants (INE 2017). The capital and city with the largest number of inhabitants is Logroño.

It is bordered by the Basque Country to the north (Álava province), Navarra to the northeast, Aragón to the southeast (Zaragoza province) and Castilla y León to the west and south (Burgos and Soria provinces).

Throughout history, La Rioja has been a land of transit, of borders, a crossroads, a field of struggle, and a meeting place for people, cultures and civilizations. This autonomous community is historically linked to the diocese of Calahorra and the kingdom of Nájera. The first documentary mention of La Rioja, written as Rioga, appears in the jurisdiction of Miranda de Ebro, in the year 1099, as well as the Latinized place name in the Gallicano calf of San Millán de la Cogolla., from the same XI century. The Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja, also called the Statute of San Millán, was approved in 1982, thus endowing the region with the corresponding self-government.

It is well known for its production of wines under the Rioja Qualified Denomination of Origin, the oldest in Spain, producing some of the most internationally famous wines. It is also one of the most important paleontological territories in the world in terms of footprints (dinosaur footprints), which stand out for their number and conservation. Among its monuments are the monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla, considered medieval centers of culture and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1997.

Since August 29, 2019, its president is Concepción Andreu Rodríguez, from the PSOE.

Place name

The place name La Rioja appears written for the first time in documents from the XI century, reflecting as Rioga in the year 1099 and pronounced as Rioja or Latinized and transcribed as Rivo de Ogga in the year 1082. On the other hand, the oldest text found in which the The adjective riojano dates from the beginning of the XIII century, taking the form of the spellings riogeñ and riogensi , referring to a clergyman from the diocese of Calahorra. This place name is of difficult etymology; Hence, the existence of different theses:

One of the pages in which a reference to La Rioja appears in the eleventh century. It appears the name Rioja transcribed as Rivo de Ogga. 1082

• One of them, the Basque-Iberist theory, estimates that the origin of the voice is euskérica, errioxa. Thus, the Friar Mateo Anguiano Nieva in his book of the year 1701 entitled Compendium history of the province of La Rioja makes the name of the place of union of the words Erria which would mean "land" and oguia which would be “bread”, so it would give rise to the name “breadland”. However, the documentation of the XI-XII centuries rejects this possibility.

• For his part, Merino Urrutia, historian and mayor who was from Ojacastro in the years 1912 and 1913, considers that he mentions the river Oja and that the Basque root oiafrom which the name of this aquatic course proceeds, means “bosque” (oihan in modern euskera. Well, if we take into account that the prefix of Rioja could proceed from the Latin rivum, "god", the term would allude to the many leaves that it carried in autumn, as would happen with Tolosa, Lodosa or Toulouse in reference to the mud that carried the river.

• The first reference to La Rioja is found in the Miranda de Ebro range of 1099. Rioga and Riogam, appearing later as Riuum de Oiha and Rivo de Oia in the cartulary of Santo Domingo de la Calzada of 1150. For this reason some researchers claim that the toponym derives from the river Oja. However, this thesis presents some weakness when considered the original name of this aquatic course, Glera or IlleraStill in use. It seems rather an adequacy of the first documented term Rioga the Spanish language at a time when the region was in dispute with the Kingdom of Navarra.

• According to José Luis Álvarez Enparantza «Txillardegi», the first syllable of the term «La Rioja» does not refer to the unique female article of the Spanish language, but is an integral part of the name and should be written all along: «Larrioja». According to Txillardegi the origin of “Larrioja” would be the euscheric vocable Larreolhawhere the name of the region would come from. This would be the phonetic transformation of the word Larrioja. Larreoja. Larreoha. Larreolha. Larreolha (o) Larreola in standardized euscheric spelling) would mean "field simmering" or "countryworking" (where) Larre = "field", "prado", "pastizal", and where ola/olha = "taller", "fábrica", "ingenio". Maybe. Larreola refer to a forging located in the valley of the river Oja (where the water and wood supply were guaranteed).

• The current Basque term Errioxa is a neologism from modern graph Rioxato which one is added E due to the aversion of Basque phonetic to R In the beginning of the word. Also, and in connection with the theory that defends the Basque origin of the toponymous, it could be a mere adaptation to the current norms of the unified vascuence of a preterried denomination Herri Oia devenida en Errioxabut not supported by the documentation, in a manner similar to the current Erribera in Navarre of herri=people and behera=baja.

In any case, no theory can be considered conclusive due to the scarcity of documentary sources.

Symbols

For the battle of Clavijo the shield of the Order of Santiago is on the shield of La Rioja

Flag

The flag was approved by the old provincial council in 1979 and appears in the 1982 Statute of Autonomy, according to which the flag is made up of four horizontal stripes of equal size, red (refers to wine), white (refers to rivers and the sky), green (refers to fields, orchards, mountains, and forests) and yellow (refers to land and monuments). In addition, the shield may be in the center of the flag

Shield

Logo of the Government of La Rioja

The coat of arms of La Rioja is described heraldically in the sixth and seventh articles of Law 4/1985, of May 31 (BOLR no. 64, of June 4):

The La Rioja shield is, structurally, a matched shield, clutched with the real crown closed. In the right partition, of gold the field, the Red Cross of Santiago lifted on Mount Laturce and flanked by two shells of pilgrim, enameled in silver and silhouetted in gules. On the left partition, on the field of gules, a golden castle of three almond towers riding on a fenced bridge of sable, under which a river runs in silver. Three lilies look on the embroidery.

The Government of La Rioja uses a logo based on the shield to represent the territory of the Autonomous Community in its own acts of government, although it continues to use the official shield for more formal uses.

Anthem

The hymn of La Rioja is the musical composition called La Rioja, composed by maestro Eliseo Pinedo López. Although there is no regulation about the lyrics and score, the few fragments that are still preserved of this composition, played for the first time in 1965, are used in official acts. There is a lyrics created by the then provincial chronicler José María Lope of Toledo, but it has not been made official.

Medal

The Medal of La Rioja is, together with the flag, the shield and the hymn, another of the Rioja identity symbols. This Medal constitutes the highest decoration to institutions that the Government of La Rioja can grant. It is a recognition of those people or entities that have distinguished themselves for their extraordinary merits or for the relevant services rendered in favor of the general interests of La Rioja.

The Medal is delivered on June 9, La Rioja Day, in San Millán de la Cogolla within the institutional act that commemorates the day of the region.

Official day

It is celebrated on June 9 because that day in 1982 the Statute of Autonomy for the region was approved. On the 9th, the institutional celebration ceremony takes place in San Millán de la Cogolla in which the president of La Rioja intervenes and the Medal is awarded. It is a day full of symbolism and exaltation of the values that unite the people of La Rioja.

Previously, on the 8th, the proclamation of La Rioja Day takes place in the municipality of Santa Coloma in commemoration of a historic event. Since it was in this town, in the year 1812, where a meeting of Rioja towns called the Santa Coloma Convention or General Meeting of La Rioja was held, in which a claim for Rioja identity took place. It is the precedent of Riojanism and a symbol of regional identity.

History

Until the arrival of the Romans in the II century B.C. C. was occupied by three tribes: the Berones, who were in the Ebro valley, the Pelendones in the mountainous areas and the Vascones in some areas of the Rioja Baja. The region was invaded by Muslims in the early 8th century century. After its reconquest, at the beginning of the X century, the region became part of the Kingdom of Navarre.

Rey García Sánchez I de Pamplona-Nájera

La Rioja Alta and Media were reconquered in 923 by King Sancho Garcés I of the Kingdom of Pamplona with the collaboration of the Kingdom of León; to the east of the river Leza, the region of La Rioja Baja, would also be reconquered by this king but would again pass into Muslim hands, being recovered again and now definitively by the king of Nájera-Pamplona García Sánchez III, "the one of Nájera» (1035-1054). All these reconquered territories became part of the Kingdom of Pamplona. King Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona (also called Sancho Garcés I of Navarra in some sources), after having made the aforementioned conquests, He gave these new annexed lands to his son García Sánchez I (918-970) so that he could relieve him of government tasks and prepare to be a good king. He places his house and court in Nájera (La Rioja) and receives the title of "king of Nájera". In this way the Kingdom of Nájera would be born.

Later, with the death of Sancho Garcés I, his son García Sánchez I, who already reigned in Nájera, also inherited the territories of Pamplona. He kept the seat of the court in the town of Najera, thus creating the so-called kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona. Whose first historical stage would end a long time later, with the assassination of the Najerino king Sancho Garcés IV, "el Noble" (1054-1076).

The oldest documents found in which written mentions of La Rioja appear are from this century, the XI. One of them is the Cartulario Gallicano de San Millán de la Cogolla, which dates from the year 1082, in which the place name Rioja appears transcribed as rivo de ogga and another in the jurisdiction of Miranda de Ebro of the year 1099, in which it appears as Rioga, pronounced as Rioja. The oldest found in which the name La Rioja appears dates from the beginning of the XIII century. This is how an archpriest of the diocese of Calahorra named Martino Pascasii calls himself. It appears written as archiprestibero riogeñ, an abbreviation that we must complete by reading riogensi, that is, "Riojano". XI and is reflected in cartography since the XII, dating from the XVIII century the first solo map of the region. This was drawn up in 1769 by the cartographer Tomás López de Vargas and entitled map of La Rioja divided into high and low . It would be criticized in 1805, for containing the error of leaving some parts of the La Rioja territory outside of it.

The foundations of the great monasteries of La Rioja also date from this century, which were carried out by Kings of Navarre. In 1052 the Navarrese king García Sánchez III of the kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona founded the monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, which would be the pantheon of the Navarrese kings, infants and nobles, as well as in the year 1053 he founded the monastery of San Millán of Yuso.

Monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera, in the city of Nájera

Following the death of Sancho Garcés IV of Navarra (also called Sancho Garcés IV of Pamplona) in 1076, Alfonso VI of León conquest of the region of La Rioja began, beginning a military dispute that It will last for more than a century. Some nobles played in favor of Alfonso VI who called him to take possession of La Rioja and be recognized as monarch of the Kingdom of Nájera. This territorial acquisition will last a short time, since after the death of Alfonso VI the region will return to the domain of the Kingdom of Navarre. In 1134 Alfonso VII the emperor conquered Nájera and all of La Rioja. In 1163, taking advantage of Alfonso VIII of Castile's minority, the Navarrese Sancho VI el Sabio occupies a part of La Rioja territory in an attempt to recover the old possessions of the kingdom, taking Logroño and other cities, although not Nájera or Calahorra. These territorial acquisitions began to be reversed around 1173.

Monastery of San Millán de Suso with the portal of Gonzalo de Berceo and its sarcophages of the seven Lara infants the three Navarre queens

To settle their disputes, Kings Sancho VI the Wise and Alfonso VIII agreed in 1176 to submit their differences to arbitration by Henry II of England in an interview held between Nájera and Logroño. The ruling of the English king ruled that the borders return to the situation prior to 1163, thus ending the disputes over La Rioja, the Navarrese monarchy finally losing sovereignty over the region and consolidating from 1179 the territory of La Rioja as the border land of the kingdom of Castile. The passage of La Rioja from the Navarrese to the Castilian kingdom by conquest meant that the region ceased to be an important part of the first kingdom, where the kings and their court resided, to be a peripheral territory that would become important at certain times.

Map of the Casa de San Meder, produced in 1678. It shows part of Navarra, part of Álava and part of La Rioja. In the latter case, it is written:Part of La Rioja»

After this moment, the title of King of Nájera would be preserved as part of the Castilian royal title; in addition to the fact that the kingdom would continue to exist, for several more centuries, as a differentiated state in the set of those ruled by the Castilian monarchs, as happened with other territories such as the kingdom of Galicia. monarchy of said kingdom of La Riojan interests, which favors the protagonism of the lords and peasants, there is a growing manorialization, which produces structural changes in society. Thus, the region would then pass to the power of the López de Haro, lords of Vizcaya.

During later times, numerous important historical events would take place, such as the siege of Logroño by Asparrot's troops in 1521, the publication of the Historical Compendium of the province of La Rioja in the year 1701, the work of Mateo Anguiano or the uprisings in Logroño and Fuenmayor against French troops in 1808, during the Spanish war of independence. Contest during which in La Rioja the La Junta de Rioja was organized in 1809 to fight against the invader, whose capital was located in Soto de Cameros. There were three resistance groups commanded from it: The La Rioja Volunteer Battalion, the Logroño Provincial Regiment and the La Rioja Hussar Squadron. Likewise, it is also worth mentioning the foundation of the Real Sociedad Económica de La Rioja in 1790 in Fuenmayor, which was one of the societies of friends of the country founded in Spain during the Enlightenment and which was so important in subsequent political demands for reunification in La Rioja.

Map of La Rioja divided in Alta and Baja by Tomás López in 1769

In the 18th century after the war of succession and the arrival of the Bourbons in Spain, the division of the Spanish territory in the French way in 18 circumscriptions called municipalities, seeking in this way to improve the administration of the state. Until then, Spain was an atomized country, divided by old lordships and local laws among other figures, without a structure that would allow it to govern efficiently. La Rioja would be assigned to the recently created municipalities of Burgos and Soria mainly. From La Rioja, complaints began to be heard as a consequence of the aforementioned territorial organization and voices that claimed an administrative framework of those that had been created at the time for the region. These demands came especially from the Royal Economic Society of La Rioja, which was one of the friendly societies of the country founded in the XVIII, of a group of representatives of the La Rioja municipalities called the General Board of La Rioja and of various enlightened people of La Rioja, presenting these claims in a marked identity discourse. These organizations demanded, in their own words, the "territorial reunification of La Rioja." Other actions such as the 66-page letter written by the enlightened man from La Rioja, Martín Fernández de Navarrete, entitled Letter from a Riojano to a deputy in courts would have the same objective. In it, ethnic, economic, historical and geographical criteria were alleged in defense of the aforementioned purpose. headquarters in Soto en Cameros from which the invader was faced, thus achieving the union of the territory. It was dissolved in 1811 to re-divide the region. This further increased the Riojan claims and in 1812 the Santa Coloma Convention was held in which representatives of the Riojan municipalities met to submit a new Rioja provincial claim to the courts of Cádiz. The claims would be satisfied during the Triennium Liberal in the provincial division of Spain in 1822, by endowing La Rioja with its own provincial administration, although under the name of province of Logroño, due to the agreement by which most of them had to adopt the names of their capitals, which It meant the suppression of its historical name of La Rioja –which was the traditional one for the territory– and its substitution by that of Logroño. In this regard, one of the documents of the time that attests to the aforementioned event reads as follows: «In the court session held on this day, La Rioja has been declared an independent province under the name of province of Logroño and this city as capital». Without em However, the absolutist reaction of Fernando VII in 1823 caused the elimination of the liberal provisions, among them the Spanish provincial division, for which La Rioja would once again be left without a province. On November 30, 1833 with the division of Spain into provinces of Javier de Burgos, based on the territorial division carried out during the Liberal Triennium, the administrative unit is definitively obtained. Spain would be divided into 49 provinces, once again politically institutionalizing La Rioja as one of them, although again under the name of the province of Logroño. This was due to the fact that although in 1826 -the year in which this new project began of Spanish administrative division– it was already intended to recover the historical name of La Rioja for the province, this term, together with that of Asturias, was suppressed at some point in the processing of the same. For this reason, Asturias and La Rioja would adopt the names of their capitals, keeping only those of the four foral provinces, that is, the Basques and Navarra. It was Javier de Burgos himself who apparently suppressed its traditional name of La Rioja, replacing it with that of Logroño. In this way, he would conclude a historical claim that called for the reunification of La Rioja, which was framed in the region of Castilla la Vieja. 9 judicial districts were established. In 1980 it recovered its name of La Rioja, which had been read so many times in documentation since the Middle Ages, although it had never been lost, since the inhabitants of the province They continued to call themselves La Rioja and differentiate Logroño, their capital, from Rioja, the whole of the territory. Even the media and provincial institutions would be from La Rioja or from La Rioja and not from Logroño.

It was formed as a single-province autonomous community during the transition to democracy after its inhabitants refused to be integrated into another region, whether it was Castilla y León, the Basque Country or a Basque-Navarrese country, as some defended and after multiple mobilizations that claimed their autonomy. The Autonomy Statute was signed on June 9, 1982, after an electoral process in which 172 of the 174 La Rioja municipalities voted in favor of the autonomist decision. Going to celebrate from that year on that date the Day of La Rioja.

Emilian Glosses

The peninsula in 1030. The first written record of romance and vascuence is in the Emilian Gloss. The map shows the Basque substrate in Romance languages between 1029 and 1035

In November 1977, a great party was held in the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla to celebrate the millennium of the birth of the Spanish language. Authorities, linguists, academics, all gathered in that place where the first written babble of that language arose. In the library, heir to the Escritorio de San Millán, a Latin codex, Aemilianensis 60, slept for centuries, in the margins of which an amanuensis had written some notes (glosses) in the Romance language, in Basque and in a Latin that today we could call "macarronic". There are current studies that affirm that the emilianense glosses are not written in Spanish, as was believed in 1977, but in the La Rioja variety of the Navarro-Aragonese language, with the detail that when they were written this region did not yet belong to the Kingdom of Castile, but to the from Navarre. Example of a gloss:

...with or judgment of our duen Christo dueno Salbatore qual dueno yet ena honore e qual duenno tienet ela mantatjione con o Patre con o Spiritu Sancto en os sieculos de los sieculos

Translation of: adiubante Domino nostro Iesu Christo cui est.../...

Page 72 of the Emilian Codex 60. Globe is appreciated in the right margin

These texts were written in the X century, although recent research suggests that it may have been well into the XI. This codex 60, which is currently kept in the Royal Academy of History, is what is traditionally known as Glosas Emilianenses. Since two of these glosses are written in Basque, it can also be said that the birth of the written Basque language took place in the monastery of San Millán.

However, researchers from La Rioja Claudio and Javier García Turza have carried out studies on codex 46, also found in the Yuso library, which appears dated June 13, 964, thereby further establishing the origins of this written romance language. Codex 46 is an encyclopedic dictionary with more than 20,000 entries ordered from A to Z in which the Romance voices are part not only of the margin annotations, but also of the part of the text written in a Latin heavily contaminated by popular speech. This manuscript collects popular knowledge and clears up many gaps about the early Middle Ages.

Dinosaur Footprints

Icnita de un Terópodo encontrado cerca de Enciso

During the Lower Cretaceous period, the current geographical area of Cameros formed part of a flooded plain of an ancient delta that periodically dried up, leaving behind muddy areas where dinosaur footprints were left behind. Over time these dried up and were covered with new sediments whose weight pressed the lower layers, making them solidify into rocks over millions of years. The Alpine orogeny raised and folded the area, forming the Iberian system, and erosion has worn away the layers, making many of these rock formations visible, allowing us to observe the footprints (fossil footprints). La Rioja stands out for the number and conservation of these sites, making it, according to experts, one of the most important paleontological territories in the world, in addition to those found in the north of Soria, such as Yanguas, Santa Cruz de Yanguas and other highland towns.

Geography

Monte San Lorenzo, the highest peak of Rioja with 2271 msnm

When the Ebro River crosses the narrow pass between the rocks of Las Conchas de Haro, it comes to La Rioja, where it runs for 120 km, before continuing on its way to the Mediterranean. In Las Conchas de Haro the altitude of the river is 445 m and when it leaves the community, in the Sotos del Ebro Nature Reserve in Alfaro, it is 260 m. The river runs, therefore, very fast through La Rioja.

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Interactive map — La Rioja (Spain) and its centre or geographical centre

La Rioja and its seven valleys. Ernesto Reiner's drawing:

1. Rio Ebro 2. Port of Piqueras 3. Haro shells 4. Cordillera Ibérica 5. Puerto de Oncala

6. Sierras de Cantabria y Codés 7. Alhama Valley 8. Linares Valley 9. Cidacos Valley 10. Jubera Valley

11. Leza Valley 12. Iregua Valley 13. Najerilla Valley 14. Oja Valley 15. Thief Valley 16. Logroño

The Ebro runs through the north of the community. The entire right bank (the one to the south) belongs to La Rioja. On the left bank there are only three municipalities, Briñas, San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Ábalos (known as La Rioja Sonsierra), although Logroño, Agoncillo, Alcanadre, Rincón de Soto and Alfaro also have part of the territory of their municipality on that bank.. By proximity, the area of Álava between the Ebro and the Sierra de Cantabria is called Rioja Alavesa.

To the south of the river, between 60 and 40 km away, the Iberian mountain range extends parallel, with altitudes between 1000 and 2000 masl. From the mountain range it emerges to the north, entering deeply into La Rioja, the Sierra de la Demanda, which has Monte San Lorenzo, at 2,271 m, the highest Rioja altitude.

Seven rivers descend rapidly from the mountain range towards the Ebro; That is why they call La Rioja: "The one of the seven valleys". They are called, from east to west, Alhama, Cidacos, Leza, Iregua, Najerilla, Oja and Tirón, although the headwaters of Alhama and Cidacos are from Soria and those of Najerilla-Neila and Tirón are from Burgos. Sometimes the Linares (tributary of the Alhama) is added, grouping the Tirón with its tributary the Oja.

All the rivers in these valleys receive tributaries that form many other valleys with their own entity, such as those of Linares, Ocón, Jubera, Tuerto, Brieva, Viniegras, and San Millán. And there is an almost unlimited number of magnificent ravines of splendid nature such as Aguas Buenas, Nieva, Manzanares, Ardancha, Navajún, Valderresa, Ollora, Tobía, San Martín and others.

Oaks, beeches and pines grow in the highlands. There are thickets of juniper, boxwood, sloe, holly, rockrose, and large slopes with fine pastures for horses, cattle, and sheep. Below are holm oaks, olive and almond trees. Near the Ebro, in the plains, the lands are for cereals, beets and potatoes, while the hills are covered with immense vineyards from which the wines that make this region famous worldwide literally flow.

All the rivers in La Rioja, including the Ebro, have a row of poplars and poplars as an inseparable company. Ana María Matute has written about the La Rioja poplars: «...seeing them at the edge of the water, upsetting the landscape, pointing like magic spears towards the unreal and mysterious country at the bottom of the river».

Flora and fauna

La Rioja represents 1% of the surface of Spain and yet it has approximately 46% of the vertebrates that use Spain as their habitual residence and 60% of the peninsulars. 21% of the endemic vertebrates of the Iberian Peninsula also live here. Five of them are fish: the Ebro barbel, the red-tailed barbel, the russet, lampreel and the tusk. And there are also two mammals, the Iberian desman and the Iberian hare, an amphibian, the Iberian spotted frog, and a reptile, the Iberian skink.

The relief of the region is divided into two large areas: the Ebro valley to the north, and the mountains to the south, with average altitudes close to 2,000 meters in the southwestern half, and less than 1,500 meters towards the south. southeast. In this way we have Mediterranean flora and fauna in the Ebro Valley and in the low sierras and Central European type in the high sierras of the southwest, Demanda, Urbión, Cebollera and Hayedo de Santiago.

Among the Mediterranean species that adapt to the Ebro depression we have the leper pond turtle, the gecko, the Iberian skink, the red-tailed lizard, the ashen lizard and the long-nosed viper; fish like the friar fish and the tusk in the Ebro; nesting birds such as the Bonelli's eagle, the sandgrouse, the Ortega, the black wheatear, the European críalo or the European fly among others; Mammals such as the shrew, the pale-bordered bat, the Moorish mouse and the common vole.

Those that settle in higher places are Central European species such as the webbed newt, the green lizard and the asp viper in the group of amphibians and reptiles; the gray partridge, the northern treecreeper, the marsh tit and the bullfinch among the nesting birds, and the gray dormouse, red vole and tawny mouse represented the mammals. The white-legged shrew and the Pyrenean vole settle in the southernmost section of their area, in the Sierra de Cantabria. The Ebro River is also home to species of Central European origin such as the chub, the loin, the minnow and the river wolf.

Picos de la Sierra de la Demanda con el monte San Lorenzo nevado

Threatened species

A real milano, one of the endangered species in La Rioja

European glass

In La Rioja there are two endangered species: the red kite, which has experienced a sharp decline in the last 10 years, mainly due to the action of poison; and the European mink, a small carnivore adapted to a semi-aquatic life typical of rivers with a dense vegetation cover.

Classified as threatened species we have, among the animals, the Bonelli's eagle, Montagu's harrier, Egyptian vulture, friar fish, little bustard, sandgrouse, black sandgrouse, royal redstart, Iberian desman, native river crab, and some bat species (Myotis bechsteinii, Myotis blythii, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis mystacinus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Rhinolophus euryale, Nyctalus noctula, Nyctalus lasiopterus, Miniopterus schreibersii, Myotis myotis). And as for the flora, the Rioja androsela, the rock currant and the parrot or laurel of Portugal.

There are also 174 species (4 plants, 1 fish, 8 amphibians, 18 reptiles, 133 birds and 10 invertebrates) that, although they are not threatened, require periodic assessment of their conservation status.

Protected natural areas

Nearly 40% of La Rioja is a protected natural space, being one of the communities with the highest percentage. La Rioja natural spaces represent 3.56% of the Spanish total despite being the smallest region of all. They are classified as natural parks, nature reserves or biosphere reserves. Some examples are:

Demographics

La Rioja has a population of 315,675 inhabitants, 155,758 men and 159,917 women (INE 2018). It has a population density of 62.57 inhabitants per km².

It is the autonomous community with the smallest population in Spain, however it has a moderate population density compared to other autonomous communities. Most of them are concentrated in the Logroño metropolitan area and in towns such as Calahorra, Arnedo or Haro. According to the same data, of the 174 municipalities in the region, in 150 there are more men than women registered in the census, in 2 the same number and in 22 more women than men. Of the latter, the differences are small, except in the capital where there is a difference of 7,186 more women than men.

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  Population density by municipality (2018)

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  Population by municipality (2018)

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  Population growth by municipality between 1998 and 2008

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  Population growth by municipality between 2008 and 2018

Graphic of demographic evolution of La Rioja between 1857 and 2018

Population of Law (1857-1897) according to population censuses of the century INEXIX.Population of Law (1900-1991) or resident population (2000) according to population censuses of the INE.Population according to the 2018 INE Municipal Register.

Population distribution in the territorial area of La Rioja in 1900

Population distribution in the territorial area of La Rioja in 2015

Since the beginning of the XX century, La Rioja has experienced a large demographic increase, almost doubling its population. However, it has been very uneven in the different areas of the community.

The region's population has been concentrating over the years in Logroño and surroundings, and in the different heads of the region, thus causing a decline in rural areas.

The population in 1900 was more distributed among the different municipalities, with those belonging to the valley area in La Rioja Baja being the largest, and those in the Sierra de Cameros and La Demanda the smallest. In the Rioja Alta, on the other hand, medium-sized municipalities with between 500 and 1000 inhabitants were found more frequently.

There were much more municipalities with between 1,000 and 5,000 inhabitants, and between 500 and 1,000 inhabitants than today. Being these with those between 100 and 500 the most numerous. There were no localities with less than 100 inhabitants. During these years some Rioja municipalities have been left uninhabited (La Santa, Trevijano, Luezas, Poyales, Larriba, Carbonera or Turruncún) and new ones have emerged such as Arrúbal.

There was also a demographic difference between the mountains and the Ebro valley, which has now become more pronounced, with the majority of the population accumulating around the latter.

Demographic change in the municipalities of Rioja between 1900 and 2015

Currently, La Rioja is an autonomous community with a highly concentrated population, since almost half of its inhabitants reside in Logroño. Specifically, this population agglutination is located along the course of the Ebro river, but more noticeably in the Lower Rioja than in the upper one.

Most of the municipalities in La Rioja have populations between 100 and 500 inhabitants, that is to say, quite small in size but in which there are still active services, economic and social activities. Although on all of them there is the danger of progressive depopulation.

On the other hand, there is a great depopulation of the Sierra regions, in which many of the municipalities do not even have a hundred residents, an aspect encouraged by the aging of its population. There are some exceptions such as Ezcaray, which is possibly the only demographically dynamic center in the La Rioja mountain range, and others such as Anguiano, Torrecilla de Cameros or Villoslada de Cameros that struggle to maintain a stable population of between 400 and 600 inhabitants.

Economy

A hard (5 pesetas) of 1994 with the image of La Rioja

GDP at market prices has experienced an increase since Spain joined the European Union (EU), both for the country as a whole and for La Rioja in particular. The Community presented a GDP at market prices of 1997 that amounted to 360,713 million pesetas, compared to the 245,964 that it presented in 1986. The explanation for the increase lies in the strong growth of GDP in the period 1986-1991, in which there was a variation of 5.6%, a higher variation than that reached in the same period for Spain, whose fluctuation reached 4.6 percentage points. La Rioja, therefore, confirms in this period a productive effort superior to that of the national group, a behavior that has continued to be maintained up to the present.

Government and politics

Parliament

The Parliament of La Rioja is the supreme representative body of La Rioja, according to the Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja. Its members are democratically elected by the citizens in the elections to the Parliament of La Rioja and it plays the legislative role. Its headquarters are located in the old Convent of La Merced in the capital of La Rioja. It consists of 33 seats, which are distributed according to the candidacies that have exceeded 5% of the votes.

Cast of seats (2019-2023)

The regional elections on May 26 gave the PSOE victory for the first time in 24 years.

Parliamentary groups in the Parliament of La Rioja
Name		Parties	Spokesperson	Leader	Scalls
	Socialist GP	PSOE	Raúl Díaz Marín	Concha Andreu	15
	Popular GP	P	Jesus Angel Garrido	José Ignacio Ceniceros	12
	GP Citizens	Citizens	Paul Baena	Paul Baena	4
	GP	We can. United Left	Henar Moreno	Raquel Romero	2

Government

The Government of La Rioja exercises executive power and administration of the autonomous community. Its functions are to exercise the regulatory power that does not belong to Parliament, file appeals before the Constitutional Court and execute the functions derived from the state and regional legal system.

It corresponds to the regional president to designate the number and composition of the same.

Territorial organization

Country

Traditional Comarcal Division of La Rioja: Rioja Alta (red), Rioja Media (green) and Rioja Baja (yellow). In turn, each divide into a mountain range and valley. Another traditional division is in two parts: Rioja Alta and Baja, placing its divide in the river Iregua

La Rioja divided according to the composition based on judicial parties

The community of La Rioja lacks a region that has administrative relevance. Traditionally, the one consisting of the nine judicial districts that existed in ancient times, corresponding to Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Nájera, Logroño, Torrecilla en Cameros, Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro and Cervera del Río Alhama, has been used.

Another historical division is into two parts: the Rioja Alta and the Rioja Baja according to the course of the Ebro river. They divide in the Iregua river. Each of them has a valley area in its northern part, with a Mediterranean climate, and a mountain area in the southern part, with a continental climate. In recent years, the existence of the Rioja Media has also been considered.

Because the old judicial districts of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Nájera covered localities located in the valley and mountains and considering the great orographic difference between these areas, their respective areas of the Ezcaray and Anguiano mountains are usually treated as regions. Furthermore, traditionally the region of Torrecilla en Cameros (commonly known as simply Cameros) is divided into Camero Nuevo and Camero Viejo.

According to this, the following are usually taken into account:

• Rioja
  • Valley: Haro, Najera and Santo Domingo de la Calzada
  • Sierra: Anguiano and Ezcaray
• Rioja Media
  • Valle: Logroño
  • Sierra: Tierra de Cameros (Divided in Camero Nuevo and Camero Viejo)
• Rioja
  • Valle: Alfaro, Arnedo and Calahorra
  • Sierra: Cervera

Municipalities

This is a list of municipalities with more than 1,000 inhabitants in La Rioja according to the INE's 2018 municipal register:

The province of La Rioja is the 7th in Spain in which there is a higher percentage of inhabitants concentrated in its capital (47.87%, compared to 31.96% for the whole of Spain). There is an enclave in the province of Burgos completely surrounded by La Rioja land, corresponding to the old village of El Ternero, today uninhabited and converted entirely into a private estate and winery, except for the hermitage of the Virgen de la Pera, which is accessible public and still belonging to the Diocese of Calahorra.^{[citation required]} Another singular case is that of the old Monastery of San Miguel del Monte, located almost on the same dividing line between La Rioja and the province of Burgos, and that throughout its history it has been linked to the lands of La Rioja and the people of La Rioja for a long time.^{[citation required]} In In both cases there is no official position of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja.

Infrastructures and services

Education

Education in La Rioja, according to the P.I.S.A (2007) report, ranks at the highest level in Spain, very close to the countries with the best educational level in Europe in terms of student knowledge, in the report of the year 2009 of the ministry, it is in the first position of the autonomous communities referring to general aspects of primary and secondary education.

It is placed above the Spanish average in the list of communities with the lowest school failure, with 85% of the students being the ones who manage to obtain the E.S.O. title, despite having the highest proportion of immigrants enrolled in school.

6,208 euros are invested per student, making it the tenth community in this regard. Most of the educational centers in the community are public, followed in number by subsidized and private ones, the latter are very few in primary and secondary. The baccalaureate is free in public centers and paid in subsidized ones; an attempt is currently being made to carry out a reform to arrange it.

In La Rioja, the population rate with higher education is 30.6%, with three institutions at this level, the UNED (National University of Distance Education), the University of La Rioja (UR) and the UNIR:

Associated Center of the UNED in La Rioja

The National University of Distance Education (UNED) through its Associated Center in La Rioja, is a State-level Public University created by Decree 2310/1972 of August 18 (BOE September 9). The Associated Center of the UNED in La Rioja was the first Riojan university to be established in the Autonomous Community. Its purpose is to facilitate access to university education and the continuity of their studies to all people who, being qualified to pursue higher studies, cannot attend university classrooms in person for work, economic, family, residence reasons, etc.. However, it also offers the possibility that the student can attend support tutorials at the Associated Center allowing direct contact between the student and the teacher. UNED is the largest university in Spain with its more than 260,000 students; with an educational offer that includes 27 Bachelor's degrees, 11 Combined Degrees, 43 master's degrees, 18 Doctorate programs, more than 600 Permanent Training programs, 12 language courses from the University Center for Distance Languages (CUID), more than a hundred of Summer Courses and almost 400 University Extension activities.

University of La Rioja (UR)

Rectorate of the University of La Rioja, in the city of Logroño

The University of La Rioja is a public campus founded in 1992 and recently obtained the Campus of International Excellence seal. It currently teaches 19 Degrees adapted to the European Higher Education Area: Degree in Business Administration and Management, Degree in Law, Degree in Early Childhood Education, Degree in Primary Education, Degree in Nursing, Degree in Oenology, Degree in English Studies, Degree in Geography and History, Degree in Agricultural Engineering, Degree in Electrical Engineering, Degree in Industrial Electronics and Automatic Engineering, Degree in Computer Engineering, Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Degree in Hispanic Language and Literature, Degree in Mathematics, Degree in Chemistry, Degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources, Degree in Social Work and Degree in Tourism. The University of La Rioja completes its training offer with a Doctorate, University Masters, summer courses, the postgraduate training program and Spanish language and culture courses for foreigners; Altogether, it has some 7,600 enrolled students, 1,500 of them virtual. It is organized around five faculties and an attached university school. In addition, it has the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ICVV) and five of its own research centers.

Dialnet

Among other initiatives, the UR is the promoter of Dialnet, the most important database of free access scientific articles in Spanish on the Internet^{[citation required]}.

UNIR Building

International University of La Rioja (UNIR)

UNIR currently offers different undergraduate and postgraduate studies: Degree in Primary Education Teaching, Degree in Early Childhood Education, Degree in Business Administration and Management (ADE), Degree in Law, Degree in Social Work, Degree in Communication, Degree in Humanities, Degree in Political Science and Public Management, Master's Degree in Integrated Management Systems, Official Master's Degree in Occupational Risk Prevention, Master's Degree in Institutional Communication, Master's Degree in Sociology, University Specialist in Internet Radio, University Expert in Internet Law and University Expert in Personality Disorders.

Health

The autonomous community of La Rioja, like other autonomies, has its own public health service regulated by Law 2/2002 of April 17 and dependent on the Ministry of Health. It is organized in the Servicio Riojano of Health (SERIS). Provides health coverage to all registered people in the region. It has four hospitals, a biomedical research center and numerous health centers and medical offices spread throughout the Riojan geography.

Hospital San Pedro

San Pedro Hospital

It is the reference hospital in the community, it is located in Logroño and is part of the San Millán-San Pedro hospital complex together with the San Millán high-resolution center (CARPA), it has 630 beds, 83% of them located in individual rooms and almost all medical specialties.

Calahorra Hospital

It is the reference health center in La Rioja Baja, it is located in Calahorra. It has various services such as cardiology rehabilitation, nephrology, etc.

General Hospital of La Rioja

It is the oldest hospital in operation in the community, it is located in Logroño next to the banks of the Ebro, in a building from the century XIX, it has geriatrics, palliative care, psychiatry, rehabilitation and radiology services.

La Rioja Biomedical Research Center (CIBIR)

It was founded in August 2005 at the initiative of the government of La Rioja as a research center in the field of health sciences. It is located next to the San Pedro hospital and linked to it. It is organized by the Rioja Salud Foundation. Various research projects are currently being developed from several of its departments, such as oncology, molecular microbiology, biomedical diseases, etc.

Transportation

The Ebro River in Logroño. In the background, the House of Arts and Sciences

La Rioja is connected by air thanks to the Logroño-Agoncillo Airport.

By rail, journeys can be made to Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valladolid, Gijón, Bilbao, La Coruña, Vigo since the Castejón-Miranda line crosses the region from east to west. The main station in the community is the Logroño station.

In terms of roads, La Rioja has communications with neighboring regions, mainly through the AP-68 motorway. Highways are recently being built, such as the Camino highway, which has connected Pamplona with Logroño since 2006, and will reach Burgos in the future.

Monuments and places of interest

Santo Domingo de la Calzada

Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago has been of great importance over the years in these territories, with two routes running through them. The French way, the most popular, which, starting from Roncesvalles, passes through Pamplona, Estella, Los Arcos and, already within La Rioja, through Logroño and Nájera to reach Santo Domingo de la Calzada where it will converge with the other way called del Interior or Basque-French, which coming from France through Irún, passes through Andoáin, Beasain, Zalduendo de Álava, Vitoria, La Puebla de Arganzón, entering La Rioja through Las Conchas de Haro towards Briñas, Haro, Zarratón, Cidamón, San Torcuato, Bañares and finally Santo Domingo de la Calzada (probably the closest place to the road in the region), from where it will continue towards Belorado on the way to Santiago de Compostela, ending its route in La Rioja in Grañón.

Another of the Caminos de Santiago that passes through La Rioja is the Camino Jacobeo del Ebro. Pilgrims from the Mediterranean and the eastern Pyrenees consolidated this Camino del Ebro from Tortosa to Logroño passing through Gandesa, Caspe, Zaragoza, Tudela, Alfaro and Calahorra. It is the Roman road that for more than two thousand years has linked Tarraco with Astorga, a historic communications axis that reveals to the walker the lands and peoples of Catalonia, Aragon, Navarra and La Rioja.

Many of the municipalities through which the path passes have hostels, so that pilgrims can spend the night.

Assets of cultural interest

La Rioja currently has (2018) 118 assets declared Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC), as an example we can cite the following:

• Churches and cathedrals: Cathedral of Saint Mary (Calahorra), Concatedral of Saint Mary of the Redonda (Logroño), Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Church of St. James the Greater (Calahorra), Church of St. Andrew (Calahorra), Church of Saint Bartholomew (Logroño), Church of St. Thomas (Haro), Church of Saint Mary the Greater
• Monasteries: Monastery of San José (Calahorra), Monastery of Ntra. Ms. de la Piedad (Casalarreina), Monastery Cisterciense de Santa María (Cañas), Monastery of Our Lady of Valvanera (Anguiano), Monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera and Monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla.
• Castles: Castillo de Sajazarra, Castillo de Clavijo, Castillo de Arnedo, Castillo de Cornago, Castillo de Cuzcurrita....
• Houses and palaces: Palacio del Marquis de Casa Torre (Igea), Palacio de los Salazar (Haro).
• Archaeological remains: Roman Ruins of Calahorra, Roman Nipheus (Alfaro) and Contrebia Leukade (Aguilar of the Alhama River).
• Jacimiento de icnitas: Yacimiento de Enciso, Yacimiento de hornillos, Yacimiento de San Vicente (Munilla) y el Yacimiento Paleontológico de Icnitas de las Hoyas (Arnedillo).
• Artistic Historic Set: The road of Santiago in La Rioja, artistic historical ensemble of Casalarreina, artistic historical ensemble of Briones, Historical group Canales de la Sierra, Historical artistic ensemble of Navarrete and the artistic historical ensemble of Ortigosa de cameros.
• Intangible Cultural Interest: La Jota riojana, El Reino de Nájera (Theatrical Representation of Historical Events), The Discipants of Saint Vincent de la Sonsierra, The Miracle of the Hen and the Caoster of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
• Others: Roman bridge of Cihuri, El Rollo Jurisdiccional (Calahorra), Horca de Enciso, Puente roman de Mantible (Logroño), Real Factory of Paños (Ezcaray), Igea tree site, cultural landscape of wine and the vineyard of La Rioja.

• 

  Calahorra Cathedral

• 

  Santa María de la Asunción, Briones

• 

  Torres de Santa María la Redonda, Logroño

• 

  Caves of the Cien Pilares, Arnedo

• 

  Artistic Historical Set of Navarrete

World Heritage Site

Monastery of Yuso

Cenotafio de San Millán (centuryXII). Monastery of San Millán de Suso

On December 4, 1997, the monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and Suso were declared a World Heritage Site in Europe by Unesco. Both are located in the La Rioja town of San Millán de la Cogolla, and are famous because the Emilian Glosses were found there.

The Suso Monastery (above), the oldest, began construction at the end of the VI century, to house the tomb of San Millán, a hermit disciple of San Felices de Bilibio, while the Yuso Monastery (below) has its origins in the 17th century X, counting on later reconstructions in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. It has an important library of Cantorales from the XII century, as well as an excellent collection of facsimiles.

Gonzalo de Berceo, the first known poet in the Spanish language, was educated in the monastery and is considered a medieval center of culture.

The Camino de Santiago Francés is also a World Heritage Site, which passes through several communities, including La Rioja, and 35 footprint sites in the Iberian Peninsula are in the process of becoming so, 13 of which are in La Rioja, This being the region of Spain and the world with the largest number of them.

In 2013, the cultural landscape of wine and vineyards of La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa was included in the list of candidates for World Heritage Sites.

Culture

Haro

La Rioja dialect

Variant of the Spanish language, spoken in La Rioja, with two subdialects, that of La Rioja Alta and that of Baja. It has features related to the old Navarro-Aragonese language and to the Basque language. At the moment it is practically in disuse in many of its characteristics and reduced to some rural areas in others. This is also the name given to a language spoken in the area at the time when this region was in the hands of the Kingdom of Navarre.

In La Rioja, the intonation or accent is very different from Spanish and Aragonese and is reminiscent of that of the Basque Country and Navarra. This is probably a very old linguistic fact that may take us back to the very origins of the language. This is so except in some very specific peripheral areas of the region, such as in the towns near the source of the Najerilla River, where the intonation is identical to Spanish. This is a consequence of very close ties given by proximity. Also in the towns of the Alfaro region, its intonation is very characteristic, consisting of lengthening the final vowel, similar to that of Tarazona, Tudela or Zaragoza itself.

Rioja jota

Riojanos in an engraving of 1845

The jota from Rioja forms part, together with that of Navarra and Aragón, of the so-called «jotas del Ebro», since these three varieties of this musical style are related to each other. Due to its specificity and uniqueness, it has been declared an asset of intangible cultural interest. The lyrics of the songs are popular verses, in some cases referring to traditional day-to-day themes of the people for whom they were composed., are also satirical in tone, on agricultural cycles or on La Rioja itself. They were sung at popular festivals or by farmers to liven up the work in the fields. They are usually accompanied by a rondalla or by wind instruments such as the Rioja boot bagpipe or the Navarra bagpipe, called gaita in La Rioja. Although more frequently, the accompaniment is performed with an accordion. There are jota schools in many towns in La Rioja throughout the community. It is worth mentioning several performers and composers of this musical style such as Pepe Blanco Teo Echaure, Purita Ugalde «la Riojanita», Antonio García, Ángel Sáez-Benito, Oscar Alesanco or Fidel Ibarra, who performed before King Alfonso XIII in 1903 during his first visit to the capital of La Rioja and compositions such as Riojano de pura cepa (1880), the pasodoble-jota In La Rioja I was born (1957), La jota de Logroño (1910), In La Rioja los riojanos (1945), In La Rioja there is no tram (1953) etc... This musical style also had its repercussions in the theaters. This was the case with zarzuela in works such as El postillón de La Rioja (1851) by non-La Riojan authors that includes a Rioja jota in the first act, in Cameranas (1933) by José Eizaga or in La Riojana (1898) by Florencio Bello. Fragment of lyrics of two jotas from La Rioja:

«Riojano of pure strain

In La Rioja I came to the world in Rioja
I came to the world
Rijano of pure strain.
There's no jot that I don't sing, there's no
Fuck that I can't sing
I didn't drink.
I didn't drink.

I came to the world in La Rioja. »

«I sing to Logroño

that in La Rioja was born
and in La Ribera del Ebro
I learned it.
I was born in La Rioja,
in La Rioja was born
and affection for my land

I sing it like that. »

Guardaviñas or hut from La Rioja

Traditional rangers

The guardaviñas, huts or huts, are rural stone buildings, on one floor, typical of La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa, almost always circular in shape and with a false dome. Most are found in the Rioja Alta, especially in Ábalos, Briones, San Asensio and San Vicente de la Sonsierra. They were used as a shelter for vine farmers and their work animals from the inclement weather. They were also used by the Field Guard institutions, to monitor the crops from these locations.

Most of them are built practically dry, with stones placed with very little contribution of mortar.

To raise them, they started from a very resistant plinth in which rows of almost always flat stones were placed. Once the stones had been placed up to a good height, circles of smaller diameter continued to be made, until the circle was narrowed so much that a single stone was enough to close the roof.

Gastronomy

Patatas to the Rijana

The best-known typical dishes are patatas a la riojana or patatas con chorizo, which consists of potatoes cooked with chorizo and lamb chops with vine shoots, a dish that is usually prepared in wineries and in the open air, roasting on a grill the chops over the embers of the vine branches. But it also has an infinite number of native dishes that can be tasted in any of the restaurants that can be found in the region. Traditional Rioja cuisine is generally made up of consistent dishes, standing out stews and stews, and are based on products from the Ribera del Ebro garden, combined with products from the slaughter. Worth mentioning are the migas de pastor and garlic soups (also in other autonomous communities), leek salad, stuffed peppers, Anguiano caparrones, pochas with quail, Rioja-style cod, sausages, and trout a la riojana. It is also worth mentioning the chorizo and ham, typical of the region, and the camerano cheese.

Pears to red wine

From the orchard we must highlight the borage, artichoke, cardoon, beans, asparagus, peppers, alegrías from Rioja and mushrooms, all of which are the basis of countless traditional recipes such as stew from Rioja, which can be enjoyed on all in La Rioja Baja, and more specifically in Calahorra, where the increasingly popular Jornadas de la Verdura are held annually in April, where a large vegetable market is organized, and the city's bars and restaurants offer pinchos and typical dishes made with these products. The young garlic sprouts grilled on the grill of the vine shoots, very typical of Arnedo, are also recognized for their flavor.

The gastronomic excursions around the capital, Logroño, are famous, especially along Calle Laurel or Senda de los Elefantes, Calle San Juan, where you can taste a variety of pinchos and tapas, in a relaxed and colloquial environment, washed down with came from Rioja

As a dessert in La Rioja, the pear in red wine and other fruits made in the same way stand out. Typical sweets from Riojan golmajería are, among others, the little hanged ones from Santo Domingo de la Calzada, the fardelejos from Arnedo, the marzipan from Soto de Soto in Cameros and the rusos from Alfaro.

Sports

Naturhouse City of Logroño after obtaining the Superlight 2014-2015

The Cambodian Handler Titin III

In 2011, three teams from La Rioja participated in their highest national categories. The men's handball team from Naturhouse La Rioja and the women's teams from the Haro Volleyball Club and the Murillo Volleyball Club.

In addition, the historic CD Logroñés was also in the Spanish First Division, a club founded in 1940, but which, due to economic crises, disappeared and was refounded (as two different clubs) in 2009, giving rise to the aforementioned UD Logroñés and SD Logroñés.

Every year, on the last Saturday of April, there is a night march on foot of about 63 km between Logroño and the Valvanera Monastery, known as the Valvanerada, with a large participation.

Handball is very popular, to the point of there being frontons in any town in La Rioja. Specifically, the Adarraga fronton is one of the most important locations for the highest level competitions. There are many pelotaris from La Rioja who play in the professional categories of this sport, such as Merino II. Regional championships such as the La Rioja ball tournament are held annually. Likewise, throughout the year, joint pelota mano competitions are held between pelotaris from the Basque Country, Navarra and La Rioja.

Celebrations and other events

Dance of the stilts of Anguilla

Procession of Silence in the Easter Calagurritana with the Temple of San Francisco at the bottom

Festivals of National Tourist Interest

Some of its most popular celebrations and declared of National Tourist Interest are:

The Robbery of Saints

• Fiestas de San Cosme y San Damián (Arnedo). The traditional Theft of Saints that recreates an ancient legend of dispute for the figure of the patrons with villages of the Navarre river. They were declared a national holiday of tourist interest by the Secretary of State of Tourism on November 5, 2019.

• Easter Calagurritana: Declared National Tourist Interest in 2014 and previously declared Regional Tourist Interest in 1998. Among its attractions is the Roman Market Mercaforum where the Grupo Paso Viviente evokes for two days the ancient Calagurris Nassica Iulia, where you can see different recreations of Roman buildings, mosaics, Roman sculptures, artisans and a large number of Roman legions and theater groups. During Holy Thursday takes place Stage of Passion along Valvanera Avenue where in different scenarios you can see the passion of Christ in an amazing and realistic way.

The processions of Holy Week in Calagurritana are magnificent and spectacular, where the only penitential brotherhood in the city of Calahorra: the Brotherhood of Santa Vera Cruz is in charge of all the processions from Friday of Sorrows to Easter Sunday. Among them stands out the Great Procession of the Holy Burial, on Good Friday where 20 steps leave from the Temple of San Francisco. This procession is the largest in Northern Spain, surpassing neighboring cities such as Pamplona, Vitoria, Bilbao or Burgos. It runs through the entire historic center of Calagurritan and more than 2,000 people participate in it, where at the end of it, the ascent of all the steps up the steep staircase next to the Pilgrims' Hostel is surprising.

• The Feasts of the Holy and Las Doncellas of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. They are festivals in Honor to the Holy, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, who created the town, and of much relief in the Camino de Santiago. They are held from 1 to 15 May and are considered National Tourist Interest Festival since 29 November 1988.6 On April 25: La gaita (as the famous popular saying says: "On April 25, the gaita and the drummer come out"); May 1st: The Molletes; May 10th: The bouquets, the prioras; May 11th: The wheel, the maidens; May 12th: El Santo; May 13th: El Santito; May 15: San Isidro.

• The Fiesta de la Vendimia de Logroño, Son fiestas, whose origins date back to the centuryXII, and since 1956, they have been named Feasts of Vendimia, given the proximity to the dates of collection of grapes, in them they perform numerous acts being wine the central element.

• Haro Wine Battle. It consists of soaking with red wine to other participants until they are completely purple, takes place in the landscape of the Riscos de Bilibio.

Wine Battle, Bilip Riscos

• La Danza de los zancos de Anguiano. In it eight young people of the village, provided with 45 centimeter tall stilts and large skirts, throw themselves on a slope and a steep stairwell turning on themselves.

• The Picaos in Saint Vincent de la Sonsierra. It consists in the self-flagelation of the back, of a group of people as an act of faith and voluntarily with a leaf as they travel the people in procession.

• Medieval Days of Brions. Festivals declared in 2012 by National Tourist Interest. Market recalling the centuryXIVYour case, environmental recreation, representations... you don't have a sales market. Beautiful, patios, houses... those days the houses are open to the outsider. The Church and its tower are the epicenter of the Market. In this villa you will find the Wine Museum.

Its patron saint is the Virgin of Valvanera.

Festivals of regional tourist interest

• Ferias de la Concepción de Santo Domingo de La Calzada, fiestas of regional tourist interest. It is always held in December, during the weekend and the bridge of the Constitution and the Immaculate Conception, 6 and 8 December, with an extensive program of acts and many high quality posts. In the beautiful villa you form a great festive atmosphere with this fair and it is many people who come every year to the appointment. The music and the street theater immerse us even more in the medieval world. In addition to this is the Medieval Market, the Road Market, the Camino Fair, the Ecological Fair and the Antiquities and Collecting Fair. Gather more than a hundred thousand people. The Cathedral, as an epicenter of the Market.

• Fiestas de San Bernabé (Logroño). It commemorates the resistance of the Achievements to the attack of the city by the French troops of André de Foix, Mr. of Lesparre, in the year 1521, in it among other acts, there is a free tasting of fish, bread and wine, since these foods managed to survive the siege.

In literature

Many of the books written by Rafael Azcona such as Pobre or The dead are not touched, baby are set in Logroño, although his name is not mentioned in any of them, some of its characteristic places appear, such as the Paseo del Espolón, the Plaza del Mercado or the missing Modern Theatre.

The writer Pío Baroja makes numerous references to La Rioja in his works and uses it as one of his settings in writings such as Zalacaín el aventurero (1908). Characters from La Rioja also appear in works such as The Tree of Knowledge (1911). A novel in which, among others, the protagonist makes the following comment about three traveling salesmen. A Catalan who represented factories in Sabadell, a man from La Rioja who sold tartrates for wines, and an Andalusian who lived in Madrid and ran electrical appliances: «The Catalan was not petulant like the majority of his countrymen in the same trade; the man from La Rioja did not pretend to be frank or rude, and the Andalusian did not pretend to be funny».

The medieval writer Gonzalo de Berceo also makes reference to various geographical locations in La Rioja in his works.

At the movies

From January 13 to April 14, 1956, the film Calle Mayor, winner of the international critics award at the Venice Film Festival in 1956, by director Juan Antonio Bardem, was shot in Logroño. Despite also being there some exteriors shot in Cuenca and Palencia, its images are faithful reflections of mid-century Logroño XX. It was filmed in Portales street and in the Moderno cafe.

Calle Portales de Logroño where the movie Calle Mayor was shot

More current is Federico Luppi's directorial debut, Pasos (2005), set in this case in Logroño in the 1980s after the attempted coup in 1981. The script of the film is by Susana Hornos, wife of the Argentine director, born in the neighboring town of Fuenmayor.

Also current is the feature film Proyecto Dos, produced by José Antonio Romero from Logroño, of which images have been shot at the Logroño-Agoncillo airport and in the city. Starring Lucía Jiménez and Adriá Collado.

In the film El sur (1983), it was shot in many different places, most of it in Ezcaray, there are also sequences located in the Hospital de La Rioja and in the building formerly known as Gran Hotel in Logrono.

In the US production The way (2010), Logroño and Navarrete appear as well as other municipalities on the Camino de Santiago.

In 2011 the film The dead are not touched, baby was filmed in the city, based on the homonymous work by the La Rioja writer and screenwriter Rafael Azcona. Among the filming locations is the famous Café Moderno.

The television series Gran Reserva and Olmos y Robles are set in La Rioja. Appearing in both various locations in the community, but especially Briones and Ezcaray respectively. So also the series Venga Juan where Logroño appears as the birthplace of the Politician Juan Carrasco.

Media

1st daily La Rioja, 1889

In La Rioja, in addition to the national media, we can find the following regional ones:

Newspapers

Radius

Television

Notable people