Old Town of Leon
The Old Town or Old Quarter is the historic quarter of the city of León, capital of the province (Spain). It is located in the heart of the city, on a hill located between the Bernesga and Torío rivers, whose elevated position between two continuous water sources decided the creation of the Legio VI Victrix camp, origin of the city.
The old center of León is a monumental neighborhood, the layout of its streets being medieval, with narrow streets, irregular blocks, high density, narrow and deep buildings with vertical openings, balconies, viewpoints, wooden eaves, etc. Until the development of the expansion plan in 1904, which is why the vast majority of the city's monuments are located here.
This neighborhood currently suffers serious problems in relation to the aging of the population, the deterioration and lack of conditions of the houses, concentration of social marginality, traffic on narrow streets, circumstances that are tried to be corrected with various actions. It continues to be an important commercial and leisure area of the city, concentrating on the most representative and tourist monuments, among which the cathedral stands out, which attracts a large number of visitors due to its dynamism and position in the city, and where many number of establishments of all kinds (bazaars, cocktail and tapas bars, restaurants, etc.), concentrated on the main roads, among which Calle Ancha stands out, the former Decumano of the Legio VI camp and later of Legio VII Gemina, which divides the old city in two and in the Húmedo neighborhood, which represents the essence of the historic city with its narrow, steep streets and irregular squares.
The recovery of the old town of Leon since the end of the 20th century is palpable in the recovery of its squares and streets, once dominated by cars, for pedestrians with various pedestrianizations, among which the one of the Húmedo neighborhood and the street Wide, the first to regenerate one of the most active tourist spaces in the city and the second to pedestrianise, a street that connected the eastern and western areas of the city with a high intensity of traffic, which was affecting the cathedral. An attempt has been made to alleviate the loss of parking spaces with the creation of three car parks, two underground and one on the surface, in the immediate vicinity of the historic city, in Santo Domingo, in the Plaza Mayor de León and in San Pedro, next to the cathedral.
Situation
The old town of León is located in the center of the city and on a hill that overlooks a large part of the space between the Bernesga and Torío rivers. The vast majority of the city's urban transport lines go to the old town, stopping at Santo Domingo, the main square of the city and the gate to the old town; In addition, around the old town there are several public car parks on the surface or underground.
The Old Town is a pedestrian area, and for this reason only vehicles used for cleaning, transport, private cars whose parking is inside the neighborhood and maintenance vehicles circulate inside. For all other vehicles, entry is prohibited to maintain the pedestrian nature of the area.
History
- Development of the Old Town
The city of León emerged around 29 B.C. C. as a Roman military camp of Legio VI Victrix, on the river terrace between the Bernesga and Torío rivers, near the Asturian city of Lancia, on the occasion of the so-called Cantabrian wars. At the end of the 1st century, from the year 74, the camp is occupied by Legio VII Gemina, which will remain in León until approximately the beginning of the 5th century. The city belonged to the Conventus Asturum, with its capital in Asturica Augusta, which was part of the Tarragona province until the 3rd century, when, with the creation of the province of Gallaecia, it was integrated into it.
After the Roman period, the city formed part of the Suevian kingdom and later the Visigothic kingdom. Between the 6th and 8th centuries, the scarcity of archaeological evidence projects an image lacking in urban vitality, with a clear reduction in inhabited space, but the discovery of ceramics belonging to the Cordovan Umayyad period in the Puerta Obispo area indicates that the city was not completely abandoned, but retained a certain stable population.
León was conquered by the Muslims in the year 712. However, it was not until around 846 that a group of Mozarabs tried to repopulate the city with a Christian population, since until then it had remained in a "dormant state& #34;, in the center of the line of combat; however, a Muslim attack put an end to that initiative. It was in 853 when Ordoño I incorporated the city into the Kingdom of Asturias, successfully repopulating it. It is with Ordoño II, who took the throne after the death of his brother García I, when the city became the capital of the Asturian kingdom, beginning the Kingdom of Leon.
During the existence of the kingdom, the city of León grew and evolved in its development. The Camino de Santiago played an important role in this matter, perhaps the most important route for the circulation of people, ideas, culture and art in the Middle Ages.
In the 12th century, the Arab geographer and traveler Edrisi wrote the following about León: "Very profitable trade is practiced there. Its inhabitants are savers and prudent". We also have news of León through various codices, including the Codex Calixtinus, a manuscript that, among other things, contains information on the route that pilgrims followed to Santiago de Compostela. With all this, the city experienced the development of new neighborhoods, sometimes outside the walls of a city that was already too small, and almost always next to the path of pilgrims, who entered the city through the so-called Moneda Gate.
- Modern recovery
The arrival of democracy has meant for the old town the pedestrianization of its streets, the enhancement of its monuments and the recovery of numerous houses. Pedestrianization has made it possible to enhance the tourist function of this area of León, with special mention of the wet neighborhood, where the highest concentration of hotel establishments in the city is found.
Monuments
Cathedral of León
Crowning the Old Town, on a small promontory, is the cathedral. It is known by the nickname of the "Pulchra Leonina", due to the purity of its Gothic style, recognized as one of the jewels of Gothic in Spain.
Its construction began in 1205, replacing the old Romanesque cathedral that was located on the same site, opened for worship in 1302, and was finally completed with the construction of the cloister in 1566. From the moment it was completed, the cathedral has suffered multiple vicissitudes that have threatened its ruin. The most notable events are the collapse of the central vault in 1631, the collapse of 4 vaults in 1743 and a raging fire in 1966. It has been a Historic Monument since August 28, 1884.
The highlight of this Cathedral, without a doubt, are the Stained Glass Windows, since it has 1800 m² (square meters) divided into 125 windows. These stained glass windows are considered the best in the world of their kind.[citation needed]
Basilica of San Isidoro
The Royal Collegiate Basilica of San Isidoro, or simply San Isidoro de León, is a Christian temple located in the city. It is one of the most outstanding Romanesque-style architectural ensembles in Spain, due to its history, architecture, sculpture, and for the Romanesque sumptuary objects that have been able to be preserved. It presents the particularity of having a Royal Pantheon located at the foot of the church, with Romanesque mural painting and exceptional capitals, all of which make it a unique piece of the Romanesque world of the time. The complex was built and enlarged during the 11th and 12th centuries.
Originally it was a monastery dedicated to San Pelayo, although it is assumed that a Roman temple was previously established on its foundations. With the transfer of the remains of San Isidoro, Bishop of Seville, Doctor of the Spains, to León, the ownership of the temple was changed.
The church building preserves some Romanesque vestiges from the first construction of Fernando I and Sancha. The Pantheon and the two doors on its south façade, called Puerta del Cordero and Puerta del Perdón, plus the North or Capitular Door, are the first manifestations of Romanesque art in the Leonese territories. Over time, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque modifications and additions were made. The Palace of the Viscounts of Quintanilla de Flórez is located next to the Royal Collegiate Basilica of San Isidoro in León.
It has been a Historic-Artistic Monument since February 9, 1910.
Walls of Leon
The first military fortification dates from the Augustan period, around the 1st century BC. C, when the city was nothing more than a Roman military camp. In an indeterminate period between the end of the 3rd century or perhaps the beginning of the 4th century, a new wall was built, this time with cubes or semicircular towers located at short intervals. It was built with quartzite and ashlar stone and its interior was filled with opus caementicium. It is about 5 meters thick and 10 meters high. This is the wall that can be walked currently in the city.
Various repairs were carried out throughout the Middle and Modern Ages along the entire route, of different scope, although in modern times it suffered enough neglect, which meant that at the beginning of the 19th century the city was unprotected. The last important refortification works are due to the period of the first Carlist war, specifically to the period from 1836 to 1840.
The wall of León was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument on June 3, 1931. It is in turn protected by the generic declaration of the decree of April 22, 1949 and by law 16/1985 on Spanish historical heritage.
Palace of the Guzmanes
The Palacio de los Guzmanes is a Renaissance palace in the city, located in front of Gaudí's Casa de los Botines, between Ruíz de Salazar street, Ancha street and San Marcelo square.
This palace dates back to the 16th century. It was designed in 1559 by the masonry master Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. Juan de Ribero Rada, architect and first translator of Andrea Palladio into Spanish, intervened as a quantity surveyor in its construction.
Historical monument since 1963. Currently, the headquarters of the Provincial Council of León.
Singular spaces
Wide Street
Ancha street divides the historic center of the city of León in two, connecting the squares of Santo Domingo and La Regla, being in turn one of the main commercial arteries of it. On both sides of the road there are several unique buildings in the city, among which the Guzmanes palace and the cathedral are the most important.
Because of its dedication to various figures throughout history, it was officially known by various names, the most recent being Calle Merino, in honor of the Leonese pharmacist and politician Fernando Merino Villarino, del Generalísimo, in honor to Francisco Franco during his dictatorship and finally as Calle Ancha, a name by which it was already popularly known beyond the official names.
It was pedestrianized at the end of the 20th century (1997), and since then its role as one of the main commercial arteries of the city has been reinforced as cars gave way to pedestrians. The traffic that runs through it today is restricted to residents who live in the old town and to service vehicles.
Main Square
Grain Square
Plaza del Grano is a square located in the heart of the old town of León. Although it is popularly known as Plaza del Grano, its official name is Plaza de Santa María del Camino as it is located behind the church of the same name. It has a characteristic cobblestone of the medieval Lion.
Its current name is due to the markets where grain and other farm products were sold that took place here. In the center of the square there is a fountain with two children that symbolize the Torío and Bernesga rivers embracing the city. Next to this fountain is a second sculpture, this time a cross, where according to tradition the Virgin appeared on February 9.
San Martin Square
Plaza de San Martín is the center of the city's nightlife and symbol of the Húmedo neighborhood. Formerly known as the shopping square, due to the large number of commercial establishments that were in it, over time, these establishments have gradually abandoned the square, replaced by bars and restaurants. In the square is the Casa de las Carnicerías, a 16th-century building restored by Caja España, which currently uses it as an office and exhibition hall.
Like the rest of the old part of the city, previously San Martín was open to vehicle traffic, being used as a parking area. With the 21st century it has become pedestrianized and the car parks have given way to the terraces of bars and restaurants, as well as a lively nightlife.
Cid's Garden
The mayor of León Manuel Arroyo Quiñones, accompanied by the Nicaraguan ambassador Justino Sansón Balladares, inaugurated the park on June 28, 1972.
Also called "el jardín romántico", it is the only park that exists in the old area of León.
Embodied neighborhoods
Humid Quarter
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The Húmedo neighborhood is the best known and most popular area of the old town of León, located south of Ancha street. Its origin is probably in the ancient Roman cannaba, where the civilians who supplied the camp with products lived. Among its most emblematic streets is La Rúa, once the most commercial street in the city, connecting Calle Ancha with Plaza de San Francisco, already outside the walled enclosure.
The life of the neighborhood, however, is concentrated in the streets around the Plaza de San Martín and the Plaza Mayor, where the bulk of the hotel establishments and nightclubs are located. This is the area par excellence for the activity known as tapas, where each drink is accompanied by a sample of the provincial gastronomy completely free of charge, the most typical being the Leonese sausage.
Romantic Quarter
The romantic neighborhood is located around the Parque del Cid. As in the Húmedo neighborhood, the streets are narrow, widening only in the few squares in the area, such as Torres de Omaña, Santo Martino or San Isidoro squares. It also shares with the Húmedo neighborhood the abundance of catering establishments, but not nightclubs, something that also makes it perfect for tapas in its streets.
The cultural offer of the romantic neighborhood is superior to that of the Húmedo neighborhood, more specialized in activities related to nightlife; being in the neighborhood the Museum of León and the Basilica of San Isidoro.
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