Tudela

Tudela is a Spanish municipality in the Foral Community of Navarra, located 94 km from the capital of the community, Pamplona. It is the head of the homonymous judicial district, head of the homonymous merindad and the economic and commercial center of the Ribera de Navarra. It is also the second most populous municipality in Navarra with a population of 37,247 inhabitants (INE 2022).

Toponymy

Traditionally it has been believed that the place name of Tudela originates from the Latin word tutela 'protection', and that it would refer to the Roman deity of the same name Tutela.

It is disputed whether the mention of "Tutela" contained in one of the epigrams of the Latin poet Marcial actually refers to Tudela. In any case, the city is mentioned for the first time in the year 802, when Amrus ben Yusuf fortifies the hillock next to the Ebro. In the Islamic context the city was referred to as:

"By the authority of the Azdi, quoted by Borbon, letter XII and XV of those written to Dr. Masdeu, it is found that in the expedition to which he began the 97th of the Hegira, 716 of Christ, Ayub el Lajimita, Governor of Spain, successor of Abdalasis, took over the city of Tudela. It kept its name without any further alteration than that of the Arabic language, which called it Tothila, Todela and once Tudelaof which there are repeated trials in the memories of those times. »

The names with which it is recorded in the historical documentation for the years 1119-1121 are Thudela, Totela, Tudela, Tudella, Tutela, Tutele, Tutella and Tutellam.

There are other Tudelas in Spain such as the municipalities of Tudela de Duero and Tudela de Segre, as well as the Riojan municipality of Tudelilla. The origins of the place names of these localities are usually related to Tudela in Navarre.

Geography

Situation of the municipality of Tudela in Navarra and its merindad

Tudela is a city in Navarra (Spain), head of the region known as La Ribera, located to the south of Navarra, as well as the judicial district of the same name and the merindad of the same name. It is located on the banks of the Ebro River and at the mouth of the Queiles, one of its tributaries, which runs through the city. It is located at an altitude of 264 meters.

Border populations

The municipality of Tudela is one of the largest in Navarra and is represented on page 282 of the National Topographic Map.

Northwest: Castejón	North: Castejón, Valtierra y Arguedas	Northeast: Royal Bardens
West: Corella and Cintruénigo		This: Royal Bardens
Southwest: Fitero and Tarazona (Zaragoza)	South: Cascante, Murchante, Ablitas and Fontellas	Sureste: Cabanillas

Relief

The relief of the municipality is defined by the plain of La Ribera Navarra, to the east, dominated by the Ebro river, up to the beginning of the Bardenas Reales Natural Park. To the northwest are the Montes del Cierzo, which exceed 400 meters in altitude, highlighting the Hornazos (413 m), Portillo de Navas (431 m) and Moluengo (441 m) peaks. To the southwest the relief is more abrupt, formed by the continuation of the Montes del Cierzo that extend towards Tarazona. The altitude oscillates between 730 meters in the extreme southeast and 250 meters on the banks of the Ebro.

Hydrography

Tudela is crossed by two rivers, the Queiles, and the Mediavilla river that collects rainwater from the Cierzo mountains and by springs that are along the route within the city. On its right side, the city limits with the Ebro river that reaches it from the north and skirts it in a NW-SE direction. The abundant flow of the river is the main supply of drinking water for human consumption and irrigation.

The Ebro depression is filled with mostly clayey and silty sediments of little hydrogeological interest, and with large evaporitic accumulations (gypsum and other salts) that give the waters a marked saline character. There are some strictly local aquifers in the coarser detrital lithological facies. Undoubtedly, the largest aquifer due to its storage and easy recharge is the one installed in the fluvial terraces of the Ebro river.

The discharge occurs mainly at the contact between the Iberian mountain range and the Ebro depression, its outlet being controlled by the greater permeability of certain fractures. In Navarra, the discharge takes place through the thermal springs of Baños de Fitero and directly into the Alhama riverbed, even reaching the city of Tudela itself, but already in cold and minor aquifers, but enough to contribute water to the Queiles river.

Climate

The climate of Tudela is a typical Mediterranean climate, with little rainfall and concentrated mainly in autumn. The only rains that reach the area come from the few Mediterranean storms associated with winds from the Southeast (upstream of the Ebro) and contributions from summer storms. The values of the interannual variation coefficient of precipitation are very high. Average annual temperature of 14.7 °C, rainfall of about 400 mm.; hours of clear sun 2500, with more than 120 clear days a year, due to the influence of the gusty wind from the northwest, north wind. It corresponds to a warm temperate thermal regime. With regard to the humidity regime, both the duration, intensity and seasonal situation in the dry period define it as dry Mediterranean. Under these conditions, winter and spring cereals, legumes, industrial crops, fodder, vines, olives, etc. are possible. It is an excellent climate for apple, pear, peach and other deciduous fruit trees, but they require irrigation.

Tudela average climate parameters (Reference period: 1986-2004)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	20.0	26.6	30.0	31.0	36.0	43.0	41.3	42.0	39.0	31.0	24.9	21.0	43.0
Average temperature (°C)	10.2	12.8	17.0	18.3	23.2	27.8	30.9	30.9	25.8	19.8	13.9	10.5	20.1
Average temperature (°C)	6.2	7.9	11.3	12.8	17.2	21.2	24.0	24.1	19.9	15.1	9.8	6.8	14.7
Temp. medium (°C)	2.2	3.0	5.6	7.4	11.2	14.6	17.1	17.3	14.1	10.4	5.8	3.2	9.3
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-7.0	-6.0	-7.0	-2.0	0.0	6.0	9.0	8.8	5.5	0.0	-6.0	-9.0	-9.0
Total precipitation (mm)	26.7	20.1	23.1	39.9	43.4	34.7	21.8	28.4	44.6	40.6	28.0	33.1	384.4
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	8	6	7	9	8	5	4	5	7	10	9	9	87
Days of snowfall (≥ 1 mm)	0.5	1.2	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	0.6	2.5
Source: Government of Navarra - Department of Rural Development and Environment.

Flora and fauna

The typical vegetation is the large Durilignosa formation with a more or less continental character, with Quercus ilex representing the Quercion ilicis alliance. Due to the influence of higher humidity and lower tenacity, it appears associated with Quercus lusitanica, a tree with marcescent leaves.

Historic Helmet of Tudela, with the new city at the bottom

La Mejana

Gateway to the Mejana

La Mejana is an islet of the Ebro river located next to the urban area of Tudela. It was formed naturally by accumulation of silt dragged by the Ebro river in its course. Although the word mejana is applied as a common name to other islets formed by the Ebro as it flows through Navarra and Aragon, the quintessential mejana is the one that is located next to the town center of Tudela and the stone bridge over the Ebro. that the other mejanas are usually named together with another place name that differentiates it, as happens with the so-called Mejana de Mosquera, located downstream from Tudela or the Mejana de Santa Isabel, located in the municipality of Cortes.

La Mejana is located in the Ebro, but not in the center of its channel, but much closer to the right bank of the river than its left bank. The branch of the river that separates it from the right bank and from the town center of Tudela is called Acequia del Molinar or del Molino. Although originally the surface of La Mejana was occupied by a grove with typical river bank vegetation, its land was plowed and today it is mostly occupied by orchards. It is a very popular farmland, where vegetable fields are mixed with leisure fields, the vegetables that this field produces being famous: artichokes, asparagus, lettuce hearts, tomatoes, etc. However, at the northern end of La Mejana, a portion of the primitive grove has been preserved which, together with another mass of trees on the left bank of the Ebro River, is protected as a natural enclave under the name of Sotos de Traslapuente (protection code of natural spaces of Navarre EN-11). Access to La Mejana is via a small bridge over the Acequia del Molinar presided over by a famous brick door, drawn and painted a thousand times, which has a niche at the top with the image of the patron saint of Tudela: Santa Ana.

La Mejana has traditionally been one of the most recognized and authentic urban landmarks of Tudela. For this reason, Navarrese jotas abound in which it is alluded to. In the case of a place very loved by the Tudelanos and Tudelanas.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

A fragment of incised cruciform ceramic (I Age of Iron) and another of Terra Sigillata Gálica (Roman) found in Tudela

In different parts of the term, it preserves unequivocal remains (lithic and ceramic materials) that speak of human settlements from the Lower Paleolithic.

Celtic and Celtiberian times (9th-3rd centuries BC)

In 1988 and 1999, in archaeological excavations in the Cerro de Santa Bárbara, next to the old town of Tudela, archaeological remains belonging to the I and II Iron Ages were found. All these excavations seem to suggest that in Tudela there was a Celtiberian settlement of even larger dimensions than that of Cerro de la Cruz in Cortes.

Roman period (3rd century BC-5th century AD)

Diverse excavations have found remains from the Roman period in different parts of the municipal area, such as the Roman villa of Ramalete, Roman ceramics on the Cerro de Santa Bárbara and within the old town of Tudela. The first Roman remains associated with security walls and pavements were discovered in the excavations carried out between 1984 and 1985 in the vicinity of the Church of the Magdalena. There are contemporary written testimonies that seem to indicate that this Roman village was known as Tutela . The Spanish-Roman poet Marco Valerio Marcial, for example, cites Tudela along with his native Bilbilis in epigram 55 of book IV.

The Roman Tutela could have been an almost abandoned village from the I century AD. C., although it has been shown that the hill of Santa Bárbara has been inhabited since Celtic and Roman times without interruption until today. There is a hypothesis according to which the Roman Cascantum (present-day Cascante) was not founded in the same position as the original Celtiberian Kaiskata, existing the possibility that the original position of the The indigenous Kaiskata is Tudela itself, the old indigenous town of Cerro de Santa Bárbara. By changing location and losing economic status, the original Kaiskata could also lose its original name, in favor of the new Cascantum, becoming Tutela >.

It has been considered on numerous occasions that Muskaria or Muscaria, a Basque-Roman city cited by the geographer Ptolemy in the 18th century II d. C., was in the vicinity of the current Tudela. Today it is considered highly unlikely that Muskaria was located in the municipality of Tudela, much less that it was Tudela itself.

Middle Ages

Visigothic period (5th-7th centuries AD)

Dating from the Visigothic period, abundant archaeological remains from the 4th to the 6th centuries have also been identified in excavations around the Church of La Magdalena, in the plots of land on the left bank of the Mediavilla ravine and, on the surface, in the slopes of Cerro de Santa Bárbara.

Muslim period (8th-12th centuries AD)

In 802, Tutela was fortified (and refounded as Al-Tutili) by Amrus ben Yusuf, who had been appointed governor of the Upper March by the Emir Al-Hakam I. In the context of the revolts in the Hispanic March against Emperor Pepin I, which affected the Catalan, Aragonese and Pamplona territories, «the Banu Qasi would settle in Tudela, probably according to the governor of the Upper Frontier, the future Abd al-Rahman II, who had his residence in Zaragoza and who, in 817, had directed the peace negotiations with Luis the Pious".

Later, Al-Tutili was the permanent place of residence of Musa ibn Musa, a powerful caudillo who maintained relations, even kinship, with the Christian manor houses of the nascent Kingdom of Pamplona, being specifically the uterine brother of Inigo Arista. His power was such that he came to be considered the "Third King of Spain", after the emir Abd al-Rahman II of Córdoba and the Asturian king Ordoño I of Oviedo. During his rule and that of his successors throughout the 9th and 10th centuries, Al-Tutili underwent great expansion, reaching great economic and cultural splendor. Even during this stage, Tudela became the capital of an independent taifa for a brief period of about 5 years (probably between 1046 and 1051), during which time its own currency was minted.

The importance that Al-Tutili acquired is attested to by the construction of the Greater Mosque, the souk (Mercalete Vetere), an alcaicería, churches for the Mozarabs, a Jewish quarter with synagogues, public baths and a motley hamlet sheltered from the Alcazaba that were subject to Al-Andalus as the border of two religious faiths: the Muslim and the Christian. Tudela became a melting pot of peoples and cultures in which, in addition to Muslims, Mozarabs and Jews mixed. The «Andalusí culture» continued to be of marked significance from the XI to the XIII century with notable figures both Arab and Jewish.

Recapture of the city of Tudela. 12th and 13th centuries

Shortly after the Muslim capitulation of Zaragoza on December 18, 1118, Tudela was definitively reconquered by King Alfonso I the Battler on February 25, 1119, with an army of Pamploneses, Aragonese and French Crusaders. At first, lordship over Tudela was granted to Aznar Aznárez, also lord of Funes, and to Fortún Garcés Cajal, who was lord of Nájera. Later, Rotrou III, count of Perche, one of the king's main allies throughout the campaign of reconquest in the middle valley of the Ebro, he would be rewarded for his services, being granted the lordship of Tudela from 1124 to 1135. Following the reconquest of Tudela, numerous nearby plazas of the Ribera de Navarra were also taken and King Alfonso I the Battler undertook the administrative reorganization of the region, naming Tudela head of the Merindad, granting the privileges of Nájera to the Jews of his aljama so that they could return to the city, and also granting the population the disputed and supposed jurisdiction of Sobrarbe, as well as the privilege Tortum per tortum. For their part, the Moors of Tudela, after the capitulations agreed with King Alfonso I in mid-March, maintained their religious and judicial authorities, with the appropriate adaptations After the king's death, the separation of the kingdoms of Pamplona and Aragon and the restoration of the old Pyrenean kingdom with García V Ramírez, Tudela was incorporated into the Kingdom of Pamplona.

After the Reconquest and for almost 400 years, the three monotheistic cultures, each under their own jurisdictions, uses and rites, and in different neighborhoods, lived in relative calm. The Morería and the Tudelana Jewish quarter were among the most prestigious and numerous in Navarra. Witness to the strength of Tudelano Jewry during this period is the figure of the famous Jew from Tudela Benjamín de Tudela (1127 / 30-1175), a curious and intrepid traveler who traveled across the Mediterranean to the Near East recounting his journey in a book.

The demographic and economic importance of Tudela, as well as the identity of La Ribera within the framework of the Pamplona kingdom, made the monarchs of the Kingdom of Pamplona/Navarra of the century XII alternated their residence between Pamplona and Tudela. An example of this is the monarch Sancho VI el Sabio (1150-1194), a monarch very close to Tudela, which he made his permanent residence during the winter seasons. However, the king most closely linked to Tudela was undoubtedly King Sancho VII the Strong (1194-1234), who fought in the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 together with King Alfonso VIII of Castile and King Pedro II of Aragon.. Sancho VII was born and died in Tudela; He is credited with restoring the citadel, turning it into a typical medieval castle, and the bridge over the Ebro.

Tudela joined the brotherhood of the good towns in 1283, so that when the functioning of the Cortes of the Kingdom was consolidated, it formed part of the arm of the Universities or good towns, occupying third place among them, after Pamplona and Stella.

14th and 15th centuries

Charles III the Noble granted Tudela the title of city in 1390, and resolutely reformed the old castle of Tudela, turning it into a truly royal, sumptuous and elegant palace.

In the second half of the XV century, once Carlos III died, Tudela suffered the consequences of the fights between the inhabitants of Agramontes and Beaumontese. The war persisted after the death of Carlos, Prince of Viana in 1461 and that of Juan II in 1479. Finally, the Crown of Castile under the command of the Aragonese Fernando el Católico, taking advantage of this war and his alliance with the Beaumontese, conquered the Kingdom of Navarre in 1512.

Modern Age

16th century

During the conquest of the Kingdom of Navarra, Tudela was isolated from the first moments as the only riverside nucleus that remained faithful to the deposed kings in 1512. After enduring a siege by the forces commanded by Alonso de Aragón and after learning that the deposed kings had fled to the other side of the Pyrenees, Tudela capitulated on September 9, 1512 in an advantageous surrender for the city, by which Fernando the Catholic promised to respect the city's privileges. Tudela's tenacity impressed King Ferdinand the Catholic who, in 1513, granted Tudela the title of "Very Noble and Very Loyal" that it still holds.

After the uprising of some Navarrese towns and cities occurred in 1516 due to the penetration of an army under King Juan III de Albret into Navarre, Cardinal Cisneros, Regent of Castile, ordered the military disablement of most of the castles and fortresses of Navarra. The Castle of Tudela was excepted at first, but in 1521 its military elements were topped and in the following years it was used by the people of Tudel to obtain stone for the construction of houses.

Once the incorporation of Navarre to the Crown of Castile materialized, Tudela acquired prominence due to its status as a communications hub and the viceroys of Navarre chose Tudela as the venue for the courts of Navarre in 1538, 1549, 1558, 1565, 1583 and 1593.

Likewise, Tudela, receiving the traditional influence of the cultural uses of the city of Zaragoza, soon became one of the irradiating centers of Renaissance culture in the north of Spain, building various palatial houses in this artistic style, among which Outstanding are the Palace of the Marqués de San Adrián (C/Magallón), the Casa de los Ibáñez Luna (C/ Rúa), the Casa del Almirante and the Dean's Palace, residence of the deans of the then Collegiate Church of Tudela, now the cathedral.

17th and 18th centuries

In 1609, under Philip III, the expulsion of the Moors was decreed, with serious demographic and economic repercussions throughout Spain, including Navarra and Tudela. Coinciding with this crisis, however, was the arrival of new and numerous religious orders in the city. In 1666 it was decided to cultivate the mejana that had formed next to the bridge, giving birth to the Mejana de Santa Cruz, whose renowned orchards are today the pride of Tudela.

The settlement of various religious orders during the 17th and 18th centuries, the erection of the towers of the convents and the chapels of Santa Ana and the Holy Spirit added to the Cathedral, as well as numerous noble mansions that were now beginning to be built or remodeling, decided the definitive baroque character of the city, despite its old layout. Throughout the 18th century, Tudela regained its vitality. During this time, the city was strengthened by building numerous palaces and emblazoned noble houses that today enrich the urban area.

Contemporary Age

19th century

In 1808, Napoleon invaded Spain, Navarra and Tudela, beginning the War of Independence. On November 23, 1808, Tudela entered military history with the Battle of Tudela. Due to the French victory in this contest, the name of Tudela was inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In 1813, the French were forced to withdraw from Spanish soil, definitively abandoning Tudela. The city was seriously damaged, not only by the French army, but also by the Spanish guerrillas themselves.

As a consequence of the War of Independence and the subsequent Carlist Wars, in addition to the continuous outbreaks of cholera and the general economic decline, the population of Tudela stagnated at around 7,000 inhabitants, witnessing oscillating demographic changes.

20th and 21st centuries

Tudela, like the rest of Spain, entered the XX century with significant social conflict, related to control of the lands by landowners in the Ribera and by strong labor movements.

During the Second Spanish Republic, there was one of the most politically and socially agitated periods in the history of Tudela. The situation of economic crisis and unemployment caused in Tudela, as in the whole country, mobilizations and constant demands of the working class, which had its greatest support in Tudela and the rest of La Ribera.

Likewise, the same period saw in Tudela the leadership of the populations of southern Navarra against the creation of a joint autonomy statute for the Basque provinces and the defense of a statute of its own for Navarra. The Tudela press even claimed the segregation of Navarra and the creation of an independent canton for Tudela, if a joint statute with the Basque provinces was approved.

After the coup d'état on July 18, 1936, which would start the Civil War, Tudela, like the rest of Navarre, would remain from the beginning as territory of the rebellious side, taking place a significant repression of the leftist political and labor movement.

During the war, on August 13, 1937, Tudela was bombarded by Republican aviation.

After the war ended, and the dictatorship of General Franco was established, Tudela, like the rest of Spain, had to face a harsh post-war period, intensified in its effects after the international political isolation to which the European powers condemned Franco's dictatorial regime. After the normalization of Spanish foreign relations during the 1950s, there was a gradual improvement in the standard of living that would emerge in the 1960s in the definitive industrialization of the interior of the country.

It is at this time that Tudela is experiencing vertiginous demographic growth linked to the installation in the city of industries linked to the transformation of agricultural products and the manufacture of electronic components (Sanyo, Piher-Nacesa, etc.).

Coupled with this demographic increase, between the 1960s and 1970s Tudela experienced a great urban expansion in the areas located to the south and southeast of the city, whose main milestones were the construction of the Lourdes neighborhood and the accelerated urbanization of the Griseras neighborhood and the surroundings of Avenida de Santa Ana.

With the advent of democracy, to the status of agricultural and industrial center of the middle Ebro valley that Tudela had held since the 1960s, the city also added the character of commercial and services center of its region and of the bordering regions of the provinces of La Rioja, Soria and Aragón, inaugurating in 1986 the Reina Sofía Regional General Hospital.

Today it continues with unstoppable growth, based on a long and rich history and committed to progress. With all its projects and objectives, Tudela greets the XXI century as a city excited about its future.

Demographics

In 2017, Tudela had a census of 35,298 inhabitants, of whom 17,311 were men (representing 49.84% of the total population) and 17,406 were women (representing 50.16%). The difference in favor of women is shown in the population pyramid; it occurs after the age of 50 and increases significantly in the last sections of the pyramid. The population growth experienced in the last decade is mainly due to the arrival of immigrants to the area.

The total number of foreigners registered in Tudela in 2008 was 5,146, with the most numerous colonies coming from Ecuador: 826, Algeria: 705, Morocco: 547, Colombia: 491, Romania: 343 and Portugal: 323.

Population pyramid

From the analysis of the population pyramid, it can be deduced that the population under 40 years of age represents 52.09% of the total, and that 47.91% is older than that age. On the other hand, those under 20 years of age account for 19.91% of the total, while those over 60 years of age are 20.49%. Where the largest percentage of the population is concentrated is in the section between 20-40 years, which amounts to 32.17%. This structure of the population pyramid is typical in the modern demographic regime, with an evolution towards the progressive aging of the population and the decrease in the annual birth rate.

Population developments

Graphic of demographic evolution of Tudela between 1900 and 2022

Population of Law (1900-1991) or resident population (2001) according to population censuses of the INE. Population according to the 2017 municipal plan of the INE.

Urbanism

Historical core

The Casco Viejo of Tudela is the historic center of the town. It is a sector of traditional farmhouse that sinks its origins in the period of formation of the city. It is delimited by the slopes of the Santa Bárbara hill and the Ebro and Queiles rivers (the latter today covered). During the first medieval period the limit was in the Mediavilla river, nowadays also covered. The urban fabric of Casco Viejo is anarchic with frequent wall walks (in many cases, remains of the Jewish and Arab fabric), which have been disappearing as redevelopment operations have been carried out in specific sectors of Casco Viejo. It houses the main monumental area and the main drinking area of the city. As a whole, noble houses stand out, most of them restored.

In this neighborhood, in recent excavations on Calle Herrerías, an old Muslim cemetery was discovered. This cemetery was covered by Christian buildings after the expulsion of the Muslims from the city.

Neighborhoods

Although the limits have not been officially set, taking into account the latest General Urban Planning Plan (PGOU) and its subsequent developments, the following can be considered the neighborhoods with the most consensus:

Plaza de los Fueros, downtown

• Azucarera: Surged in the 90s of the last century after the urban plan that turned the lands of the former Azucarera of Tudela into residential.
• Center: It is the east widening of the city. Its main arteries are Avenida Zaragoza, Capuchinos Street and Juan Antonio Fernández Street.
• From Music: Small neighborhood located west of Virgen de la Cabeza and close to industrial polygons.
• Elola: Officially the west widening of the city.
• Gardachales: New neighborhood between the Griseras and the Puente de la Ribera shopping center.
• Griseras: Of imprecise limits, occupies the explanade of departure in the direction of Zaragoza integrating to the area of Peñuelas, predominating high buildings around the Avenida Zaragoza.
• Institute: Located east of the Barrio and south of Gardachales.
• Lourdes: The "Barrio" for antonomasia, popularly called for several decades: "the cheap houses".
• Queiles or also called La Albea: The building district between the music and the forest of Santa Quiteria.
• Velilla: Neighborhood of recent construction south of the Alfaro road and beautiful with the Municipal Industrial Estate.
• Virgin of the Head: It is a small neighborhood located between the road of Alfaro and the street Virgen de la Cabeza, which represents a prolongation of the Old Town.

Economy

Bridge (s.XII) on the River Ebro at your pass through Tudela

The economy of Tudel was originally based on agriculture, but there is more and more industry and tourism.

Important factories:

• Guardian Navarra: Company dedicated to the manufacture of glass.

• Faurity: This also huge factory produces plastic parts for vehicles.
• UVESA: Company dedicated to agricultural activities (eating feed and industrial slaughterhouse of birds)
• Nacesa: electronic components
• SKF: Company dedicated to producing bearings
• KPF: Company that was made with the SKF forging and use. Central in South Korea.

• Centro de Control y Técnicas Especiales: Company recognized by the Government of Navarra as accredited laboratory for the quality control of the building.
• Entecsa: Company recognized by the Government of Navarre as a laboratory accredited for the quality control of the building and registered in the General Registry of Laboratory Tests accredited by the Ministry of Housing.
• GIMA: Company recognized by the Government of Navarra as a laboratory accredited for the quality control of the building.
• Ciudad Agroalimentaria de Tudela: Public society of the Government of Navarre that manages the business park of name in the industrial estate of Serna.

Tudela is the second most important city in Navarra, and as such, it has several department stores as well as businesses of all kinds scattered around Tudela, some of which are family-owned and have been open for more than a century. It has two trade associations, the Tudela Trade and Hotel Association and the Tudela Old Town Business Trade Association.

Agriculture and livestock

From the main records of Tudela, agriculture and livestock have been one of the great values of the municipality, of which we have rainfed and irrigated crops, and where the production of vegetables such as asparagus, stands out. pepper, artichoke and thistle among others.

The fate of the two practices is a future with an increasingly intensive practice, which directly affects the lifestyle of many of the animals found there.

In some areas of the place, you can find quality wine cellars with denomination of origin such as Murchante. In addition, we cannot fail to name the diversity of livestock production in the area (agricultural, bovine, cunícula, porcine...).

Symbols

Shield

The coat of arms of the city of Tudela has the following coat of arms:

« In azur field, a bridge of three arches of sable mazonated gold added of three towers almenadas being greater the central than the lateral ones, of the same metal and the same mazonated and clarified of gules. The gold chains of Navarre on the edges of azur and embroidery on gules. To the royal crown ring open. »

Flag

The flag of Tudela follows the characteristic design of other cities and provinces of the Middle Ebro Valley such as Calahorra, La Almunia or the Province of Zaragoza and is therefore made up of a white cloth background of 2/3 proportions on the one that superimposes the Cross of Saint George with the coat of arms of the city in the official enamels in the center.

Administration and politics

Municipal government

The local administration of the city is carried out through a democratically managed council whose members are elected every four years by universal suffrage. The electoral census is made up of all registered residents over the age of 18 and nationals of Spain and other member countries of the European Union. According to the provisions of the General Electoral Regime Law, which establishes the number of eligible councilors based on the population of the municipality, the municipal corporation of Tudela is made up of 21 councilors. The headquarters of the Tudela City Council is located in the Town Hall, located in Plaza Vieja, no. 1.

Results of municipal elections

Mayors

These are the last mayors of the city of Tudela:

Justice

Tudela is the head of the judicial district number 3 of Navarra, which encompasses 23 municipalities with a total of 92,013 legal inhabitants, according to the latest INE data, closed on January 1, 2007. The municipalities are as follows: open. Arguedas. Barillas. Bunuel. cabanillas. cadreita. carcastillo. Cascante. Castejon. Cintruénigo. Corella. Cuts. Fitero. Fontellas. Fustinana. Melida. Monteagudo. murchanting. Ribaforada. Tudela. Tulebras. Valtierra and Villafranca.

The organic plant of the judicial district of Tudela consists of five courts of first instance and instruction, with a ratio that places one judge for every 23,003 inhabitants. The Palace of Justice of Tudela includes, in addition to the dependencies of the courts, those corresponding to the prosecutor's office, the Civil Registry, forensic services, etc., and is located at Avenida de las Merindades 66.

Commonwealth

Tudela has been the headquarters of the Mancomunidad de La Ribera since the creation of this local entity in 1989. The mancomunidad provides waste collection, cleaning, lazaretto and housing rehabilitation services for the 19 municipalities of the Tudela Region. Its administrative building is located at Paseo de los Grillos 17. The general assembly of the commonwealth is the governing and administrative body and is made up of 27 members, and the designation of 7 of which corresponds to the Tudela City Council.

Community of Bardenas

Since 1705, Tudela has also been the administrative headquarters of the Community of Bardenas Reales of Navarra, a local entity of a supra-municipal nature that brings together the 22 entities with the right to use and benefit from the resources of the Bardenas Reales territory. The general meeting and the permanent meeting of the Community of Bardenas have their headquarters at Calle San Marcial 19.

Services

Education

There is a network of non-university education centers, both public, subsidized and private that cover the entire educational demand.

Universities

There are two universities in the city of Tudela:

• National University of Distance Education (UNED). In 1989 an extension was created in Tudela of the Associated Center of Pamplona at the facilities of the ETI de Tudela. Initially no more than 100 students were enrolled, offering 2 careers, law and psychology. In 1993 its location was transferred to the Marquis de San Adrián Palace. But its current development comes from becoming an Associate Centre in 1998. In the course of 2009-2010, there are a total of 55 tutors and 1000 students of standard teaching and more than 2000 of university extension. In 2017 it offers 30 degrees, the Access Course for 25-year-olds, the UNED Sapientia (for over 50 years of age), training in CUID languages (presentially, English and French). A lot of Continuing Training courses and different cultural activities he proposes are outstanding. In 2009, the quality chair of the UNED “City of Tudela” (the only chair of the UNED located outside Madrid) was inaugurated, which develops projects for its owners and has been accredited by ANECA for the certification of the internal quality assurance system of the UNED partner centres. In 2010, the “qInnova” Technology Centre (Computer Software Development) was created and has developed management software, serving more than 500,000 users. At Centro he won the Navarro Award for Excellence in 2014 (500+ EFQM) and the Ibero-American Gold Award for Quality in 2017.
• Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA)

Security

Tudela, as it belongs to Navarra, has the normal forces that the rest of Spain plus the Foral Police.

Transportation

Map of the main roads that communicate Tudela

The city is very well located, it is halfway between Zaragoza and Logroño, in the Ebro corridor that joins the Mediterranean and the Cantabrian Sea, and in the axis that joins Madrid with France, passing through Soria and Pamplona.

It has an accessibility radius of less than 100 km to four major cities; three of which are highly relevant industrial centers: Pamplona 95 km away, Zaragoza 83 km away, Logroño 91 km away and Soria also 91 km away.

It is a primatial regional center, with five public industrial estates, two more under management, and two private, a varied trade, and proven agricultural wealth.

Roads

Several high-capacity roads run through the municipality of Tudela. The Vasco Aragonese Highway (AP-68), the Ebro Highway (A-68) that connects the city with Bilbao, Logroño and the Mediterranean, and the Navarra Highway (AP-15) that connects it with Pamplona, Vitoria and San Sebastian. One could also highlight the Tarazona highway (N-121-C) that connects the city with Soria and Madrid and also has a secondary network that connects it with nearby towns.

Autopistas - Autovías
Identifier	Denomination	Itinerary
	Autopista Vasco-Aragonesa	Bilbao - Logroño - Tudela - Zaragoza
	Ebro motorway	Castejón - Provincial Limit with Zaragoza (N-232)
	Autopista de Navarra	Castejón - Irurzun
Other tracks
Identifier	Denomination	Itinerary
N-121-C	National Road N-121-C	Tudela - Tarazona
NA-134	Axis of the Ebro	Tudela - Arguedas - Valtierra - Cadreita - Milagro - Azagra
NA-160	Tudela-Baños de Fitero	Tudela - Cintruénigo
NA-126	Tudela - Tauste	Tudela - Cabanillas - Fustiñana
NA-125	Tudela - Axis of the Knights	Tudela - Bardenas Reales - border province of Zaragoza
NA-3010	Tudela - Ablitas
NA-6840	Tudela - Murchante

Bus

In Tudela there are 3 urban bus lines:

• Green Line: Circular
• Red line: Centre - Bo Lourdes - Hospital
• Yellow Line: Center - Old Town - Virgin of the Head - Hospital

Monuments and places of interest

Religious monuments

• Cathedral of Santa Maria de Tudela (s. XII - XIII, Tardoromonic, but with added up to almost the present time.
• Church of the Magdalene (s. XII, Romanesque).
• Church of Saint Nicholas (s.XII- new building of the eighteenth century, with the Romanesque cover of the twelfth century).
• Church of San Jorge el Real (from 17th century Baroque).
• Decanal Palace or Dean Palace (locating the decanal museum).
• Church and Convent of Carmen (from 16th century, Mannerist style).
• Conciliar Seminar of Santa Ana (from 16th century, Mannerist).
• Church of the College of San Francisco Javier (from 16th century, lategothic).
• Church and Convent of the Capuchins (from the 18th century, baroque).
• Church and Convent of the Dominicas (from 17th century, Mannerist style with Baroque decorations).
• Church of the Society of Mary (from 17th century Baroque).
• Parish and Hospital of Santa Maria de Gracia (Pza. Nueva) (from the 16th century, Gothic-Renaissance, remodeling in the second half of the 20th century).
• Church and Convent of the Capuchins (in the late 19th century).
• Present Church and Convent of the Clarisas or of Santa Clara (second half s.XX).
• Convent of the Servants of Mary (from the 20th century, neogothic).
• Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes (from the 20th century)
• Parish of Saint John the Baptist (from the 20th century)
• Chapel of Santa Cruz (first hermitage, s. XII; current hermitage, s. XIX).
• Chapel of Santa Quiteria (first hermitage, s. XIV; present hermitage, s. XIX).
• Hermitage of the Virgin of the Head (first hermitage, s. XVII; present hermitage, s. XIX).
• Bridge wet. (construction 1540).
• Monument to the Heart of Jesus (in 1942, on the hermitage of Saint Barbara and ancient Tudela Castle).
• Monument to the Heart of Mary (in 1956).

Civil monuments

• Stone bridge over the river Ebro, with 17 arches.
• Consistorial House or Town Hall (s. XVII, neoclassical facade).
• Palace of the Marquis of San Adrián, which stands out for its frescoes – one in the Civil Palaces of the XVI – which is the headquarters of the National University of Distance Education in Tudela.
• Palacio del Marqués de Huarte (XVIII, Baroque, headquarters of the Tudela Municipal Archive and the Yanguas and Miranda Library).
• Casa del Almirante (s. XVI, Plateresque).
• Casa de los Ibáñez de Luna (s. XVI, Plateresca) (Mansión de los Señorena) (s. XVI, Renaissance).
• Real Casa de Misericordia (XVIII, neoclassical).
• Casa de Labastida (s. XVII-XVIII).
• Casa de Veráiz, headquarters of the Muñoz Sola Museum, on whose facade is preserved the oldest armera stone in the city.
• Arizcun House, also sometimes known as Casa Butini or of the Counts of Heredia Spinola (s. XVIII, neoclassical).

Patio de Castel Ruiz

• Centro Cultural Castel Ruiz. He was a Jesuit convent until his expulsion from Spain in 1767. It was built in the centuryXVIIIn a classic style. The aneja church of St. George was the chapel of the religious community. Highlights the interior patio, spacious, rectangular, with three floors. The ground floor gives access to the courtyard and has half-point arches on pillars, the remaining two are defined by blind arches also of half point separated by pilasters. Once restored in 1983, it houses the Music School and the Conservatory Fernando Remacha.
• A large number of manor houses are preserved, with shields on their facades, balconies covered with sculptures.
• Bullring "Chata de Griseras" (in 1933).
• Hospitalillo de Niños Orérfanos dates from the centuryXVI in the city helmet.

Military Constructions

• Monreal Tower (original tower, s. X; current octogonal tower, s. XIX)

Culture

• Diocesan Museum, located at the Decanal Palace.
• Muñoz Sola Museum of Modern Art.
• Ecclesiastical Archives of Tudela, where religious documentation can be found since the centuryXI to the present.
• Centro Cultural Castel Ruiz, headquarters of the School of Music, of Jotas and auditorium.
• Centro Cultural Miguel Sánchez Montés, headquarters of the Comparsa Perrinche and the bars of San Juan.[1]
• Gaztambide Theatre
• Cine Moncayo, where the Festival Ópera Prima, infantil cinema, independent cinema and the headquarters of the Club Muskaria Film.

Parties

Carnival of Tudela

The "zipoteros" must have been very popular characters in different towns of the Ribera de Navarra. This figure was rescued in the Tudela carnival in 1989, which after three decades without celebrating this festival was held again in 1983. However, the parade of the "zipoteros" through the streets of the riverside capital is a very remote tradition, which Yanguas and Miranda already collected in their writings on the tradition of the Tudela carnival and the character of the zipotero. The "zipotero" wears white pants, a red sash, a colored shirt, a blue overshirt, a white mask, a handkerchief tied at the four corners for the head and, as a complement, a stick with some bells and a snack. The "capirote" is a newly created character who leads the procession. He wears a covered face, a tall cap, and a staff with two bells.

The Riddler

The traditional ceremonies of the Angel and the Volantín have always taken place together in the festival and in the custom of Tudel since its inception, which is considered probable in the s. XIII or XIV.

On Holy Saturday, at 10 in the morning, a wooden doll or doll, with its articulated limbs, dressed in an outfit that tries to summarize the most commented on in the city that year and with a cigar-firecracker in The mouth receives the manager scared who sets fire to the said firecracker.

The lathe to which the doll is attached begins to move from left to right and vice versa, causing the Rafter or Judas, whom it represents, to go round and round, falling pieces of the suit to the ground. This is how this simple ceremony has come down to us that recalls the desperate death of Judas, the Apostle who handed over the teacher to his enemies.

The Descent of the Angel

The Descent of the Angel

Until April 1851, it was celebrated in the Plaza Vieja, but this year the municipality agreed to move the function to the Plaza Nueva, where since then it continues to be held at 9 in the morning on Easter Sunday.

This popular function has rarely been interrupted, only during the invasion of Napoleon's troops in the 19th century, the Civil War in the 20th century and the COVID-19 pandemic in the XXI.

This festival, although it could be celebrated in some other places, is only preserved with similar characteristics in Aranda de Duero (Burgos), Alfarrasí (Valencia) and Peñafiel (Valladolid).

Fiestas of San Juan

They are celebrated in the Lourdes neighborhood on the weekend closest to Saint John's Day since 1978. The festivities begin on Friday, with the launch of the announcing rocket. Following this, they go in parades accompanied by the giants, the bigheads of the Comparse Perrinche and the dancers of the Paloteado to the Plaza del Padre Lasa, where they pay homage to him. Then they go to the house of the Donantes del Rosco de San Juan, who are usually families from the neighborhood, where they dance and then return to the parish in a parade where the "greeting of bows" to the donor family and a dance of giants. Saturday rises with the Auroros de San Juan, and in the morning there are many activities. In the afternoon there is the Paloteado de San Juan (a mixture of dance and theater), preceded by the parade of the Honor Guard of the Alabarderos of San Juan Bautista and the procession of the Saint. At night there is a festival and a procession of lights to the famous San Juan bonfire. On Sunday the festivities end with the departure of the Comparsa Perrinche through the streets of the neighborhood.

Santa Ana's Patronal Festivities

Day of the announced rocket of the festivals, new square or of the

The patron saint festivities of Tudela are celebrated in honor of Santa Ana and Santiago, patron saints of the city, between July 24 and 30. The big day of the festivities takes place on the 26th, the day of Santa Ana.

It has a dense popular festival program in which, as the most characteristic and consolidated acts, the Bullfighting Fair, the bullfighting of bullfights, the so-called "Gigantada" (concentration of troupes of giants from Navarra) and "la Revoltosa" stand out. », fiftieth-year-old dance-carousel that tests the mettle and vigor of the participants every night in a strong folkloric rite that takes place every night of parties around the Plaza Nueva kiosk to the sound of music performed by the Band Municipal Music of Tudela. Likewise, one of the most endearing acts is celebrated on the 25th, the day of Santiago, in which, in addition to the religious procession of said saint, the "Popular Tudelano" is also officially named. The award is given annually to the man or woman who has stood out for his way of being and for his work in Tudela, recognized by the majority of citizens. For years it has been held in the most important point of Tudela, the Plaza Nueva, but the M.I City Council has awarded the place for itself, evicting everything foreign to its organization from it.

The festivities conclude on the 30th (actually at dawn on July 31st) in the Plaza Nueva with the so-called Pobre de Mí. Said act takes place at 1 in the morning of July 31. The municipal authority makes a speech from the balcony of the Casa del Reloj, concluding the festivities and welcoming the preparation of next year's, launching immediately from said balcony the rocket announcing the end of the festivities. Next, the brass bands of the Peñas de Tudela star in a parade that is the definitive last act of the festivities.

Pilgrimages

Of Christ:

• May 3. Secular romeria popular from 1734 to the Hermitage of Christ, located under the hill of Santa Barbara, and in the right image of the River Ebro, on the spot called with the same name as the hermitage. The traditional "culeca" is eaten (sweet bread with one or two eggs cooked inside).

From Santa Quiteria:

• May 22nd. The Hermitage of the same name. He also eats a sweet bowl that afternoon.

Other parties

San Pedro

• June 29th. (Verbena) Festivals of the Old Tudelano Helmet. Festive atmosphere, raisins, games, popular dinners, wedge, and traditional bonfire where Don Cierzo is burned

Carnivals

• As in other Spanish cities, for two days, the streets of Tudela are filled with the colour and joy of costumes.

Days of Exaltation of the End

• Week where it coincides with the harvesting of the vegetables in the Ribera. In this there are tastings, dinners, talks, forums, everything related to vegetables.

Christmas

• A lot of Christmas concerts, exhibitions of belenes, and ending with a great horse of kings, where the chariots beautifully decorated with carnival motifs, tour the city leading the three Magi.

Legends

Passage of the Torre Monreal-Cathedral of Santa María-Cerro de Santa Bárbara

The most common and believed legend, especially in childhood, was about the existence of a passageway that linked the Monreal Tower with the Cathedral and this in turn with the Castle of Sancho el Fuerte located on the hill of Saint Barbara; Although there are many who have seen and found ancient swords and coins, it has never been proven that it existed. The latest archaeological excavations that have cleaned the tower and the castle inside have shown that they are nothing more than that, legends. Besides, these passageways are technically impossible, because, among other things, they would have to pass under two rivers... the Mediavilla and the Queiles.

Legend of Saint Quiteria

Year 1683. The rain fell intensely on Tudela and the gusty north wind mercilessly swept the streets of the city when, seized by the delirium of rage, the young María Arróniz (daughter of Miguel Arróniz and Petronila Marsella) dressed in a Wearing a light nightgown, holding a lamp, she crossed the gates of the town and entered the field, losing herself in the darkness. Weeks before, a dog had bitten her on her way home from her services, and she had been bedridden ever since. Noticing her absence, her relatives desperately went out to look for her, asked the neighbors and, in the absence of news, organized themselves into gangs together with the bailiffs to find her.

Afternoon was already falling and the hopes of finding her alive were vanishing when they found her inside the hermitage of Santa Quiteria, with the door closed, without signs of the disease, peaceful and calm, accompanied by the dog that gave her had bitten tied to his wrist with a ribbon.

I didn't remember anything, but history was always recorded in Tudela and, from that moment, the belief has remained that the people and animals that prostrate themselves before the image are freed from the evil of rabies. Thus, the riverside capital celebrates the festival of Santa Quiteria every May 22, thanks to the efforts of a group of friends who continue to maintain this tradition. There are 170 families, more than 600 people, determined that the hermitage located in the place of the same name continues to attract people.

Legend of trades

One of the canecillos of the church of Magdalena

There is a legend that in the church of La Magdalena (Romanesque, from the XII century), at its main entrance, there are some corbels that represent the characteristic trades of the Middle Ages: stonemason, shepherd, farmer, musician, etc., and that the day a child is going to be baptized, the godfather who carries the child in his arms passes under the corbel of the one who wants to be the child when he grows up.

Gastronomy

The cuisine of the Navarrese riverside is marked by special climatic characteristics and by its condition as a transit area and survival of three cultures. This setting and the Ebro have favored the development of a distinctive and diverse gastronomy with special renown for vegetables, making it possible to taste, in all their value, the typical and autochthonous cuisine of Navarra that border on vegetable perfection. The hearts of Tudela that are tight, tender and tasty. The borage queen of vegetables. Edible asparagus from the cross to date; broad beans; peas; The thistle; peppers. The artichoke with its tender leaves, which can be cooked alone, in almond sauce, sautéed with ham, fried, with clams. Among the typical dishes is the cocido tudelano.

And as the star dish of the garden of Tudela "la Menestra" with typical vegetables from the garden. Lamb hocks and ribs, bull meat, tripe, partridges and the popular calderete are typical. For dessert, all kinds of fruit: peach, pear, apple, cherries, and in pastries, cafareles, mantecadas, and the special “manjar blanco”. All of this washed down by Navarrese wines, the traditional rosés and the new, high-quality reds.

Sports

Tudela has several sports centers:

• Municipal Complex City of Tudela. Includes swimming pools, frontón, multi-sport track where they play their matches as local Ribera Navarra Football Room and Tudela City Stadium in which the C.D. Tudelano plays.
• Sport complex Ribotas del Ebro (which includes gym, swimming pools and frontón).
• Nelson Mandela sports complex with football, basketball, rugby and athletic tracks.
• Municipal patrol.
• Skatepark.
• The sportsmen of the schools San Julián (futbit, basketball and hokey), Griseras (futbito and balonmano).
• Tudela Benjamin (futbit, basketball).
• Football Fields of the CD Lourdes.
• Santa Quiteria football fields. Located within the Pinar de Santa Quiteria, an environment in which the Navarros Athletic Championships are usually contested.
• Municipal Pools Covers and Municipal Sports Center Clara Campoamor.
• Recreative Sports Society Arenas (private).
• Jesuit football fields (private).

Some sports clubs in Tudela:

• C.D. Tudelano (Football, 2ndB).
• Club Rugby Gigantes de Navarra (Rugby).
• C.D. Lourdes (Football, 3.a).
• Club Ciclista Muskaria (Ciclismo).
• Club de Montaña Muskaria (Montañismo y escalada).
• Club SDR Arenas (Baloncesto, swimming, triathlon and gymnastics).
• C.D. San Javier (Football).
• C.B. Genesis
• C.D. TIMBA SLOT (SLOT, SCALEXTRIC).
• J.C. Ibero (Judo).
• C.B. Sanchicorrota (Balonmano, 1.a Nacional).
• Club Ribera Atlético (Atletismo). He collaborates with Tudela City Council in the organization of the San Silvestre de Tudela, one of the oldest races in Navarre.
• Club BTT Tudela (Ciclismo Mountain Bike).
• Ribera Navarra Football Room (First Division of Football Room). Ribera Navarra F.S.

Twinned cities

Notable people

Ephemeris

• Year 716, Ayub el Lajimita, Governor of Spain, successor of Abdalasis, took over the city of Tudela.
• Year 802, Tudela was fortified by Amrus ben Yusuf, governor of the High Mark by the emir Al-Hakam I]].
• February 25, 1119, the village is conquered by the Christian troops of King Alfonso I of Aragon, known as "El Batallador", of the Muslim power.
• Year 1160, the famous Tudelaan Jew Benjamin of Tudela begins.
• Year 1390, Carlos III de Navarra «El Noble» appointed Tudela city.
• September 9, 1512, Tudela swears obedience to Fernando the Catholic.
• Year 1516, the Muslims of Tudela are expelled, except for those who convert to Christianity. There are 200 houses left. The walls surrounding the city, as well as the castle, are ruined; the towers of the gate of Calahorra are torn down.
• Year 1530, Santa Ana is named patron of Tudela.
• Year 1572, the printing press arrives at Tudela. Tomás Porralis de Saboya prints the first book known in the city.
• 1676, the early cathedral tower collapses.
• Year 1684, the first stone of the current baroque tower is placed.
• Year 1783, Pope Pius VI creates the Diocese of Tudela by raising the rank of the primitive Colegiata of Tudela to the cathedral and allowing the dean Tudelano to use episcopal dignity (anillo, bara and mitra).
• November 23, 1808: Battle of Tudela in the Spanish Independence War.
• April 29, 1861: The arrival of the first train to Tudela takes place.
• Year 1978: Service of the Basque-Aragonese Highway in Tudela.
• 1986: Opening of the Queen Sofia Hospital.
• Year 2002: Opening of the new West Tudela Variant (tramo A-68).
• February 22, 2007: Inauguration of the new East Tudela Variant, including the second bridge over the Ebro at its pass through Tudela.
• Year 2016 The Government of Navarre closes access from the way of the institute to the West variant (A-68).