City of Love
The City
In a millstone near the confluence of the Guadalaviar and Alfambra rivers, the city of Teruel rises above nine hundred meters of altitude. Within its walled enclosure, the traveler can discover one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. The city preserves a historic centre worthy of a leisurely stroll.
The main artery of the city, starting from the Ronda and through the Tozal, crosses the squares of the Torico and the Cathedral and extends towards the Óvalo, the Glorieta and the Viaducts. It is an area with an abundance of shops, offices and hospitality services. There is no shortage of architectural marvels such as the Provincial Museum, which was the former home of the historic Community of Teruel, the tower of El Salvador, modernist buildings and the neo-Mudejar staircase. The Torico fountain, a place where visitors take photographs to record their visit, is in the square of the same name, where there are also underground cisterns dating back to medieval times.
On the left is the upper part, the oldest part. Here the streets are scattered with no defined geometry and full of charm. It is a pleasure to stroll through them when the heat is on. This part is rich in places of interest such as San Pedro or the Mausoleum of the Lovers.
To the right is the flat part of the city. Its streets are straight and grid-shaped. It is rich in buildings of beautiful architecture such as the Town Hall, the Cathedral, the tower of San Martín or the Post Office building.
Around the city, the city wall. From its old doors we can still visit the portal of Daroca, known as the Andaquilla, or that of San Miguel, also called the Betrayal. Of its towers you have to know those that are in the Ronda, such as San Esteban, Ambeles, the most beautiful, the Rincón, or the Lombardera, the highest. Special mention for the Torreón del Agua, recently restored. Water came to the city through it via the Los Arcos aqueduct in the 16th century. Next to the bridge of the Queen is the tower of the Union and, not far away, the one that defends the portal of the Andaquilla. Between one and the other towers are interesting cloths of the wall, some pending recovery.
Outside the historic center, the city has places of historical, cultural, scenic or other interest, which can be found in other sections. We refer you to them.
Archaeological remains from before the foundation of Teruel can be found in the Alto Chacón, an Iberian site close to the city, or in references to Tirwal, a Muslim fortress that was located in the upper part of the present-day town.
Archaeological remains from before the foundation of Teruel can be found in the Alto Chacón, an Iberian site close to the city, or in references to Tirwal, a Muslim fortress that was located in the upper part of the present-day town.
History
At the time of the foundation, settling in the Aragonese Extremadura was no easy task. The place was a frontier against the Muslim taifa of Valencia and an outpost for its conquest. In an insecure territory, such as that of Teruel in the 12th century, it was not easy to attract people willing to settle and defend it. The Aragonese monarchy had to endow the town with a charter that granted extensive privileges to the people who settled there and made it the head of a very large community of villages. In 1347, King Peter IV of Aragon, known as the Ceremonious, granted it the title of city.
The medieval period was a period of great development for Teruel, reaching the important figure of 6,000 inhabitants, but the great plagues of the Late Middle Ages, which so severely affected the kingdoms of the peninsula and the rest of Europe, meant a period of economic decline for Teruel and a significant drop in its population.
When in 1483 the Court of the Inquisition was established in the Aragonese domains, the city of Teruel showed a clear resistance before such a court. Partly because it curtailed its charters, but also because the city's economy was largely in the hands of those who could suffer the most.
In the sixteenth century there were strong tensions in the city because the local forces refused to accept the reform of the fuero by Felipe II. During this time there is a strengthening of the Teruel church when the bishopric of Teruel was founded in 1577.
The 19th century was rich in events. During the War of Independence, the city was occupied by French forces until 1813. En las guerras carlistas, la ciudad se alineó con el bando liberal y, en la tercera, sus murallas aguantaron el asedio al que fue sometida.During the War of Independence, the city was occupied by French forces until 1813. It was at the end of this century and the beginning of the 20th century when, as a result of a certain development of the local bourgeoisie, the town experienced a period of economic prosperity. The fruit of this enrichment is the city's rich modernist heritage.
During the Civil War of 1936-39, Teruel was the scene of one of its bloodiest battles. The events of the war, coupled with low temperatures, left scars that were difficult to heal on both sides. After the war, reconstruction work began, which partially modified the areas of its urban planning. After the arrival of democracy, the city tried to join the country's economic growth with the development of communications. Its current problems are the common ones that the lands of inland Spain have.