Jaca
Encyclopedia
Jaca is a city
of northeastern Spain
near the border with France
, in the midst of the Pyrenees
in the province of Huesca
. Jaca, a ford on the Aragón River
at the crossing of two great early medieval routes, one from Pau to Zaragoza
, was the fortified city out of which the County
and Kingdom of Aragon
developed: Jaca was the capital of Aragon until 1097 and also the capital of Jacetania
.
Abay, Abena, Acín
, Ara, Araguás del Solano, Ascara, Asieso, Astún
, Atarés, Badaguás, Banaguás, Baraguás, Barós
, Bataraguá, Bergosa, Bernués, Bescós de Garcipollera, Binué, Botaya, Caniás, Espuéndolas, Fraginal, Gracionépel, Guasa, Guasillo, Ipás, Jarlata, Larrosa, Lastiesas Altas, Lastiesas Bajas, Martillué, Navasa, Navasilla, Novés, Orante, Osia
, Ullé
, Villanovilla and Yosa de Garcipollera,
as one of the most celebrated of the numerous small tribes inhabiting the basin of the Ebro
. Strabo adds that their territory was the scene of the wars in the 1st century BC between Sertorius and Pompey
. The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman world describes this modern city as the ancient "Iaca (or Iaka)" which minted coins in the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC, a small number of which are now in the British Museum. These show an unidentified bearded head, to the right with an inscription to the left and dolphin to right on the obverse. While the reverse depicts a Horseman carrying a spear, to the right, with an inscription below in Iberian reading iaka.
The Moorish writers mention Dyaka as one of the chief places in the province of Sarkosta (Zaragoza). When it was reconquered
is unknown. Ramiro I of Aragon
(1035–1063), gave it the title of "city," and in 1063 held within its walls a council, in which, the people were called in to sanction its decrees: an early milestone in the parliamentary traditions in the Pyrenees.
The mutiny of the garrison at Jaca, demanding the abolition of monarchy and a democratic republic, December 12–13, 1930, was suppressed with some difficulty. It was an early event that presaged the Spanish Civil War
.
cathedral.
The citadel, a fortification dating to the late 16th century, is home to a colony of Rock Sparrow
s.
The Diocesan Museum of Jaca (Museum of Medieval Sacred Art) protects Romanesque and Gothic frescoes from some of the most remote locations in the district of Jaca, unsuspected until the first one was discovered in the Church of Urriés, in 1962, where it had been hidden and protected by the painted and gilded retable, or altarpiece.
destination in the region for summer holidays and winter sport
.
Jaca was the host city of the 1981 and 1995 Winter Universiade
s. Its popularity for winter sports has been a motivating factor in the city's failed bids for the 1998 Winter Olympics
, 2002 Winter Olympics
and 2010 Winter Olympics
. It was again the applicant city of Spain for the 2014 Winter Olympics
, but the bid failed again when it was not selected as a candidate city.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of northeastern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
near the border with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in the midst of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
in the province of Huesca
Huesca (province)
Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
. Jaca, a ford on the Aragón River
Aragón River
The River Aragón is one of the left-hand tributaries of the river Ebro. It starts at Astún , passes through Jaca and Sangüesa , and joins the Ebro at Milagro , near Tudela....
at the crossing of two great early medieval routes, one from Pau to Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, was the fortified city out of which the County
County of Aragon
The County of Aragon or Jaca was a small Frankish marcher county in the central Pyrenean valley of the Aragon river, comprising Ansó, Echo, and Canfranc and centred on the small town of Jaca...
and Kingdom of Aragon
Kingdom of Aragon
The Kingdom of Aragon was a medieval and early modern kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon, in Spain...
developed: Jaca was the capital of Aragon until 1097 and also the capital of Jacetania
Jacetania
Jacetania is a comarca in northern Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northwestern corner of the Huesca and Zaragoza provinces.The administrative capital is Jaca, with 13,374 inhabitants the largest town of the comarca. The area is famous for its ski resorts.Jacetania borders with France in the...
.
Villages
Besides Jaca town, there are a number of outlying villages in Jaca's municipal term:Abay, Abena, Acín
Acin
Acin may be:*Andrej Aćin , Serbian director*Ramón Acín , Spanish anarcho-syndicalist*Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca, Colombian indigenous rights organization*ac.in, second-level domain used for universities in India...
, Ara, Araguás del Solano, Ascara, Asieso, Astún
Astún
Astún is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees . The source of the Aragon River is in the resort.-The resort:...
, Atarés, Badaguás, Banaguás, Baraguás, Barós
Baros
Baros may refer to:*Baros , an island in the Maldives*Baros, Indonesia*Milan Baroš, Czech footballer*Intravenous sodium bicarbonate, by the trade name Baros...
, Bataraguá, Bergosa, Bernués, Bescós de Garcipollera, Binué, Botaya, Caniás, Espuéndolas, Fraginal, Gracionépel, Guasa, Guasillo, Ipás, Jarlata, Larrosa, Lastiesas Altas, Lastiesas Bajas, Martillué, Navasa, Navasilla, Novés, Orante, Osia
OSIA
OSIA may refer to:*Open Source Industry Australia*Order of the Sons of Italy*On-Site Inspection Agency...
, Ullé
Ülle
Ülle is an Estonian given name, a feminine form of Ülo.People named Ülle include:*Ülle Kukk , botanist and conservationist*Ülle Lichtfeldt , actress*Ülle Rajasalu , politician...
, Villanovilla and Yosa de Garcipollera,
History
The origins of the city are obscure, but its name apparently reflects the Iaccetani, mentioned by StraboStrabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
as one of the most celebrated of the numerous small tribes inhabiting the basin of the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
. Strabo adds that their territory was the scene of the wars in the 1st century BC between Sertorius and Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
. The Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman world describes this modern city as the ancient "Iaca (or Iaka)" which minted coins in the 2nd half of the 2nd century BC, a small number of which are now in the British Museum. These show an unidentified bearded head, to the right with an inscription to the left and dolphin to right on the obverse. While the reverse depicts a Horseman carrying a spear, to the right, with an inscription below in Iberian reading iaka.
The Moorish writers mention Dyaka as one of the chief places in the province of Sarkosta (Zaragoza). When it was reconquered
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
is unknown. Ramiro I of Aragon
Ramiro I of Aragon
Ramiro I was de facto the first King of Aragon from 1035 until his death. Apparently born before 1007, he was the illegitimate son of Sancho III of Navarre by his mistress Sancha de Aybar...
(1035–1063), gave it the title of "city," and in 1063 held within its walls a council, in which, the people were called in to sanction its decrees: an early milestone in the parliamentary traditions in the Pyrenees.
The mutiny of the garrison at Jaca, demanding the abolition of monarchy and a democratic republic, December 12–13, 1930, was suppressed with some difficulty. It was an early event that presaged the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Main sights
Jaca is home to medieval walls and towers surrounding an 11th century RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
cathedral.
The citadel, a fortification dating to the late 16th century, is home to a colony of Rock Sparrow
Rock Sparrow
The Rock Sparrow, Petronia petronia, is a small passerine bird. This sparrow breeds on barren rocky hills from the Iberian peninsula and western north Africa across southern Europe and through central Asia. It is largely resident in the west of its range, but Asian birds migrate to more southerly...
s.
The Diocesan Museum of Jaca (Museum of Medieval Sacred Art) protects Romanesque and Gothic frescoes from some of the most remote locations in the district of Jaca, unsuspected until the first one was discovered in the Church of Urriés, in 1962, where it had been hidden and protected by the painted and gilded retable, or altarpiece.
Tourism and sports
Jaca is a touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination in the region for summer holidays and winter sport
Winter sport
A winter sport is a sport which is played on snow or ice. Most such sports are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally such sports were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and ice allow more flexibility...
.
Jaca was the host city of the 1981 and 1995 Winter Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
s. Its popularity for winter sports has been a motivating factor in the city's failed bids for the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
and 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. It was again the applicant city of Spain for the 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
, but the bid failed again when it was not selected as a candidate city.
External links
- Official website
- Diocesan Museum of Jaca
- Homepage of the Jaca 2014 bid
- Jaca: Useful information about tourism and lodgings