Narón
Encyclopedia
Narón is a municipality in Ferrolterra, Galicia (Spain).
Geographically, the town is very close to the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Ferrol is 5 km away. The nearest airports are located in the cities of A Coruña
and Santiago de Compostela
.
Narón has a train station connecting it to Ferrol.
, it could be said that Narón does not enjoy extreme oscillation in its weather conditions neither in winter nor in summer.
is celebrated on the 1st along with the Galician Literature Day, on the 17th.
An Oenach
is celebrated in August, remembering Celt
ic origins. The Día de Narón is celebrated every year on the 23 November. Narón celebrates the National Day of Galicia
on the 25 July with concerts and several parties at the main square in the City, the Galician Square.
Furthermore, every weekend during the summer there are plenty of people enjoying themselves with a lot of pubs and discos being almost crowded.
In addition to all the local fiestas, Narón also observes the national Spanish fiestas.
However, six of them (Pinheiros, O Couto, A Gándara, Outo do Castiñeiro, Xuvia and A Solaina) belong to the city center and now they are known as neighbourghoods.
There are a total of 195 localities, the most prominent being A Gándara, A Solaina and Piñeiros, each of which has a population higher than 6,000. Narón town hall is located at Outo do Castiñeiro (also known, in Spanish, as Alto del Castaño).
or in Spanish
; most information and leaflets provided will be in local Galician
. School children are taught in the Galician language, although a large majority speak Castilian as their first language.
of Ferrol and Fene
and the economic expansion which Spain
was experiencing during those years. Narón, absorbed during those years a substantial influx of migrant workers from the most rural areas of Ferrolterra, localities such as San Sadurniño
, Cedeira
and Ortigueira
to mention a few, including from areas of the interior, like Terra Chá
in the province of Lugo. Often other regions too, like people who were posted in the military sector to Ferrol, for example. This immigration rejuvenated the population structure and reinforced the development of different sectors like the construction industry, due to the new need of housing. All those challengers which were presented to Narón transformed the area into a non- uniquely rural borough to become a lightly industrialized one. Because it still has large green areas, along with a high population density, the houses are not very large; there are generally four or five-story apartments. That economic expansion has been stop by the economic decline of the Naval Sector during the post-Franco years in neighbouring Ferrol the 1980s and early 1990s. During those years the only Parish which was still growing has been Narón itself. Still, the early years of the new century have started very well with the arrival of a new motorway, the creation of extensive parks of wind mills (some of the largest in Europe
after some parts of Germany
), the Outer-Port just before the entrance of “La Ría” plus many other developments like making Ferrolterra a travel destination for big ocean liners. Altogether, with the know-how and hard work of the people of this green corner of Spain
will make the entire region to flourish one again.
The most important economic sector
s are the tertiary and the secondary (services and industries) sectors, which employ 49.9% and 31.2% of the working population, respectively. Narón is a suitable place to build small industries because of its good potential for industrial development. The industrial estate, Río do Pozo, is being built and will become one of the largest business park
s in Galicia, Spain
. A Gándara is the place where another important industrial estate is. MEGASA and POLIGAL, two of the most prominent enterprises of the Galizan iron and steel subsectors, are present in Narón. There are also other enterprises in such diverse industries as dairy
, thermal insulation
, electricity
, electronics
, construction materials, foodstuffs and distilling.
The industrial development of the borough, began in a few centuries ago, and consisted in different factories devoted to the leather tanning, textile mills and the use of water mills. Later, tile factories were stabilised in the region, together with shipyards and sawmills. Nowadays, and more recently, other industries flourished like traditional woodwork, stone, leather and ceramics
workshops which in some cases can still be found.
The primary sector is the least important, comprising 5.7% of the working population. It produces cereal
s, potatoes, vegetables and cattle
, and constitutes a complementary economic activity.
, Vicás and Vilasuso, it has been established that this land has been inhabited since ancient times. In the Middle Ages
, there were some small monasteries, but the most important were San Martiño de Xuvia and San Salvador de Pedroso, which were the centers of the economic, cultural and religious life of the Terra de Trasancos. An often-visited place is the Presa do Rei, located at the river Xubia. There are also two water mills from the 18th-century, with important historic-cultural value. But the most representative monument in Naron is the Romanesque Church of O Couto, which is in the ancient monastery of San Martiño de Xuvia and dates from the 12th century. The church has a basilica
l layout (three nave
s and semicircular apses). Inside, there is the Gothic
grave of Rodrigo Esquío. The portico
and the tower of the façade
were added later, in the 18th century. It is a building of great architectural value and is notable because of the merging of different styles.
Nowadays, Narón is working towards cultural enrichment. Several years ago, the Television de Narón e Terra de Trasancos was formed and an outstanding auditorium was also built recently. It might also be noted that the whole area has undergone a period of worrisome economic uncertainty due to the crisis in the naval building sector, the conflicts with European
legislation, and competition from Asia
.
Geographically, the town is very close to the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Ferrol is 5 km away. The nearest airports are located in the cities of A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
and Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
.
Narón has a train station connecting it to Ferrol.
Climate
Due to its proximity to the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, it could be said that Narón does not enjoy extreme oscillation in its weather conditions neither in winter nor in summer.
Entertainment
Narón has a big theatre, a 16 lane bowling alley and a 12 screen cinema within the Centro Commercial Odeón, one of the two big shopping centres of the town (a new shopping centre is coming up). The centre also has 3 nightlife areas: Carretera de Castilla, Carretera de Castro and A Gándara, the three of them full of pubs, discos and traditional bars and inns.Festivities
In the month of May, May DayMay Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
is celebrated on the 1st along with the Galician Literature Day, on the 17th.
An Oenach
Óenach
The Óenach, usually translated fair or assembly, was an annual gathering in Ireland which combined features of the popular assembly and fair. As well as the entertainment, the óenach was an occasion on which kings and notables met under truce and where laws were pronounced and confirmed.The most...
is celebrated in August, remembering Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origins. The Día de Narón is celebrated every year on the 23 November. Narón celebrates the National Day of Galicia
Día Nacional de Galicia
Dia Nacional de Galicia is when the Nation of Galicia celebrates its national holiday. It falls on the 25th of July....
on the 25 July with concerts and several parties at the main square in the City, the Galician Square.
Furthermore, every weekend during the summer there are plenty of people enjoying themselves with a lot of pubs and discos being almost crowded.
In addition to all the local fiestas, Narón also observes the national Spanish fiestas.
Parishes (Parroquias)
The municipality includes 13 parishes:- Castro
- Doso
- San Xiao de Narón (San Xiao)
- Pedroso
- Sedes
- San Mateo de Trasancos
- O Val
- Nosa Señora dos Desamparados - Piñeiros (Narón urban area)
- San Martiño de Xuvia - O Couto (Narón urban area)
- San Xosé Obreiro - Outo do Castiñeiro (Narón urban area)
- Santa Icía - A Solaina (Narón urban area)
- Santa Rita de Xuvia (Narón urban area)
- Santiago Apóstolo - A Gándara (Narón urban area)
However, six of them (Pinheiros, O Couto, A Gándara, Outo do Castiñeiro, Xuvia and A Solaina) belong to the city center and now they are known as neighbourghoods.
There are a total of 195 localities, the most prominent being A Gándara, A Solaina and Piñeiros, each of which has a population higher than 6,000. Narón town hall is located at Outo do Castiñeiro (also known, in Spanish, as Alto del Castaño).
Education
Narón is home to two State Infant Schools, two State Secondary Schools and fourteen private schools.Languages
Both Castilian (Spanish) and Gallego are spoken in this area although statistics on the use and comprehension of both is not known at present. Tourists and travellers arriving to this area will most probably notice that there isn't much information or official notices either in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
or in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
; most information and leaflets provided will be in local Galician
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
. School children are taught in the Galician language, although a large majority speak Castilian as their first language.
Economy
Since 1900, Narón has experimented a continuous steady growth, which during the 1960s and the 1970s accelerate itself due to the flourishing of the naval industryShipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
of Ferrol and Fene
FENE
FENE stands for the finitely extensible nonlinear elastic model of a long-chained polymer. It simplifies the chain of monomers by connecting a sequence of beads with nonlinear springs...
and the economic expansion which 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...
was experiencing during those years. Narón, absorbed during those years a substantial influx of migrant workers from the most rural areas of Ferrolterra, localities such as San Sadurniño
San Sadurniño
San Sadurniño is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, north-western Spain. It is located in the valley of the Rio Grande de Xuvia. Sights include the ruins of the Naraío Castle and the Palaces of the marquises of San Sadurniño.-External links:...
, Cedeira
Cedeira
Cedeira is a city council in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, north-western Spain.-Parroquias:*Cedeira *Cervo *Esteiro *Montoxo *Piñeiro *Régoa *San Román de Montoxo...
and Ortigueira
Ortigueira
Ortigueira is a seaport and municipality in the Province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain; it is located on the northern slope of the Serra da Faladoira, the river Mera and on the eastern shore of the Ria de Santa Marta—a winding, rock-bound and much indented inlet of the Bay of Biscay, between Capes...
to mention a few, including from areas of the interior, like Terra Chá
Lugo
Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 97,635 in 2010, which makes is the fourth most populated city in Galicia.-Population:...
in the province of Lugo. Often other regions too, like people who were posted in the military sector to Ferrol, for example. This immigration rejuvenated the population structure and reinforced the development of different sectors like the construction industry, due to the new need of housing. All those challengers which were presented to Narón transformed the area into a non- uniquely rural borough to become a lightly industrialized one. Because it still has large green areas, along with a high population density, the houses are not very large; there are generally four or five-story apartments. That economic expansion has been stop by the economic decline of the Naval Sector during the post-Franco years in neighbouring Ferrol the 1980s and early 1990s. During those years the only Parish which was still growing has been Narón itself. Still, the early years of the new century have started very well with the arrival of a new motorway, the creation of extensive parks of wind mills (some of the largest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
after some parts of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), the Outer-Port just before the entrance of “La Ría” plus many other developments like making Ferrolterra a travel destination for big ocean liners. Altogether, with the know-how and hard work of the people of this green corner of 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...
will make the entire region to flourish one again.
The most important economic sector
Economic sector
An economy may include several sectors , that evolved in successive phases.* The ancient economy was mainly based on subsistence farming....
s are the tertiary and the secondary (services and industries) sectors, which employ 49.9% and 31.2% of the working population, respectively. Narón is a suitable place to build small industries because of its good potential for industrial development. The industrial estate, Río do Pozo, is being built and will become one of the largest business park
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
s in Galicia, 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...
. A Gándara is the place where another important industrial estate is. MEGASA and POLIGAL, two of the most prominent enterprises of the Galizan iron and steel subsectors, are present in Narón. There are also other enterprises in such diverse industries as dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
, thermal insulation
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
, electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, construction materials, foodstuffs and distilling.
The industrial development of the borough, began in a few centuries ago, and consisted in different factories devoted to the leather tanning, textile mills and the use of water mills. Later, tile factories were stabilised in the region, together with shipyards and sawmills. Nowadays, and more recently, other industries flourished like traditional woodwork, stone, leather and ceramics
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
workshops which in some cases can still be found.
The primary sector is the least important, comprising 5.7% of the working population. It produces cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s, potatoes, vegetables and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, and constitutes a complementary economic activity.
Socio-cultural and economic development
Because of the Megalithic remains of A Moura, San Mateo and O Val and the existence of hill-forts (castros), albeit in a pitiful condition, in Eiravedra, Pereiruga, Petouzal, Quintá, Revolta, San Mateo, SequeiroSequeiró
Sequeiró is an urban parish located 3 km north of the city of Santo Tirso....
, Vicás and Vilasuso, it has been established that this land has been inhabited since ancient times. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, there were some small monasteries, but the most important were San Martiño de Xuvia and San Salvador de Pedroso, which were the centers of the economic, cultural and religious life of the Terra de Trasancos. An often-visited place is the Presa do Rei, located at the river Xubia. There are also two water mills from the 18th-century, with important historic-cultural value. But the most representative monument in Naron is the Romanesque Church of O Couto, which is in the ancient monastery of San Martiño de Xuvia and dates from the 12th century. The church has a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
l layout (three nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s and semicircular apses). Inside, there is the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
grave of Rodrigo Esquío. The portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
and the tower of the façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
were added later, in the 18th century. It is a building of great architectural value and is notable because of the merging of different styles.
Nowadays, Narón is working towards cultural enrichment. Several years ago, the Television de Narón e Terra de Trasancos was formed and an outstanding auditorium was also built recently. It might also be noted that the whole area has undergone a period of worrisome economic uncertainty due to the crisis in the naval building sector, the conflicts with European
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
legislation, and competition from Asia
Economy of Asia
The economy of Asia comprises more than 4 billion people living in 46 different states. Six further states lie partly in Asia, but are considered to belong to another region economically and politically...
.