Location: Castile and Leon Province
Restaurant, taverns and where to eat
The city of Segovia is just 50 miles north from Spain’s capital Madrid. It is two hours by train, hour by bus and even less than that if you choose to travel by car. Usually tourists come here for one day, but that is probably not enough to visit most popular sights. Segovia population is only 55,000, but it has its own castle, cathedral and Roman aqueduct. All are symbolic icons of the past of this beautiful city that made Segovia part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also has other monuments of importance, such as its set of Romanesque churches, the convents of San Antonio el Real, San Vicente the Royal Santa Cruz la Real, the Parral, the walled set of medieval structure and the mint (currently in restoration). In the surroundings and with good communication by bus (bus station), you can make a visit to the palatial complex of San Ildefonso or La Granja, which consists of an ornamental garden with fountains and a summer palace of the Bourbon monarchy with museum of hangings.
1 Cathedral (Catedral de Santa María de Segovia, Catedral de Nuestra
Señora de la Asunción y de San Frutos), Plaza Mayor. Tel.: +34 921 462
205, fax: +34 921 460 694. Segovia was an episcopal city from the 6th
century. A first Visigoth cathedral in Segovia was probably destroyed in
516. The Romanesque cathedral, begun under Alfonso VII, was located
immediately in front of the Alcazar. It was consecrated in 1228 and
destroyed in 1520 during the uprising of the Communeros. In 1525, at the
express wish of Charles V, construction of a new cathedral began in the
city center in the former Jewish quarter, which had lost its importance
after the Jews were expelled in 1492. The Cathedral Chapter appointed
the builder of Salamanca Cathedral, Juan Gil de Hontanon. After his
death in 1526, his son Rodrigeo de Hontanon continued the construction.
With few exceptions, the cathedral was built in the Isabelline style
until it was completed in the 17th century. Construction progressed from
west to east. The choir section was begun in 1563, the central nave
completed in 1567, the crossing completed with a cupola in the Herrera
style in 1615, the expansion of the chapels began in 1591 and the choir
sections were completed in 1614. The building consists of a nave and two
side aisles, a crossing with a dome and a polygonal ambulatory with a
ring of chapels. The tower is 88 meters high and was only completed in
1620 after being partially destroyed by lightning. The facade of the
nave does not have elaborate portals with figural decoration, only on
the Puerta del Perdon there is a stone Madonna, which is attributed to
the circle of Juan Guas and could have belonged to the old cathedral.
The portal of the transept, the Puerta de S.Frutos, was added in Herrera
style in 1616 according to plans by Pedro de Brizuela. The interior of
the church fully corresponds to the ideal of Isabelline Gothic. The nave
is 33 meters high, as is the nave of Chartres Cathedral. There is a low
window zone above the high arches. The chancel is closed off by a wall
towards the ambulatory, which may correspond to the concept of
Isabelline Gothic, although the wall was only executed in 1614. The dome
over the crossing was completed in 1615 in the Herrera style. The main
altar is on the initiative of Charles III. return. It was designed by
Francesco Sabatini in 1768. Also on the main altar is the 14th-century
Madonna de la Paz (Madonna of Peace), donated to the old cathedral by
Henry IV and covered in silver in the 18th-century. The stained glass
windows, mostly by Flemish artists, were added in 1543-1548 (before the
building was completed). They are arranged in more than 200 groups of 3
windows, with the middle (larger) window depicting a scene from the New
Testament, each of which has associated events from the Old Testament.
In the fifth chapel of the north-east aisle (Pietà chapel) on the right
side is the altar of Lamentation, one of Juan de Juni's main works. It
was completed in 1571. Opposite is an early 16C triptych from the Church
of S.Miguel, painted by a follower of Gerard David. A ceramic altar in
the pre-sacristy (Capilla de Smo. Sacramento) frames a 17C crucifix
attributed to the Portuguese artist Manuel Pereira. The cloister was
built from 1472 to designs by Juan Guas for the old cathedral. It has
one floor and was moved here when the construction of the new cathedral
began. It is the first known work by Juan Guas and is one of the few
examples of pure Dutch flamboyant style among Spanish cloisters of the
period. Open: daily from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Apr to Sep until 6 p.m.
Price: €3, free entry on Sun from 9.30 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.
2 Convento
del Corpus Cristi (Convento del Corpus Christi), Plaza del Corpus. Tel.:
+34 921 466720. Open: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wed, Fri to Sun also 4 to 6.30
p.m.
San Andres, Plaza de la Merced.
3 San Esteban (iglesia de San
Esteban), Plaza de San Esteban wikipediacommons. The three-aisled church
dates from the 13th century. It has a south-facing portico,
characteristic of Segovia's medieval churches. Of note is the six-story
tower to the southeast, dubbed the "Queen of Spanish Towers." The
interior of the church was made baroque in the 18th century. In the
church there is a crucifixion group from the 13th century, with a
larger-than-life figure of Christ.
4 San Juan de los Caballeros
(Iglesia de San Juan de los Caballeros), Plaza de Colmerares s/n. Tel:
+34 921 463348. Oldest Romanesque church in Segovia, at 1100. Open: Tue
to Sat 10am to 2pm, 4pm to 7pm, Sun 10am to 2pm, Jul to Sep 5pm to 8pm.
Price: €2
San Sebastian
Santa Cruz la Real, Cardenal Zuniga. Tel.:
+34 921 412410. Dominican monastery founded by the Catholic Monarchs at
the beginning of the 16th century, seat of the private university SEK
(San Estanislao de Kostka). Open: Mon, Wed, Fri 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
5
San Martin (Iglesia de San Martín), Calle Juan Bravo/Plaza de San Martin
. The church is said to have been built in the 12th century as an
extension of a square mosque. It has arcade porticoes with richly
decorated figure and plant capitals in the north, south and south-west.
At the west portal there are statues of the four apostles, stylistically
related to the statutes of the Church of Sta. Maria la Real in Sangueza
(Navarra) are related. The relief of a bishop from the 12th century was
placed on the north side. The ground plan of the church with three naves
of 2 bays in length, a transept that is only slightly projecting, a
crossing and three apses is compared with buildings from the 12th
century in Aragon. The interior has been remodeled several times, so the
original impression has been lost. The baroque main altar dates from the
17th century and contains a picture of St. Francis of Assisi. In the
first chapel to the north, built in the style of Juan Guas, is the
burial tomb of Gonzalo de Herrera and his wife, dating from around 1500.
6 San Millán (Iglesia de San Millán), Calle de Sto. Domingo/Av.
Fernández Labreda. The church is located in the former Moorish Quarter.
It was started in the first half of the 12th century. During the
restoration it was freed from the baroque fixtures. The church has three
naves with three apses and corresponds to the type of the cathedral of
Jaca (Huesca province). Their portico extensions on both aisles have
particularly richly decorated capitals, which is characteristic of
Segovia's churches. The two-story tower may have come from a previous
building. The original impression of the interior of the church has been
preserved. The church contains the remains of the old ceiling and wall
paintings from the 13th century and the Gothic crucifix from the 14th
century on the main altar.
7 El Parral Monastery (Monasterio de Santa
Maria del Parral), Calle del Marques de Vilena, Alameda de Eresma.
Phone: +34 921 431298 . The Jeronimos Monastery and Church of Santa
Maria is located north of the city, just above the Eresma. From there
you have an impressive view of Segovia. The church was founded in 1447
under the protection of Henri IV, the construction was started a few
years later by Juan Gallego and continued by Juan Guas. The church is
considered to be the first building of the Isabelline Gothic style.
After secularization in 1838 it fell into disrepair. Since 1925 it has
been a Hieronymite monastery again. Open: Visit Tues-Sat 10am-12.30pm,
4.15pm-6.30pm, Sun 10am-11.30am, 4.15pm-6.30pm; Sun 12 noon Mass with
Gregorian chant.
8 Vera Cruz (Iglesia de la Vera Cruz), on the road
to Zamarramaia. Tel.: +34 921 431475. Romanesque church of the Knights
Templar. Open: Tue to Sun 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.,
in summer until 7 p.m.
1 Alcazar at Segovia
(Fortress), Plaza de la Reina Victoria Eugenia, Pl. Reina Victoria
Eugenia, s/n, 40003 Segovia. Tel.: +34 921 460 759, +34 921 460 452,
Fax: +34 921 460 755, Email: patronato@alcazardesegovia.com. Open: 10am
to 6pm, Apr to Sep until 7pm. Price: €4, seniors over 65, students €3,
free entry for EU citizens on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. edit info
The rocky ridge on which the upper town is located must have been
fortified since prehistoric times. The Alcazar, built after the
Reconquista from the end of the 11th century, was renovated in 1262 by
Alfonso X and expanded by John II to Henry IV as a royal residence. The
15th-century castle is one of the symbols of Segovia, which defines the
silhouette of the city with the towers of the cathedral and the tower of
the church of San Esteban. The view from the Parral or from the church
of Vera Cruz is particularly impressive. The last major modifications go
back to Philip II, who celebrated his marriage here in 1570 with his
fourth wife, Anna of Austria. The castle was under Philip IV. State
prison, 1764 under Charles III. artillery school. In 1862 a fire largely
destroyed the interior. Subsequently, the castle was restored in the
romantic spirit. After a recent restoration after the civil war, the
castle is open to the public as a monument to Spanish history.
The
rock falls steeply on three sides, so that the castle only required
larger fortifications with walls and moats to the south-east (towards
the city). The tower is 80 meters high. It was started in the 15th
century under John II, possibly modeled on English castles. The
courtyard was expanded from 1587 under the direction of Francisco de
Moya according to Herrera's plans. The Palas was expanded from 1412 for
residential purposes. In the course of the restoration, the interior of
the state rooms from the 15th century was restored with the help of
romanticized drawings. The rooms were furnished with Yeseria and Azulejo
wall decorations and carved wooden ceilings based on the Moorish model.
This style has also prevailed in the Christian north since the time of
Peter the Cruel in the 14th century. The Alcazar of Segovia offers an
impressive, fully restored example of such a 15th-century interior, in
which Moorish elements mixed with Late Gothic and Renaissance motifs.
The Sala del Trono (Throne Room) from the time of Henry IV now has a
wooden ceiling from a church in the province of Valladolid. The Sala de
la Galera was expanded in 1412 by Catherine of Lancaster. The name is
reminiscent of the ceiling, which is related to a ship's construction,
although it has been renewed today. In the Sala de las Pinas (Pine Hall)
there is a copy of the ceiling with pine cone motifs originally
installed here in the 15th century. The Dormitorio del Rey (Royal
bedchamber) is furnished in a historicist style. In the Sala des Reyes
(Hall of the Kings) there is a frieze with the genealogy of the Spanish
kings from Pelayo to Joanna the Mad. This frieze was added during the
restoration in the 19th century. The chapel also has a 15th-century
ceiling. From the northwestern tip of the castle there is a great view
towards the south of the Sierra.
Casa de los Picos, Juan Bravo
33. Tel.: +34 921 462674. Open: 12-2pm, 6pm-8pm, summer 7pm-9pm. Price:
Free entry.Edit infoThe house was built around 1500 by the family of the
royal treasurer de la Hoz. It got its name from the stone spikes on the
facade. The front is covered with continuous rows of diamond-cut stones,
slightly offset vertically, creating a wickerwork ornament reminiscent
of the Mudejar style.
Casa del Conde de Alpuente (Palacio de Aspiroz)
Placio de Arco, opposite the Cathedral. edit info, no interior
inspection
Roman Aqueduct (Acueducto de Segovia), Plaza del Azoguejo s/n . The
symbol of Segovia. It was built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98
to 117 AD), is 728 meters long, up to 29 meters high and consists of 166
arches, some of which have two floors. It is composed of approximately
25,000 blocks of granite that were joined together without the use of
mortar. The aqueduct remained intact during Visigoth and Moorish rule.
In 1072, during an invasion of the Moors from Toledo, 36 arches in the
southern part were destroyed. They were rebuilt in the 15th century.
Already in ancient times there were two niches in which there were
probably pagan statues of gods. At the time of the Catholic Monarchs
they were replaced by images of St. Sebastian and the Blessed Virgin. A
legend about the construction of the aqueduct was written in bronze
letters under the niches. Only a few traces of it can be seen today. The
aqueduct is 14,965 meters long from its beginning in the Sierra de
Guadarrama mountain range. The arches span a distance of 958 meters. At
its highest point, the aqueduct is 28.10 meters high. It has a total of
166 arches. This masterpiece of hydraulic engineering consists of large
blocks of granite from the Sierra de Guadarrama, which are held together
without mortar. The water runs through a channel on the top and crosses
the city underground to the Alkazar. The aqueduct was declared a
national monument in 1884 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
city walls and city gates. The parts of the city walls that are still
preserved today go back to the renewal after the Reconquista in the 11th
century. They originally had a length of 2,900 meters. When it was
built, Roman wall remains were reused. Of the original seven gates, only
the Puerta San Cebrian, the Puerta Santiago towards the Eresma Valley
and the Puerta San Andres towards the south-west, restored under Charles
V, have survived.
Antonio Machado House (Casa-Museo de Machado), Calle de los Desamapaados 5. Tel.: +34 921 460377, email: informacion.casamachado@turismodesegovia.com . The poet Antonio Machado became a teacher at the Segovia high school in 1919. He lived in this house until 1932. The simple apartment with its original furniture is probably still as sparsely furnished as it was then. His room has been enriched with oil paintings, drawings and posters by Rafael Peñuelas, Jesús Unturbe, Álvaro Delgado and Pablo Picasso to illustrate the life of the former resident. Open: Wed to Sun 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Price: €2, reduced €1.50.
Cathedral Museum, Marqués del Arco 1. Tel: +34 921 462 205, Fax: +34
921 460 694. Open: Oct to Mar 9.30am to 5.30pm, Apr to Sep 9.30am to
6.30pm. Price: €3
The Cathedral Museum was founded in 1824. In the
Capilla de Santa Catalina there are works by Flemish and Spanish
painters, paintings by anonymous artists such as the so-called Maestro
de los Claveles and the Maestro de la Santa Sangre, and works by Bernard
van Orley, Marinus van Reymerswaele, Pedro Berruguete, Luis de Morales,
Alonso de Herrera and the historical painting San Francisco de Borja
ante Carlos V by Antonio María Esquivel. There is a collection of
tapestries in the chapter house and staircase. Two unique
bibliographical treasures are kept in the library: the Cathedral Hymnal,
with Castilian and European songs from the late 15th century, and the
Sinodal de Aguilafuente, printed in Segovia by Juan Párix in 1472, the
first book printed in Spain .
Esteban Vicente Contemporary Art
Museum, Plazuela de las Bellas Artes s/n. Tel.: +34 921 462 010, fax:
+34 921 462 277, email: museo@museoestebanvicente.es. Open: Tue, Wed
11am-2pm, 4pm-7pm, Thu, Fri 11am-2pm, 4pm-8pm, Sat, Sun 11am-8pm. Price:
€3, concessions €1.50, free admission on Thursdays.
The painter
Esteban Vicente received his training in Madrid. After the civil war
broke out, he went into exile. He was the only Spanish exponent of the
first generation of abstract expressionism. The collection includes oil
paintings, collages, drawings, watercolors and sculptures donated by the
artist and his wife Harriet Gotfried. The museum is housed in the former
palace of Henry IV of the Trastámara family, built in the mid-15th
century. The building is part of the former Royal Palace of San Martín,
built by John II for his son, later King Henry IV. In 1518 the complex
was converted into a retirement home, the chapel of which has been
preserved to this day. Later it housed the School of Fine Arts.
Educational Center of the Jewish Quarter (Andrés Laguna House/Abraham
Seneor House), Juderia Vieja 12. Tel.: +34 921 462 396, email:
juderia@turismodesegovia.com. Open: Mon to Sun 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m.
to 6.30 p.m. Price: €2, reduced €1.50.
located in the house of
Abraham Seneor. Andrés Laguna, the renowned personal physician of
Charles V and Pope Julius III, also lived here. The Didactic Teaching
Center of the Jewish Quarter aims to bring Jewish culture closer to
visitors using display boards, videos and a tour of Jewish history and
traditions.
Rodero-Robles Museum – Casa del Hidalgo, San Agustin 12.
Tel: +34 921 460 207, email: infomuseo@rodera-robles.org. Open: Tue to
Sat 10.30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sun 10.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Price: €1.50, free admission on Wednesdays.
in the 15./16. Century
built aristocratic house Casa del Hidalgo with a picture collection of
works by local artists.
Zuloaga Museum – Church of San Juan de los
Caballeros, Plaza de Colmenares, s/n. Tel.: +34 921 463 348, Fax: +34
921 460 580. Open: Tue to Sat 10am to 2pm, 4pm to 7pm, Sun 10am to 2pm,
Jul to Sep 5pm to 8pm. Price: €1.20, Sat, Sun free entry, seniors over
65, students free entry.
, in the former church of San Juan de los
Caballeros (11th-13th centuries). The building preserves the remains of
a Visigoth church (6th century). The church was purchased in 1905 by
Daniel Zuloaga, who set up his ceramics workshop there. Today the
exhibition rooms contain the oil paintings, watercolors and ceramics by
Daniel Zuloaga and his descendants, as well as paintings by Ignacio
Zuloaga. The church is the burial place of important noble families
whose founders, according to legend, Fernán García and Día Sanz, are
credited with conquering Madrid.
Civic Museum – Casa del Sol, Socorro
11. Tel.: +34 921 460 613, Fax: +34 921 460 580, Email:
museo.segovia@jcyl.es. Open: Oct to Jun Tue to Sat 10am to 2pm, 4 to
7pm, Sun 10am to 2pm, Jul to Sep Tue to Sat 10am to 2pm, 5 to 8pm, Sun
10am to 2pm. Price: € 1.20, Sat, Sun free entry, seniors over 65,
students free entry.
Streets and squares
Plaza de San Martin
Plaza del Conde de Cheste. With palaces from the 15th and 16th centuries
By plane
The Castilian city does not have its own airport. The most
accessible are:
Airports
-Madrid, 87 km. Madrid Barajas Airport.
-Valladolid (Villanubla), 125 km. Valladolid airport.
-Salamanca, 164 km. Salamanca airport.
By train
Segovia is connected by high-speed rail to both the capital of
Spain, Madrid, with destination Chamartín station, and the capital
of the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, Valladolid, stopping
at Valladolid-Campo Grande. Both journeys are made in approximate
times of 30 minutes.
The high-speed station is a little away from the center. You can get
there by public transport, taking lines 11 and 12 of the urban buses
(2 euros a ticket).
There is also a line of conventional trains, which stops in many
towns in the South of Segovia and North of Madrid. These trains stop
at all stations of its route and can be linked to the Cercanías
Madrid lines.
In bus
The company La Sepulvedana has several daily buses that travel the
Madrid-Segovia-Madrid route every half hour. Some of them are direct
and others have several intermediate stops (the semi-stops stop at:
San Rafael, Los Angeles de San Rafael, Otero de Herreros, Ortigosa
del Monte, Revenga and Segovia). Within the city of Segovia, all
buses make two stops; one in the neighborhood of Cristo del Mercado
(not recommended for being far from the center if the trip is
tourist) and another in the municipal bus station. In any case, it
is recommended never to take a bus route (ask at the ticket office
at the time of taking the ticket), since apart from stopping in all
the towns of Segovia, for also in some towns of Madrid. It is better
to wait half an hour for the next service, since it will arrive
earlier. These buses do not leave the South bus station, but have
their terminal inside the Moncloa interchange, in docks 6 and 7. The
Linecar company connects with Valladolid.
By car
From Madrid take the A-6 motorway (direction La Coruña), which from
Villalba becomes AP-6 (toll motorway). After passing the Guadarrama
tunnel (4 km.), We take the AP-61, which takes us to Segovia. If we
do not want to pay the tolls, we will take the A-6 in the same way
and then take the exit towards El Escorial / Guadarrama. We will
cross the town of Guadarrama (since 2007, there is the exit to
Puerto de Los Leones, almost reaching the tunnel and we do not have
to cross Guadarrama), we will climb the Puerto de Los Leones and
continue through the town of San Rafael and the N-603 until get to
Segovia. To go through the Port of Navacerrada, there is an exit on
the A-6 at the height of Villalba. On the A-1 you can also access
Segovia through Navacerrada, taking the deviation to Colmenar Viejo
and then without entering this town it continues in the direction of
Navacerrada or Segovia. By the A-1 you can also take the N-110,
already in the province of Segovia, past the Port of Somosierra.
In bus
It has a tourist bus with several passenger pick-up stops (the most
important at the foot of the Aqueduct) and numerous stops to
photograph. The bus leaves the city to some viewpoints. The rates
are as follows: Adults: € 5.20 Adults over 65 and children up to 13
years old inclusive: € 3.90 Children up to 2 years old: free Groups
(minimum 20 people): € 4.15
It has 11 urban bus lines and an owl line: Line 1 : San José - Colón
(with stop at Plaza de Artillería) Frequency: 15 minutes Line 2 :
San Lorenzo - Colón (with stop at Plaza de Artillería) Frequency: 25
minutes Line 3 : El Carmen - Colón (with stop at Plaza de
Artillería) Frequency: 15 minutes Line 4 : Circular (with stop at
Artillery Plaza). Frequency: 20 minutes Line 5 : Nueva Segovia -
Cólón (with stop in Plaza de Artillería) Frequency: 15 minutes Line
6 : La Fuentecilla - Pº del Salón. Frequency: 20 minutes Line 7 :
Pza de Artillería - Polígonos - C.Comercial. Frequency: 35 minutes
Line 8: Zamarramala - Hontoria (with stop at Artillery Plaza).
Frequency: 20 minutes Line 9 : Casco Antiguo (with stop at the
Artillery Plaza). Frequency: 30 minutes Line 11 : Pce de Artillería
- Ave. Station Frequency: Between 20 min. and 1 hour. Line 12 : Bus
Station - Ave. Station Frequency: Between 20 min. and 1 hour Owl
Line : San Lorenzo - Paseo del Salón. Frequency: 1 hour.
The rates are as follows: Ordinary Ticket: 0.86 € Pensioner Ticket:
0.06 € Holiday Ticket: 0.88 € Owl Ticket: 0.88 € Ordinary Passenger:
0.52 € Numerous Family Pass: 0.42 € Young: € 0.37 Matinal Bonus: €
0.25
All information with detailed itinerary and schedule at:
www.urbanosdesegovia.com
Cheap
El Alcazar, Plaza Mayor 12. Tel.: +34 921 462118.
,
traditional pastry shop, known for the typical Segovian dessert,
ponche (sponge dough with syrup, marzipan and sugar, caramelized
with a hot iron in a diamond shape)
Middle
El Bernardino,
Cervantes 2. Tel.: +34 921 462477. Prices: menu €18-24, a la carte
€24-42.
La Taurina, Plaza Mayor 8. Tel: +34 921 460902. Open: Wed
closed. Price: menu €18-24, a la carte €21-44.
Upscale
Mesón José Maria, Cronista Lecea 11. Tel.: +34 921 461111. Prices:
menu € 45 bid 54, a la carte € 50.
, known for its suckling pig
Mesón de Candidó, Plaza Azoguejo 5. Tel.: +34 921 425911. Price: A
la carte from €30 to €50.
, also known for its suckling pig
Mesón Duque, Cervantes 12. Tel.: +34 921 462486. Price: €40.
,known for its suckling pig
Maracaibo - Casa Silvano, Paseo
Ezequiel Gonzalez 25. Tel.: +34 921 461475, +34 921 461545. Price:
Menu € 35 to 55. A la carte € 30 to 60.
just outside, near the
Romanesque church of San Millán, is considered one of the best
restaurants in town
La Cocina de Segovia, Paseo Ezequiel Gonzalez
26. Tel: +34 921 437462. Open: Sun closed in the evenings. Price:
menu € 22 to 40, a la carte € 35 to 55.
, also just outside, near
the Romanesque church of San Millán
Villena (Julio Reoyo). Tel:
+34 921 461742. Closed: Sun evening, Mon, Tue evening. Price: menu €
38 to 64.
February 5: Santa Águeda. The party in which women rule. It is
celebrated in Zamarramala, today the neighborhood of Segovia, but
the festivity is extended throughout the province.
June 22 - 29: Fairs and Festivals of San Juan and San Pedro.
September 25: Festivity of its patron saint, the Virgen de la
Fuencisla. The Virgin is brought to the Cathedral from her Sanctuary
and a novena is celebrated during the last days of September.
October 25: Festivity of his employer, San Frutos, nicknamed "the
birdman". The night of the 24 to 25, this saint passes a page of his
book.
Parties in the neighborhoods
SANTA EULALIA - San Antón, on January 17.
SAN MARCOS - Fiesta de San Marcos, on April 25.
SAN JOSÉ - Festivities of San José on May 1.
THE CHRIST OF THE MARKET - La Cruz de Mayo, on May 3, and San
Isidro, on May 15.
SANTO TOMÁS - Santo Tomás, June 30.
LA FUENTECILLA - Virgen Milagrosa, July 6.
EL CARMEN - La Virgen del Carmen, on July 16.
MIRASIERRA - Virgen del Parque, on July 22.
SAN LORENZO - San Lorenzo, on August 10.
SAN MILLÁN - San Roque, on August 16.
EL SALVADOR - Fiesta de El Salvador, the first weekend of August
NEW SEGOVIA - San Mateo, on September 21, the holidays are the first
weekend of September.
SAN MIGUEL - Procession of the Minerva, Eighth of the Corpus.
Balloon Flight in Segovia (Balloon ride in Segovia), Takeoff field in front of the General Hospital (Calle 3 de abril s / n), ☎ +34 677 996 404, free phone: +34 918 974 271, email: eolofly@eolofly.com . 09:00 - 20:00. Discovering a city like Segovia from the tranquil balloon flight is a unique experience. Being able to observe the Alcazar, the Cathedral or the Aqueduct from the air makes it acquire a complete meaning. In addition, the activity is completed with the traditional toast with cava, a Pic-Nic with Iberian and, so that you have an unforgettable memory, a report with Video and Photographic is also included. You can see an example of the Balloon Flight in Segovia in the following video: https://www.eolofly.com/flight-globo-segovia-200317 / € 145.
The toponym Segovia is of Celtiberan origin, although there is no
record of the name of the city until Titus Livius names it as a mansion
near Cauca. The mention is referred to the war of Sertorius, when the
generals of Sertorius toured Spain recruiting soldiers in the year 79 a.
C. There are also testimonies of the city's toponym in Latin Segovia by
a Celtiberian coin of transition period (probably of late republican
period) minted in the city with a value of one As.
Formerly the
toponym Segóbriga was associated with Segovia, but the discovery of the
city of Segóbriga in Saelices (Cuenca) completely dismantled this
theory. Under Roman and Arab domination, the city was called Segovia
(Σεγουβία, Ptolemy ii. 6. § 56) and Šiqūbiyyah (in Arabic شقوبية)
respectively.
The historian Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, referring to
Segovia says: Civitatem iuxta iugum Dorii aedificavit [Spanish] in loco
subiecto promontory quod Cobia dicitur et quia secus Cobiam sita,
Secobia muncupatur, ubi aquaeductum consruxit overlooking operates
aquarium iniectionibus famulatur. Three premises are deduced from the
text: first, that Segovia is situated in the region of the Duero and at
the foot of a mountain, which is obvious; second that the city was
founded by Hispanic and third, that this same was the builder of the
aqueduct. Jiménez de Rada calls Cobia the present sierra and from the
situation of Segovia at its feet derives the term Segovia.
In the
sixteenth century, Garci Ruiz de Castro, the first historian of the
city, makes his own the etymology of Jiménez de Rada and years later
Diego de Colmenares, the author of Historia de Segovia, writes: “This
fortified site [the rock on which is seated Segovia], which nature forms
impregnable, chose Hercules, our founder, for a city, propugnáculo then
of the best of Spain. Which from these principles (as we understand) was
named Segovia: perhaps from the very ancient word briga, which means
meeting of people».
Human settlement in the area of what is now Segovia dates back to
about 60,000 years ago, a date on which the Neanderthal occupation of
the Abrigo del Molino and Abrigo de San Lázaro sites, in the Eresma
valley, has been dated. , just 500 m from the site of the castle. The
Neanderthals were, therefore, the first to occupy the territory of what
eventually became the city of Segovia.
Near this shelter, in the
Tarascona cave and in other open-air locations in the peri-urban
environment of Segovia, evidence from the Chalcolithic and the Bronze
Age is located. In the place now occupied by the fortress there was a
Celtiberian fort, of which some evidence is known, such as its possible
moat. The city was attacked by the Lusitanian leader Viriato in his
first northern expedition in 146 BC., or in his participation in the
Numantine revolution of 143 BC., since Segovia, unlike the Lusitanians
and the Celtiberian rebels, professed loyalty to Rome. Details of the
battle are lacking, although it is evident that it was bloody, since
Frontinus says that "the inhabitants of Segovia, when Viriato proposed
to return their women and children; they preferred to witness the
execution of their loved ones rather than fail the Romans.
During
Roman times, Segovia belonged to the legal convent of Clunia. In
Visigothic Hispania, it was the episcopal seat of the Catholic Church,
suffragan of the Archdiocese of Toledo, which included the ancient Roman
province of Carthaginian in the diocese of Hispania.
It is
believed that the city was abandoned after the Islamic invasion,
although recent discoveries in 2014 show remains in the wall (in
addition to Celtiberian, Visigoth, and Roman) of a previous Arab gate
between the 8th and 11th centuries in the now existing Puerta de
Santiago. .
After the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI of León,
the son-in-law of King Alfonso VI, Count Raymond of Burgundy, together
with the first bishop of his reconstituted diocese, began the
repopulation of Segovia in 1088 with Christians from the north of the
peninsula and from beyond the Pyrenees, providing it with a large
council whose lands crossed the Guadarrama mountain range and even the
line of the Tagus.
During the 12th century it suffered important
disturbances against its governor, Álvar Fáñez, and later as part of the
struggles of the reign of Urraca of Castile. Despite these disorders,
its location on transhumance routes made it an important center for the
wool trade and textile manufactures (whose existence has been documented
since the 12th century). The end of the Middle Ages is a time of
splendor, in which Segovia hosted an important Jewish aljama; lays the
foundations of a powerful drapery industry; It developed splendid Gothic
architecture and was the court of the kings of the House of Trastámara
(Alfonso X the Wise had already converted the fortress as a royal
residence). Finally, in the church of San Miguel in Segovia, Isabel la
Católica was proclaimed queen of Castile on December 13, 1474.
Like all Castilian textile centers, it joined the uprising of the
communities, having a notable intervention, under the command of Juan
Bravo. Despite the defeat of the communities, the economic boom of the
city continued during the 16th century, reaching 27,000 inhabitants in
1594. Later, like almost all Castilian cities, it went into decline, so
that just a century later, in 1694, it only had 8,000 inhabitants.
At the beginning of the 18th century, an attempt was made to
revitalize its textile industry, with little success. In the second half
of the century, within the enlightened impulses of Charles III, a new
attempt at revitalization was made by creating the Royal Segovian Wool
Manufacturing Company (1763). However, the lack of competitiveness of
its production caused the crown to withdraw its sponsorship (1779). Also
in 1764, the Royal College of Artillery, the first military academy in
Spain, had been inaugurated, which is still located in the city.
In 1808 it was sacked by French troops during the War of Independence.
During the first Carlist war the troops of the pretender Carlos de
Borbón attacked the city without success. During the 19th century and
the first half of the 20th, it experienced a demographic recovery as a
result of a relative economic revitalization.
Segovia is located in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula,
immediately north of the Guadarrama mountain range, at the base of the
mountains and south of the Northern Subplateau. The center of the city
is located at an altitude of 1002 m above sea level, while the altitude
of the municipality varies between 880 m in the last section in the
municipality of the Eresma River, in the north of it, and the 1400 m on
the Cachiporra hill, south of the municipality. In Segovia the Camino de
San Frutos begins and ends 80 km away at the hermitage of San Frutos.
And the town is also part of the main route of the Camino de Santiago de
Madrid and the Sendero Segoviano Long Distance Trail or GR-88.
In
5% of the municipal area there are 822 hectares of the Sierra de
Guadarrama special protection area for birds.
According to the Köppen climate classification, Segovia's climate can
be considered transitional between type Csa (Mediterranean) and type Csb
(oceanic Mediterranean). In fact, the climate can be Csa type in the low
areas of the municipality and Csb type in the higher altitude areas,
even in the highest part of the urban area.
Segovia's climate is
determined by its high altitude, its proximity to the Central system and
its distance from the coast; The annual temperature averages 11.5 °C,
with absolute minimums in December of -17.0 °C (January 6, 1938) and
maximums in July of 39.7 °C (July 16, 1920); The annual precipitation is
464 mm per year, which makes the province a humid corner in the context
of the Meseta. The predominant vegetation in the mountainous areas, with
black, stone and wild pines, oaks, piornos and junipers, gives way in
the flatter areas to holm oak and cereal surfaces, with landscapes of
wheat fields, stubble and fallow fields.
Below is a table with
the climatological values in the reference period between 1988 and 2010
at the Aemet observatory in Segovia at 1005 m above sea level. The
extreme values correspond to those recorded in the aforementioned
observatory in Segovia starting in 1988, but also to the values recorded
in the old AEMET observatory located at the Mariano Quintanilla
Institute, 990 m above sea level, in the period 1920-1986.
Segovia, made up of the historic neighborhoods of San Lorenzo, La
Judería, Cristo del Mercado, San Millán, San Miguel, San Marcos, Santo
Tomás San José, El Salvador, Santa Eulalia, La Fuentecilla and the core
of the Historic Center, in addition to the modern ones that are La
Albuera, El Carmen, San Frutos, Nueva Segovia and the Library District
or Barrio Nuevo
Fuentemilanos
Hontoria
Madrona
Revenga,
established in 1983 as a minor local entity
Zamarramala
Torredondo
Perogordo, divided into two neighborhoods, the upper one, almost all in
ruins, and the lower one, which is where most of the inhabited houses
are located.
The Serillas
Other scattered hamlets such as
Abadejos, Aldeallana, Campillo, Colina, Matamanzano, Tajuña,
Lagunilla...
The population growth experienced throughout the 19th century
accelerated starting in 1920: 16,013 inhabitants that year, 33,360 in
1960, 53,237 in 1981. From the 1980s onwards, growth slowed down
significantly: 55,586 in 2004 and 56,047 in 2007.
In 1586, the
city of Segovia had 19,500 inhabitants, but after the plague epidemic
that devastated the city in 1599, the economic crisis and other
circumstances, the city did not recover that population again until
1935, when it had 19,127 inhabitants.
In 1530, Segovia had 12,500
inhabitants, in 1531 with 14,197 inhabitants, in 1561 with 17,600
inhabitants and in 1586 with 19,500 inhabitants. In 1750 it had 11,500
inhabitants and in 1787 it had 11,203 inhabitants.
The city of Segovia has a large number of primary and secondary
education centers, including the Mariano Quintanilla and Andrés Laguna
institutes, founded as one in 1841. Likewise, in Segovia there are four
charter schools, three of which are from religious character, which are
the Conceptionist Mothers Center, the Claret Center and the Nuestra
Señora de la Fuencisla Center (Marist Brothers).
Regarding higher
education, in Segovia there was the Domingo de Soto University College,
a center attached to the Central University of Madrid created in 1969 by
the Social and Cultural Projects of Caja Segovia. The center was
integrated into the University of Valladolid in 2007. In this center,
courses in Law, Business Administration and Management, Advertising and
Public Relations, and Technical Engineering in Management Informatics
could be studied.
Currently, the María Zambrano Campus of the
University of Valladolid is located in Segovia, where you can study
courses such as Computer Engineering, Law, Business Administration and
Management, Labor Relations, Advertising, Public Relations, Tourism,
Nursing and Teaching. In The city is home to IE University, a private
university dedicated primarily to business school, with a Master of
Business Administration program.
The City also has an associated
Center of the National University of Distance Education, UNED.
Since 1987, the City of Segovia has taught foreign languages at the
Official Language School with Sections in Cuéllar, Sepúlveda, Cantalejo
and El Espinar.
Also in Segovia, the School of Art and Higher
School of Design is based, located in the Casa de los Picos.
The hospitals in Segovia are the Segovia Assistance Complex, SACYL and the Recoletas Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia Hospital. The outpatient clinics that exist are the La Albuera Health Center, the Santo Tomás Health Center and the San Lorenzo Health Center, and the Nueva Segovia Health Center is currently under construction.
Roads
SG-20: City ring road between the A-601 highway and the
N-110 towards Ávila.
AP-61 toll road, which allows communication by
highway with Madrid, whose conventional alternative is the N-603.
A-601 highway that connects Segovia with Valladolid.
Highway N-110,
which allows connection with Soria and Ávila, between points 190 and
210.
Regional highway CL-601, which connects with the Royal Site of
San Ildefonso and the port of Navacerrada.
Regional highway CL-605,
which heads to Santa María la Real de Nieva.
Regional highway CL-607,
which connects the CL-605 with the A-601 highway through Zamarramala.
Provincial highway SG-724, which allows communication with Madrona.
Provincial road SG-V-6123 that allows communication with Trescasas.