- Calahorra
Calahorra, La Rioja,
Spain is located in the comarca ofLa Rioja Baja , near the border withNavarre on the right bank of theEbro .The city is located on a hill at an altitude of 358 metres at the confluence of the Ebro and
Cidacos rivers, and has an area of 91.41 km². Calahorra is the second-largest city in La Rioja in population and importance, after the capital,Logroño . Its population is 21,060 people.It is well connected to other cities, especially by highway. It is situated in the Ebro valley, 48 kilometres from Logroño, 120 km from
Zaragoza and 180 km fromBilbao , and is connected to these cities by national highway 232, the A-68 motorway (Vasco-Aragonesa) and the Bilbao-Zaragoza rail line.Its daily bus services link it to such cities as
Pamplona ,Soria , andSan Sebastián .Its status as seat of a comarca and judicial district make it a service-industry city, in administrative, commercial, and leisure fields.
History
Calahorra has been inhabited since the
Paleolithic , and its stable population dates to theIron Age .Rome conquered the town in
187 BC and brought it to its highest point of importance as an administrative centre for surrounding regions.Calahorra supported
Quintus Sertorius in his war againstPompey , whom the city resisted successfully since 76 BC. It was only taken four years later by Pompey's legate Lucius Afranius, after a lot of inhabitants had died from starvation and there had occurred cannibalism.Julius Caesar andAugustus Caesar gave the city (then named "Calagurris") numerous distinctions, converted it into a municipality, and developed its city planning, economy, and politics. Its archeological remains show that it had a circus, baths, an amphitheatre, and other services found in large cities. It minted money and served as a justice administration centre.Quintilian , well known for his descriptions of the culture of that time, was born in Calahorra, and theParador in the city is named after him. It has Roman ruins in the grounds.Saints Emeterius and Celedonius , martyred in the city around 305 AD, are thepatron saints of the city, and the city's coat-of-arms depict their names. The cathedral is dedicated to them.After the rule of the Moors in the 9th and 10th centuries the Christian king
García Sánchez III of Navarre captured the city in 1045.Twin cities
*flagicon|Italy
Monte Compatri ,Italy *flagicon|France
Caussade ,France External links
* [http://www.ayto-calahorra.es/ Official Web Site]
* [http://www.calagurris.es/ Calahorra (La Rioja) Web Site]
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