Leon

The city of Leon is the capital of León province in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in northwest Spain. Its population of 135,794 (2002) makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for over one-quarter of its population. Its urban area population is calculated at 185,391 (2003).

León is famous for the gothic León Cathedral and many other buildings, as the Real Colegiata de San Isidoro where is located the Royal Pantheon, or Casa de Botines a bank which is an early work of Antoni Gaudi. León is also known for its celebration of Easter. Léonese processions are declared of International Interest. The most important of these is the Good Friday procession.

History

León was founded in 68 CE. Its name is derived from the Latin legio, from Legio VII Gemina, the Roman legion recruited from Iberians, which established the site of the city to protect the territory from the wild mountaineers of Asturias and Cantabria, and to secure the transport of gold extracted in the province, especially in Las Médulas. The early history of the city is the history of the Kingdom of León, conquered by the Visigoth king Leovigild and then by the Muslims in 712.

Towards the year 846, a group of Muslim Arabs tried to repopulate the city, but a Muslim attack prevented that initiative. In the year 856, under the Christian king Ordoño I of Asturias, another attempt at repopulation was made and was successful. Ordoño II made León the capital of his Kingdom of León (914) and the most important of the Christian cities in Iberia.

Sacked by Almanzor in about 987, the city was reconstructed and repopulated by Alfonso V, whose Decree of 1017 regulated its economic life, including the functioning of its markets. León was a way-station for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago leading to Santiago de Compostela. Suburbs for traders and artisans sprang up, who, after the 13th century, began to influence the municipal government. During the early Middle Ages, the livestock industry produced a period of prosperity for the city. In the 16th century, economic and demographic decline set in and continued until the 19th century. In June 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, León joined the war against the Republicans.

During the 1960s, León experienced much growth due to inmigration from the rural zones of the province.

Since 1980 León has been the center of a movement for Leonese autonomism, which is agitating for a statute of self-government and separation from Castile. The more radical autonomists support the idea of creating a Léonese autonomous community, which would be formed by the provinces of Salamanca, León and Zamora.

Monuments and places of interest

The most notable monuments are the Cathedral, with its excellent stain glassed windows, the Basilica de San Isidoro, with its Roman paintings and the boarding house of San Marcos, with its plateresque façade. One can also find the Casa de Botines, a neogothic styled building and an excellent example of the arquitecture of Antoni Gaudí. The Palacio de los Guzmanes, the site of the provincial diputación (parliament), contains an impressive patio in the plateresque style. The old quarter of the city conserves a large part of the medieval wall and some remains of the original Roman wall. Visitors are obliged to visit the Barrio Humedo (the drinking and partying area) and the Plaza del Grano.

Folklore and customs

Among the Leonese customs, Semana Santa (holy week) during which there are numerous processions through the centre of the city stands out. One of the most beautiful is the so called Procession of the Meeting which acts out the meeting of three groups representing Saint John, the Virgin Mary and Christ in the explanade in front of the Cathedral. Associated with Semana Santa is the pagan procession for the burial of Genarín, a poor person run over by the first rubbish truck in León. The procession consists of a march through the city with Orujo (an alcoholic drink) at the head of the procession to the front of the city walls where the man was supposedly run over and then leaving cheese, a bottle of Orujo and two oranges at the spot.

Food

Within the wide range of leonese food the following dishes are very important: cecina (cured, smoked beef), morcilla (a kind of blood sausage), botillo (different pieces of cured pork meat), garlic soup, el cocido leonés (a mix of meat with vegetables and chickpeas, served after a vegetable-vermicelli soup) and mantecadas (a sweet). Another very important part of the gastronomy of León are the “tapas” you can get in most of the many bars in the city. The most important thing about these tapas is that they are free unlike in most cities in Spain. It is a very common thing to do to go “de tapas” i.e. to go for a few drinks (normally “cortos”, which is a very small beer, just something to wash down the food) just before lunch or as a light form of dinner.