Aranda de Duero is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, capital of the

Ribera del Duero Ribera del Duero is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) located in the country's northern plateau and is one of eleven 'quality wine' regions within the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also one of several recogn ...

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

, in the south of the

province of Burgos The Province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladoli ...

, in

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of th ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people and lies on the

River Duero The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

. The closest international airport is Madrid Barajas.

Description

The municipality of Aranda de Duero is made up of three towns: Aranda de Duero (seat or capital), La Aguilera and Sinovas. Aranda de Duero is the capital of the

wine region. The town is unique for having wine cellars that interconnect below the streets of the town centre. Wine clubs (''peñas'') celebrate special events in these cellars.

Location

Aranda de Duero is at the junction of several transport routes across Spain. The N1 ''autovía'' (known as A-1) runs north / south by Aranda, along which visitors and import/export goods travel between

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and the south coast. Another important road running east to west connects

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

with important cities on the way (e.g. Zamora, Valladolid,

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...

) and the east coast. Its location at the juncture of these routes has led to Aranda de Duero acquiring a growing recognition and function as a business centre. Several

multinational corporation A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a multinational enterprise (MNE), a transnational enterprise (TNE), a transnational corporation (TNC), an international corporation or a stateless corporation with subtle but contrasting senses, i ...

s, such as

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larg ...

and

GlaxoSmithKline GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the tent ...

have large facilities in the area.

Climate

Aranda de Duero has a warm-summer

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

( Köppen ''Csb'') with cold winters.

History

The Council of Aranda, an ecclesiastical synod, was held at Aranda de Duero in 1473 by Alfonso Carillo,

Archbishop of Toledo This is a list of Bishops and Archbishops of Toledo ( la, Archidioecesis Metropolitae Toletana).

, to overcome the ignorance and evil lives of ecclesiastics. Among the twenty-nine canons of the council is one which says that orders shall not be conferred on those who are ignorant of Latin. Several canons deal with clerical concubinage, simony, clandestine marriages, etc.

Culture

A dish called "Lechazo" is a local speciality. This is roast baby lamb and is usually served with a basic salad and much "torta" bread for dipping in the meat juices.

Festivals and events

The Fiestas to honour la Virgen de las Viñas (Our Lady of the Vines) take place on the first Sunday after 8 September. They last for nine days from the eve of that Sunday (the Big Day) until the following Sunday when the Fiestas end with the traditional

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

at midnight, followed by "the sardine burial". The annual Sonorama music festival is held in the city in mid-August.

Gallery

File:Principal facade of Santa María la Real Church - color photo - Aranda de Duero - Spain.jpeg, Principal facade of Santa María la Real Church. File:Iglesia de Santa María la Real (Aranda de Duero). Portal principal.jpg, Main facade of Iglesia de Santa María la Real File:Interior of the Santa María la Real Church Aranda de Duero in Spain.jpeg, Interior of Santa María la Real Church. File:Sta Maria La Real.jpg, Interior of Santa María la Real Church. File:Interior photo - Santa María la Real Church Aranda de Duero in Spain.jpeg, Interior of Santa María la Real Church. Aranda de Duero, Iglesia de Santa María la Real, fachada principal.jpg, Facade of Iglesia de Santa María la Real

Wine caves

File:Stairs cut into rock in an underground Wine Cave in Aranda de Duero, Spain.jpeg, Stairs cut into rock in a wine cave in Aranda de Duero File:Bottles of Wine in an Underground Wine Cave in Aranda de Duero, Spain.jpeg, Wine storage in a wine cave in Aranda de Duero File:A photo of an underground Aranda de Duero Wine Cave in Spain.jpeg, Wine cave in Aranda de Duero File:Wine Storage in an Underground Wine Cave in Aranda de Duero, Spain.jpeg, Wine cave in Aranda de Duero File:Underground wine cave in Aranda de Duero - Spain.jpeg, Wine cave in Aranda de Duero File:An underground wine cave in Aranda de Duero - Spain.jpeg, Wine cave in Aranda de Duero

Places of interest

Aranda de Duero - Iglesia de Santa María la Real 22

Santa María la Real is a church built by Simon de Colonia during the 15th and 16th centuries. Its most notable feature is the main doorway. Above the doorway, three carved stone reliefs show

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

carrying the Cross, The Crucifixion and The

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

. The doorway is topped by the coat of arms of King

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia fro ...

and Queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...

. Aranda's own

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in i ...

is also present along with scenes from the Nativity and other

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

celebrations. Due to their deterioration, the church doors have been replaced by exact copies, the original ones are kept in the Museo Sacro. San Juan, a church, older than Santa Maria and

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

in style, San Juan still has its fortified defensive tower. The Council of Aranda took place in San Juan in 1473. Nowadays San Juan houses the Museo Sacro. The Virgen de las Viñas Sanctuary is a 17th-century hermitage. It is situated on a small hill to the north of the town. The

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the town is the Virgen de las Viñas, the local legend says that she was found in a

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyard ...

, hence the name. The Train museum is situated in the old train station "Chelva" and documents the history of Spanish

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

. The Pottery museum houses pottery from all over Spain, with the largest collection from

. The Berdugo's palace is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

mansion. Bodegas; under the town centre there is a labyrinth of cellars, they were dug between the 12th and 17th centuries. Their original purpose was to store the food and wine that makes the

famous. Nowadays the Cellars are home to the "Peñas", cultural associations whose main function is to preserve the cellars, organise social events and ensure the whole of the population enjoy the Fiestas. San Juan de la Vera Cruz Parish Church. San Nicolas de Bari is a church in the village of Sinovas. The Conchuela Bridge. The Romanesque Bridge is situated next to the San Juan Church. The Humilladero is a stone monument on the route to Las Viñas Sanctuary. Isilla street is the main pedestrian thoroughfare of the town. Local tradition has it that anyone living in Aranda will walk along this street every day. Kikos is a small store in the main square, it offers a wide variety of different lollies, chips, drinks and toys

Twin towns – sister cities

Aranda de Duero is twinned with: * Langen, Germany *

Miranda do Douro Miranda do Douro () or Miranda de l Douro in Mirandese () is a city and a municipality in the district of Bragança, northeastern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,482, in an area of 487.18 km². The town proper had a population of 1,9 ...

, Portugal * Romorantin-Lanthenay, France * Roseburg, United States *

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d ...

, France *

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its ad ...

, Spain

Notable people

Juan Carlos Higuero Juan Carlos Higuero Mate (born 3 August 1978) is a Spanish middle distance runner, who mostly concentrates on the 1500 metres. He was born in Aranda de Duero, Burgos. At the 2006 European Championships in Athletics Higuero won two bronze medal ...

References

Sources and external links

Info & Photos of Aranda in English & SpanishAyuntamiento de Aranda de DueroWeb of music and the support to the groups of Aranda de Duero
{{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Burgos