Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''

Encyclopædia Britannica The ( Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various ...

'
"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)"
is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administr ...

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to so ...

, Spain. It lies by the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

river and its tributaries, the Huerva and the Gállego, roughly in the center of both Aragon and the Ebro basin. On 1 January 2021 the population of the municipality of Zaragoza was 675,301, (the fifth most populated in Spain) on a land area of . The population of the metropolitan area was estimated in 2006 at 783,763 inhabitants. The

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

is home to more than 50 percent of the Aragonese population. The city lies at an elevation of about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

. Zaragoza hosted Expo 2008 in the summer of 2008, a

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

on water and sustainable development. It was also a candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2012. The city is famous for its folklore, local cuisine, and landmarks such as the Basílica del Pilar, La Seo Cathedral and the

Aljafería Palace The Aljafería Palace ( es, Palacio de la Aljafería; ar, قصر الجعفرية, tr. ''Qaṣr al-Jaʿfariyah'') is a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in the Taifa of Zaragoza in Al-Andalus, present ...

. Together with La Seo and the Aljafería, several other buildings form part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon which is a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The ''

Fiestas del Pilar The Fiestas del Pilar are an annual festival celebrated in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, in honour of the patron saint of the city, the '' Virgen del Pilar'' (Our Lady of the Pillar). The week long festival takes place every year, usually, beg ...

'' are among the most celebrated festivals in Spain.

Etymology

The Iberian town that preceded Roman colonisation was called ''Salduie'' or '. The Romans and Greeks called the ancient city (in Greek ), from which derive the Arabic name (used during the

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mus ...

period), the medieval , and the modern ''Zaragoza''.

History

Roman Caesaraugusta

Teatro Romano Cesaraugusta-vista desde arriba-3

The

Sedetani The Sedetani were an ancient Iberian (Pre-Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania). They are believed to have spoken a form of the Iberian language. The Sedetani minted their own coins. Their territory extended from central to ...

, a tribe of ancient Iberians, populated a village called ( in Roman sources). Later on,

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

founded a city called ''Caesaraugusta'' at the same location to settle army veterans from the Cantabrian wars. The foundation date of ''Caesaraugusta'' has not been set with exact precision, though it is known to lie between 25 BC and 11 BC.

Middle Ages

The city did not suffer any decline during the last centuries of the Roman empire and was captured peacefully by the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

in the fifth century AD. In the eighth century, following the Umayyad conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Zaragoza became the capital of the Upper March of

al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the Mus ...

In 1018, amid the collapse of the

Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خلافة قرطبة; transliterated ''Khilāfat Qurṭuba''), also known as the Cordoban Caliphate was an Islamic state ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 929 to 1031. Its territory comprised Iberia and part ...

, Zaragoza became an independent

Taifa of Zaragoza The taifa of Zaragoza () was an independent Arab Muslim state in the east of Al-Andalus (present day Spain), which was established in 1018 as one of the taifa kingdoms, with its capital in Saraqusta (Zaragoza) city. Zaragoza's taifa emerged ...

, initially controlled by the Tujibid family, then ruled by the Banu Hud from 1039. The taifa greatly prospered in a cultural and political sense in the late 11th century, and being later governed by

Ahmad al-Muqtadir Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Muqtadir (or just Moctadir; ar, أبو جعفر أحمد "المقتدر بالله" بن سليمان, ''Abu Ja'far Ahmad al-Muqtadir bi-Llah ibn Sulayman'') was a member of the Banu Hud family who ruled the Islamic taifa ...

Yusuf al-Mu'taman ibn Hud Abu Amir Yusuf ibn Ahmad ibn Hud ( ar, أبو عامر يوسف إبن أحمد إبن هود, Abū ʿĀmir Yūsuf ibn Aḥmad ibn Hūd; died ), more commonly known as al-Mu'taman, was a mathematician, and also one of the kings of the Taifa of Za ...

and

Al-Musta'in II Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Yusuf ibn Hud ( ar, أبو جعفر أحمد بن يوسف بن هود), known by the regnal name al-Musta'in Billah ( ar, المستعين بالله, , He who looks for help to God), was the fourth member of the Banu Hud f ...

. It fell to the

Almoravid The Almoravid dynasty ( ar, المرابطون, translit=Al-Murābiṭūn, lit=those from the ribats) was an imperial Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire in the 11th century that ...

s in 1110. On 18 December 1118,

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother ...

conquered the city from the Almoravids, and made it the capital of the

Kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon ( an, Reino d'Aragón, ca, Regne d'Aragó, la, Regnum Aragoniae, es, Reino de Aragón) was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community eu, a ...

. After Alfonso's death without heirs in 1134, Zaragoza was swiftly occupied by Alfonso VII of León. The city control was held by

García Ramírez García or Garcia may refer to: People * García (surname) * Kings of Pamplona/Navarre ** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882 ** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970 ** García Sánchez II of Pampl ...

, king of Navarra, until 1136 when it was given to Ramiro II the Monk in the treaty signed at the betrothal of Ramiro's daughter Petronila and Alfonso's son Sancho. The wedding never happened, as Petronila eventually married Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona. The marriage union was the origin of the Crown of Aragón, and union with Castile would not happen for another 333 years, when

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 from ...

and his wife,

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 by ...

, each took their respective thrones. 13th century Zaragoza was the scene of two controversial martyrdoms related with the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Cathol ...

: those of

Saint Dominguito del Val Dominguito del Val (died ''c.'' 1250) was a legendary child of Medieval Spain, who was allegedly a choirboy ritually murdered by Jews in Zaragoza (Saragossa). Dominguito is the protagonist of the first blood libel in the history of Spain – st ...

, a choirboy in the basilica, and Pedro de Arbués, head official of the inquisition. While the reality of the existence of Dominguito del Val is questioned, his "murder" at the hands of "jealous Jews" was used as an excuse to murder or convert the Jewish population of Zaragoza.

Early Modern history

An outbreak of

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium ('' Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as ...

decimated the city in 1564. It reportedly killed about 10,000 people out of an estimated population of 25–30,000. Vista de Zaragoza en 1647

In the context of the 1701–1714 War of Spanish Succession, the city rose in arms in favour of the Archduke Charles, who was proclaimed "King of Aragon" in the city on 29 June 1706, following the uprising of other parts of the Kingdom of Aragon in December 1705. Charles entered the city in July 1706, directing the attack on those places of Aragon that had sided with the Bourbon faction such as Borja or the Cinco Villas. Following the April 1707 battle at Almansa, the tide turned with the ''Austracist'' forces fleeing in disarray, and the Bourbon forces commanded by the

Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...

entering the city on 26 May 1707. As he seized control of the kingdom, he began to enact the series of institutional reforms known as the Nueva Planta, abolishing the Aragonese institutions in favour of the Castilian ones. The war turned around again in 1710 after the Battle of Almenar, and, following another Bourbon defeat near Zaragoza on 20 August 1710, Archduke Charles returned to the city on the next day. This was for only a brief period, though, as following the entry of Philip V in Madrid and the ensuing Battle of Villaviciosa in December 1710, the Habsburg armies fled from Zaragoza in haste in December 1710 and

Philip V Philip V may refer to: * Philip V of Macedon (221–179 BC) * Philip V of France (1293–1322) * Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September ...

proceeded to consolidate his rule over the kingdom of Aragon, resuming administrative reforms after a period of institutional void. An important

food riot Food riots may occur when there is a shortage and/or unequal distribution of food. Causes can be food price rises, harvest failures, incompetent food storage, transport problems, food speculation, hoarding, poisoning of food, or attacks by pes ...

caused by the high price of bread and other necessity goods took place in the city in April 1766, the so-called , named after the repressive agents, volunteer farmers and craftsmen who wielded swords and bucklers (). The repression left about 300 wounded, 200 detainees and 8 deaths and it was followed by 17 public executions, and an indeterminate number of killings at the dungeons of the

Aljafería The Aljafería Palace ( es, Palacio de la Aljafería; ar, قصر الجعفرية, tr. ''Qaṣr al-Jaʿfariyah'') is a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in the Taifa of Zaragoza in Al-Andalus, present ...

Late Modern history

Zaragoza suffered two famous sieges during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

against the Napoleonic army: a first from June to August 1808; and a second from December 1808 to February 1809, surrendering only after some 50,000 defenders had died. Railway transport arrived to Zaragoza on 16 September 1861 via the inauguration of the

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

–Zaragoza line with the arrival of a train from the former city to the Estación del Norte. The opening of the

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), an ...

–Zaragoza line took place a year and a half later, on 16 May 1863. The July 1936 coup d'état (with Gral.

Miguel Cabanellas Miguel Cabanellas Ferrer (1 January 1872 – 14 May 1938) was a Spanish Army officer. He was a leading figure of the 1936 coup d'état in Zaragoza and sided with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. Biography Born on 1 Jan ...

, Col. , , , Major Cebollero and Gral. at the centre of the Mola-led conspiration in Zaragoza) triumphed in the city. The military uprising in Africa on 17 July was followed in the early morning of 19 July by the military command, easily attaining their objectives in Zaragoza, despite the latter's status as stronghold of mobilised labour (most of them CNT anarcho-syndicalists but also UGT trade unionists), as the civil governor critically refused to give weapons to the people in time. Many refugees, including members of the provincial committees of parties and unions, would flee to Caspe, the capital of the territory of Aragon, which was still controlled by the Republic. Falange Members in Saragossa 1936 (Retouched)

Falange Members in Saragossa 1936 (Retouched)

The rearguard violence committed by the putschists, with already at least 12 murders on 19 July, would only go ''in crescendo'' along the beginning of the conflict. Thus one of the two big cities under Rebel control since the early stages of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

along

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsul ...

, Zaragoza profited from an increasing industrial production vis-à-vis the war economy, playing a key role for the Francoist faction as ammunition manufacturer. The General Military Academy, a higher training center of the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...

, was re-established on 27 September 1940 by José Enrique Varela, the

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...

Minister of the Army. The 1953 Accords ensued with the installment of a joint US–Spain air base in Zaragoza. Following the declaration of Zaragoza as ("Pole for Industrial Development") by the regime in 1964, the city doubled in population in a short time. The increase in population ran parallel to the rural flight and depopulation in the rest of Aragon. In 1979, the

Hotel Corona de Aragón fire The Corona de Aragón Fire was a fire that killed at least 80 people in the five-star Corona de Aragón Hotel in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain on 12 July 1979. At the time of the event the Hotel lodged high-profile General Franco family members Carmen ...

killed at least 80. The armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization

ETA Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...

has been blamed, but officially the fire is still regarded as accidental. ETA carried out the

Zaragoza barracks bombing The Zaragoza barracks bombing was a car bomb attack by the Basque separatist organisation ETA, which occurred on 11 December 1987. A vehicle containing of ammonal was parked beside the main Guardia Civil barracks in the city of Zaragoza, Ara ...

in 1987 which killed eleven people, including a number of children, leading to 250,000 people taking part in demonstrations in the city. Since 1982, the city has been home to a large factory built by General Motors for the production of

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA ...

cars, some of which are exported to the United Kingdom and sold under the

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

brand. The city took advantage of the entry of Spain into the European Communities (later European Union).

Geography

Location

Zaragoza lies in the north-east of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

, in the rather arid depression formed by the valley of the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

. The Ebro cuts across the city in a west north-west by east south-east direction, entering the municipality at 205 metres above sea level and exiting the municipality at a level of 180 metres above sea level. The city enjoys a beneficial location at the geographical centre of the rough hexagon formed by the Spanish cities of

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

and

and the French cities of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...

. The municipality has a surface of , making it the ninth largest municipality in Spain. While the river banks are largely flat, the territory flanking them can display a rugged terrain, featuring and escarpments. The surrounding elevations rise up to heights of about 600–750 metres above sea level. The locations near the meanders of the Ebro feature some sinkholes formed upon the subsidence of the

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and dr ...

-rich soil, that can form ponds fed from irrigation water. There is also an instance of seasonal

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

lagoon, , in the moors located in the southern part of the municipality. The Roman core of Caesaraugusta was founded on the right bank of the Ebro, with the north-east corner limiting the confluence of the Ebro with the

Huerva river The Huerva River is a river in Aragon, Spain. It is a tributary of the Ebro. Its mean annual discharge is only . Course This long river rises in the Sierra de Cucalón, near Fonfría in the Jiloca Comarca. Flowing northwestwards near Laguer ...

, a modest right-bank tributary of the Ebro. The Huerva runs through the city buried for much of its lower course. Zaragoza is also located near the confluence of the Ebro with the Gállego, a more voluminous left-bank tributary born in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

Climate

Zaragoza has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

( Köppen: ''BSk''), as it lies in a wide basin entirely surrounded by

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s which block off moist air from the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The average annual

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hai ...

is a scanty with abundant sunny days, and the rainiest seasons are spring (April–May) and autumn (September–November), with a relative

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

in summer (July–August) and winter (December–March). Temperatures are hot in summer reaching up to , and in winter are cool, either because of the fog (about twenty days from November to January ) or a cold and dry

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ...

blowing from the northwest, the ''

Cierzo The cierzo is a strong, dry and usually cold wind that blows from the North or Northwest through the regions of Aragon, La Rioja and Navarra in the Ebro valley in Spain. It takes place when there is an anticyclone in the Bay of Biscay and a low- ...

'' (related to other northerly winds such as the ''

Mistral Mistral may refer to: * Mistral (wind) in southern France and Sardinia Automobiles * Maserati Mistral, a Maserati grand tourer produced from 1963 until 1970 * Nissan Mistral, or Terrano II, a Nissan 4×4 produced from 1993 until 2006 * Micropl ...

'' in the SE of France) on clear days. Night

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above- freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a g ...

is common and there is sporadic

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...

fall.

Administrative subdivisions

Zaragoza is administratively divided into 15 urban districts and 14 rural neighborhoods:

Demographics

The population, in thousands, can be seen here: ImageSize = width:850 height:300 PlotArea = width:650 height:230 left:180 bottom:35 AlignBars = late DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:900 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:60 start:0 BarData= bar:1900 text:"1900" bar:1910 text:"1910" bar:1920 text:"1920" bar:1930 text:"1930" bar:1940 text:"1940" bar:1950 text:"1950" bar:1960 text:"1960" bar:1970 text:"1971" bar:1981 text:"1981" bar:1991 text:"1991" bar:1994 text:"1994" bar:1996 text:"1996" bar:2001 text:"2001" bar:2004 text:"2004" bar:2006 text:"2006" bar:2008 text:"2008" bar:2010 text:"2010" bar:2012 text:"2012" bar:2014 text:"2014" bar:2016 text:"2016" bar:2018 text:"2018" bar:2020 text:"2020" PlotData= width:17 bar:1900 color:brightblue from:0 till:99 bar:1910 color:brightblue from:0 till:112 bar:1920 color:brightblue from:0 till:141 bar:1930 color:brightblue from:0 till:174 bar:1940 color:brightblue from:0 till:239 bar:1950 color:brightblue from:0 till:264 bar:1960 color:brightblue from:0 till:326 bar:1970 color:brightblue from:0 till:480 bar:1981 color:brightblue from:0 till:591 bar:1991 color:brightblue from:0 till:594 bar:1994 color:brightblue from:0 till:607 bar:1996 color:brightblue from:0 till:602 bar:2001 color:brightblue from:0 till:611 bar:2004 color:brightblue from:0 till:639 bar:2006 color:brightblue from:0 till:649 bar:2008 color:brightblue from:0 till:666 bar:2010 color:brightblue from:0 till:675 bar:2012 color:brightblue from:0 till:680 bar:2014 color:brightblue from:0 till:666 bar:2016 color:brightblue from:0 till:661 bar:2018 color:brightblue from:0 till:667 bar:2020 color:brightblue from:0 till:682

Religion

According to a survey carried out by the

Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas The Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas ("Centre for Sociological Research") or CIS is a Spanish public research institute. It was founded in 1963 as the Instituto de la Opinión Pública, and in 1977, after the Spanish general election in t ...

(CIS) in 2019 with a sample size of 300, 51.0% of the surveyed people described themselves as non-practising Catholic, 24.0% as practising Catholic, 6.7% as indifferent/non-believer, 5.0% as

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficie ...

, 4.3% as

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

and 2.3% as "other religions", while a 6.7% did not answer.

Immigration

In 2017 there were 64,003 foreign citizens in Zaragoza, which represent 9.6% of the total population. From 2010 to 2017 immigration dropped from 87,735 to 64,003 people, a 27% drop. Romanians represent 29.8% of foreigners living in Zaragoza, or 2.9% of the total city population, followed by

Moroccans Moroccans (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who are of Moroccan nationality, s ...

(9.1%) and Chinese (7%).

Economy

factory was opened in 1982 in

Figueruelas Figueruelas (population 1,040) is a small town and municipality in the Spain, Spanish Autonomous Region of Aragón, province of Zaragoza (province), Zaragoza. The town is home to a Opel car factory, opened in 1982, which has built five generations ...

, a small village nearby. The

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % su ...

is a main pillar of the regional economy along with Balay, which manufactures household appliances; CAF, which builds railway

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...

for both the national and international markets; SAICA and Torraspapel in the stationery sector; and various other local companies, such as Pikolin,

Lacasa , num_employees = , industry = Confectionery , products = Chocolates Lacasa, Comercial Chocolates Lacasa, Bombonera Vallisoletana, Productos Mauri, Chocolates Del Norte, lacasavital , revenue = , net_income = , assets = , pare ...

, and

Imaginarium SA Imaginarium SA is a Spanish company that operates a chain of toy stores. It sells various toys comprising wheel, furniture, and child care toys to various customers, including educational institutions, such as schools, nurseries, or playgroups. T ...

. The city's economy benefited from projects like the Expo 2008, the official World's Fair, whose theme was water and sustainable development, held between 14 June and 14 September 2008, (PLAZA), and the (PTR). Furthermore, since December 2003, it has been a city through which the AVE high-speed rail travels. Currently, Zaragoza Airport is a major cargo hub in the

, behind only Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon. Zaragoza is home to a Spanish Air and Space Force base, which was shared with the U.S. Air Force until 1994. In English, the base was known as Zaragoza Air Base. The Spanish Air Force maintained a

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now par ...

wing at the base. No American flying wings (with the exception of a few KC-135s) were permanently based there, but it served as a training base for American fighter squadrons across Europe. It also hosts the main

academy, '' Academia General Militar'', a number of brigades at ''San Gregorio'', and other garrisons.

Culture

Christianity took root in Zaragoza at an early date. According to legend,

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

appeared miraculously to

Saint James the Great James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...

in Zaragoza in the first century, standing on a pillar. This apparition is commemorated by a famous Catholic

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

called ''

Nuestra Señora del Pilar Our Lady of the Pillar ( es, Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 4 ...

'' ('Our Lady of the Pillar'). The

Aragonese language Aragonese ( ; in Aragonese) is a Romance language spoken in several dialects by about 12,000 people as of 2011, in the Pyrenees valleys of Aragon, Spain, primarily in the comarcas of Somontano de Barbastro, Jacetania, Alto Gállego, Sob ...

, in decline for centuries and restricted mostly to northern Aragon, has recently attracted more people in the region. Thus, nowadays, in Zaragoza, up to 7,000 people speak Aragonese.

Festivals

FIESTAS DEL PILAR DE ZARAGOZA Ofrenda de frutos 18

The annual ''

'' last for nine days, with its main day on 12 October. Since this date coincided in 1492 with the first sighting by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

of the Americas, that day is also celebrated as (

Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492 ...

) by Spanish-speaking people worldwide. SEMANA SANTA DE ZARAGOZA Cofradia de las siete palabras 2413

There are many activities during the festival, from the massively attended (opening speech) to the final fireworks display over the Ebro; they also include marching bands, dances such as (the most popular folk music dance), a procession of ''

gigantes y cabezudos Processional giants, french: géants processionnels, es, gigantes y cabezudos, va, gegants i cabuts, ca, gegants i capgrossos, eu, erraldoi eta buruhandiak are costumed figures in European folklore, particularly present in Belgian, Fren ...

'', concerts, exhibitions, ''vaquillas'', bullfights, fairground amusements, and fireworks. Some of the most important events are the , or Flower Offering to St. Mary of the Pillar, on 12 October, when an enormous surface resembling a cloak for St. Mary is covered with flowers, and the on 13 October, when all the

autonomous communities of Spain eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administr ...

offer their typical regional dishes to St. Mary and donate them to soup kitchens. Holy Week in Zaragoza, although not as elaborate an affair as its Andalusian or

Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón (; an, Baxo Aragón; ca, Baix Aragó), or Lower Aragon, is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 (2007) and an area of 1.304,2 km2. The seat ...

counterparts, has several processions passing through the city centre every day with dramatic sculptures, black-dressed praying women and hundreds of hooded people playing drums. It has been a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2014.

Education

The

University of Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon, Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universiti ...

is based in the city. As one of the oldest universities in Spain and a major

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

centre, this

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

awards all the highest academic degrees in dozens of fields. Zaragoza is also home to the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program, a unique partnership between MIT, the Government of Aragon and the University of Zaragoza. There is also a private university, Universidad San Jorge, which is located in Villanueva de Gállego. There is a French international primary and secondary school, Lycée Français Molière de Saragosse.

Transport

Roads

The city is connected by

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

with the main cities in central and northern Spain, including

, and

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

, all of which are located about 300 kilometres (200 miles) from Zaragoza.

Buses

The city has a network of buses which is controlled by the Urban Buses of Zaragoza (AUZSA). The network consists of 31 regular lines (two of them circle lines), two scheduled routes, six shuttle buses (one free), and seven night buses operating on Fridays, Saturdays and other festivities. Zaragoza also has an interurban bus network operated by Transport Consortium Zaragoza Area (CTAZ) that operates 17 regular lines.

Bicycle

Zaragoza's bicycle lanes facilitate non-motorised travel and help cyclists to avoid running into pedestrians and motor vehicles. The city council also has a public bicycle-hire scheme, the , which has an annual charge.

Tram

The first line of the Zaragoza tram (Valdespartera-Parque Goya) is fully operational.

Railway

Zaragoza is a part of the Spanish high-speed railway operated by Renfe, AVE, which connects

, Lleida,

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tar ...

and

Figueres Figueres (, ; , es, Figueras, ) is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town is the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí, and houses the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí, a large museu ...

via

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, line ...

. Madrid can be reached in 75 minutes, and Barcelona in approximately 90 minutes. The central station is Zaragoza–Delicias railway station, which serves both railway lines and coaches. In addition to long-distance railway lines and the high-speed trains, Zaragoza has a network of commuter trains operated by Renfe called '' Cercanías Zaragoza''.

Airport

Zaragoza Airport is located in the Garrapinillos neighbourhood, 10 kilometres from the city centre. It is a major commercial airport, its freight traffic surpassing that of

Barcelona El Prat Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

in 2012, and serves as the home of the

Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...

's 15th Group. It was also used by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

as a contingency landing site for the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...

in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL).

Public transportation statistics

The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Zaragoza, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 48 minutes. 9% of public transit riders ride for more than two hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 11 minutes, while 12% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is , while 5% travel over in a single direction.

Sports

Football

Zaragoza's main football team,

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...

, plays in the Segunda División. Founded on 18 March 1932, its home games are played at

La Romareda Estadio La Romareda is the home stadium of Real Zaragoza, in Zaragoza. It was inaugurated on 8 September 1957, with a game between Real Zaragoza and CA Osasuna (4–3). The official capacity is 33,608, with an average attendance of around 20,000 ...

, which seats 34,596 spectators. The club has spent the majority of its history in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

. One of the most remarkable events in the team's recent history is the winning of the former

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

in 1995. The team has also won the Spanish National Cup,

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

, six times: 1965, 1966, 1986, 1994, 2001 and 2004 and an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1964). A government survey in 2007 found that 2.7% of the Spanish population support the club, making them the seventh-most supported in the country. Zaragoza's second football team is CD Ebro. Founded in 1942, it plays in

Segunda División B Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Fo ...

– Group 2, holding home games at

Campo Municipal de Fútbol La Almozara Campo may refer to: Places ;Cameroon * Campo, Cameroon, in the South Province ;Equatorial Guinea * Río Campo, in the Litoral Province ;France * Campo, Corse-du-Sud, a commune on the island of Corsica ;Italy * Campo P.G., a World War II prison ...

, which has a capacity of 1,000 seats.

Zaragoza CFF Zaragoza Club de Fútbol Femenino, formerly known as ''Club Deportivo Transportes Alcaine'' for sponsorship reasons, is a Spanish women's football team from Zaragoza playing in Segunda División Pro. History Zaragoza CFF was founded in 2002 a ...

is a Spanish women's football team from Zaragoza playing in Primera División Femenina. Zaragoza was one of the Spanish cities which hosted the FIFA World Cup 1982. Three matches were played at

Basketball

Stadium Casablanca Mann Filter 2014-15 Celebracion

The main basketball team, Basket Zaragoza, known as ''Tecnyconta Zaragoza'' for sponsorship reasons, plays in the Liga ACB. They play their home games at the Pabellón Principe Felipe with a capacity of 10,744. Stadium Casablanca, a.k.a. ''Mann Filter'' for sponsorship reasons, is the Spanish women's basketball club from Zaragoza that plays in the Primera Division.

Futsal

The main

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is t ...

team, is Dlink Zaragoza, plays in the

LNFS Primera División The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Sala (LNFS) (National Futsal League) is the governing body that runs the major professional futsal leagues in Spain. It was founded in 1989 and serves under the authority of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Comp ...

. They play at the

Pabellón Siglo XXI Pabellón or Pabellon may refer to: Places: *Pabellón de Arteaga, city in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes *Pabellón de Arteaga (municipality), municipality in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes * Pabellon Island, the southernmost of two isl ...

with a capacity of 2,600.

Other sports

Zaragoza's handball team,

BM Aragón Club Deportivo Básico Balonmano Aragón, was a handball team based in Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain. Caja3 Aragón currently plays in Liga ASOBAL. The team was known as CAI Aragón in 2010–11 season and as Caja3 Aragón in 2011–12 season. Honours ...

, plays in the Liga ASOBAL. The Spanish Baja or

Baja Aragon Baja or Bája may refer to: Places and jurisdictions In the Americas * Baja California Peninsula, in northwestern Mexico * Baja California state in the northern part of the above peninsula * Baja California Sur state in the southern part of t ...

is a Rally raid event held in the region of Aragon in northern Spain. This event was launched in 1983, and chose the desert of Monegros because of the scenery and availability of service infrastructure in Zaragoza. Zaragoza was strongly associated with

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...

in its failed bid for the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games (russian: XXII Олимпийские зимние игры, XXII Olimpiyskiye zimniye igry) and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (russian: Сочи 2014), was an international ...

. There are three Rugby Union teams playing in the regional league: #

Ibero Club de Rugby Zaragoza Ibero usually refers to things related to the Iberian Peninsula, including: * Ibero-America, countries in the Americas which were formerly colonies of Spain or Portugal * Ibero-Caucasian, proposed language family * Ibero-Celtic, Celtic language ...

Fénix Club de Rugby Fénix Club de Rugby is a Spanish rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) ** ...

Club Deportivo Universitario de Rugby Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album '' kelsea'' Brands and enterprise ...

A permanent feature built for Expo 2008 is the pump-powered artificial whitewater course .

Main sights

Near the

on the banks of the Ebro are located the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, the Lonja (old currency exchange), La Seo (literally 'the See' in the Aragonese language) or Cathedral of San Salvador, a church built over the main mosque (partially preserved in the 11th-century north wall of the Parroquieta), with Romanesque apses from the 12th century; inside, the imposing

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an arc ...

from the 15th to 16th centuries, the Baroque tower, and finally, with its famous Museum of Tapestries near the Roman ruins of forum and port

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. Some distance from the centre of the old city is the

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

castle (or palace)

, the most important Moorish buildings in northern Spain and the setting for Giuseppe Verdi's opera ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mo ...

'' (''The Troubadour''). The Aragonese parliament currently sits in the building. The churches of San Pablo,

Santa María Magdalena Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

and San Gil Abad were built in the 14th century, but the towers may be old minarets dating from the 11th century; San Miguel (14th century); Santiago (San Ildefonso) and the Fecetas monastery are Baroque with Mudéjar ceilings of the 17th century. All the churches are Mudéjar monuments that comprise a

. Other important sights are the stately houses and palaces in the city, mainly of the 16th century: palaces of the count of Morata or Luna (Audiencia), Deán, Torrero (), Don Lope or Real Maestranza, count of Sástago, count of Argillo (today the Pablo Gargallo museum), archbishop, etc. On 14 June 2008, the site of Expo 2008 opened its doors to the public. The exhibition ran until 14 September.

Other sights

* Puente de Piedra * San Ildefonso church * Santa Engracia Monastery *

Fuente de la Hispanidad The Fuente de la Hispanidad (translatable into English as Fountain of Hispanicity) is located in the ''Plaza del Pilar'' near the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar in the Spanish city of Zaragoza. As part of the renovations made to the plaza i ...

Museums in Zaragoza are: *

Museum of Fine Arts Zaragoza Zaragoza Museum (Spanish - ''Museo de Zaragoza'') is a national museum in the Plaza de los Sitios in the city of Zaragoza in Spain. Its collections range from the Lower Palaeolithic to the modern era and include archaeology, fine arts, ethnology ...

, with paintings by early Aragonese artists, 15th century, and by El Greco, Ribera and Goya. * Museo Goya - Colección Ibercaja - Museo Camón Aznar with works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Velazquez and Goya to Renoir, Manet and Sorolla.

Twin towns and sister cities

Zaragoza is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: Zaragoza has special bilateral collaboration agreements with:

Notable people

Avempace Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyà ibn aṣ-Ṣā’igh at-Tūjībī ibn Bājja ( ar, أبو بكر محمد بن يحيى بن الصائغ التجيبي بن باجة), best known by his Latinised name Avempace (; – 1138), was an Ar ...

(1085–1138), polymath * Bahya ben Joseph ibn Paquda (1050–1120), the author of '' Chovot HaLevavot'' * Sebastián Pozas (1876–1946), military officer * Abraham Abulafia (1240–1291), founder of the school of "Prophetic Kabbalah" * Amaral (band) (established 1992), popular musical band in Spain and America. * Alonso Fernández de Heredia (died March 19, 1782), Captain General and governor of Honduras (1747), Florida (1751–1758), Yucatán (in modern-day Mexico; 1758–?), the Captaincy General of Guatemala (1761–1771) and Nicaragua (1761–1771). *

Ramón Ferreñac Ramón Ferreñac (1763–1832) was a Spanish composer. He has been praised for his sonatas for two and four hands by musicologists from the likes of Antonio Lozano and Felip Pedrell Felip Pedrell Sabaté (Spanish: Felipe) (19 February 1841 � ...

(1763–1832), composer * José Luis Gil (born 1957), actor *

Luis de Horruytiner Luis Benedit y Horruytiner (? – ?) was a Spanish colonial administrator who held office as governor of Spanish Florida (July 29, 1633 – November 26, 1638), and viceroy of Sardinia. He was the uncle of Pedro Benedit Horruytiner, who succeeded hi ...

(? – ?), governor of

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida ( es, La Florida) was the first major European land claim and attempted settlement in North America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, ...

(1633 – 1638), and viceroy of Sardinia * Rafael Navarro (born 8 October 1940), photographer * Dino Valls (born 1959), painter. * José María Vigil (born 1946), theologian *

Irene Vallejo Irene Vallejo Moreu, born in Zaragoza in 1979, is a Spanish philologist, historian, and writer. Career A doctor of classical philology from the universities of Zaragoza and Florence, much of her work focuses on the investigation and explorati ...

, writer

References

;Informational notes ;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Council of Zaragoza

* Demographics in 2015
Zaragoza City council
{{Authority control Aragon Roman towns and cities in Spain