Villanueva de la Serena is a city in the

Province of Badajoz The province of Badajoz () is a province of western Spain located in the autonomous community of Extremadura. It was formed in 1833. It is bordered by the provinces of Cáceres in the north, Toledo, Ciudad Real in the east, Córdoba in the s ...

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

, Spain. It has a population of 26,111 (2010) and forms part of a larger

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

with the neighbouring town of

Don Benito Don Benito () is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, near the left bank of the Guadiana river. According to the 2014 census, the municipality has a population of 37,011. History Don Benito dates from the 15t ...

History

Founded in the thirteenth century as ''Aldeanueva de Medellín'', the city was an important centre for the Mesta in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. It was the birthplace of

Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, wh ...

who conquered

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

for the Spanish crown. By 2021, the municipal government of Villanueva de la Serena worked alongside that of

to fuse the two neighbouring municipalities into a single one, paving the way for a 2022 non-binding consultation. On 8 November 2021, the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

sanctioned the celebration of the consultation, to be held on 20 February 2022. Both municipalities approved the merging, in the case of Villanueva de la Serena by an overwhelming 90.49% of yes votes (well over the 66.0% threshold set in advance).

Location

Located in the county of Vegas Altas, Villanueva itself is the main gate of La Serena, another county of

to which it historically belongs. It is separated by only 5 km from

, forming Villanueva de la Serena-Don Benito, an urban agglomeration of around 60.000 inhabitants, making one of the most important agricultural, industrial and services centres in Extremadura. Mérida (capital of Extremadura) and

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populatio ...

(biggest city in the region) are respectively 58 and 116 km from Villanueva de la Serena. The natural trail (green way) of Vegas del

Guadiana The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the ...

or "Vía Verde de las Vegas del Guadiana y las Villuercas" begins in this city.

Data

Former NBA player José Calderón was born in Villanueva de la Serena. Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. La Carrerita, a festivity of cultural interest, is celebrated in this city every last Sunday in the Easter week. The local football club is CF Villanovense.

References

auto Municipalities in the Province of Badajoz {{Badajoz-geo-stub