Andújar () is a Spanish municipality of 35,619 people (2024) in the province of
Jaén, in
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
. The municipality is divided by the
Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the
Sierra de Andújar is situated. To the south are agricultural fields and countryside. The city proper located on the right bank of the Guadalquivir and the
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
-
Córdoba railway. In the past, Andújar was widely known for its porous earthenware jars, called ''
alcarrazas'' or ''
botijos'', which keep water cool in the hottest weather, and were manufactured from a whitish clay found in the neighbourhood.
History
Antiquity
Paleolithic artifacts have been found in the area, associated with the
Acheulean Culture, but it is during the
Neolithic Age when the area became increasingly populated, with agriculture being developed in the fertile land, and mining activities beginning in the
Sierra Morena.
According to archaeological studies, the first people who inhabited the area where the
Oretani, an
Iberian people, who founded in the area the town of ''Isturgi'', today occupied by the hamlet of Los Villares de Andújar.
[Pau, C.; Ruiz Parrondo, A., ''Historia de Andújar: Capítulo I: Andújar en la Antigüedad'' (Torredonjimeno: Chamocho Cantudo, M.A., 2009)]
Isturgi should not be identified with the ancient town of
Illiturgis, which was situated on the hill called Máquiz (
Mengíbar). Nevertheless, ''iliturgitano'' is used to describe an inhabitant of Andújar. Isturgi had contact with various peoples:
Turdetani,
Phoenicians,
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
,
Carthaginians
The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...
, and other towns, such as ''Obulco'' (
Porcuna) and
Castulo.
During the times of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
, the ''Municipium Isturgi Triumphale'' was part of the province of
Hispania Ulterior
Hispania Ulterior (English: "Further Hispania", or occasionally "Thither Hispania") was a Roman province located in Hispania (on the Iberian Peninsula) during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of moder ...
and then
Hispania Baetica
Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces created in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula) in 27 BC. Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of ...
and the area known as the ''Conventus Cordubensis''. It flourished due to its production of
Terra sigillata and its location on the Guadalquivir. After the fall of the Roman Empire, it existed as a
Visigothic
The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...
town named ''Sturgi''. But with the invasion of the
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
in the 8th century, the population fled to what are now the actual limits of the town of Andújar, where they may have already existed an Ibero-Roman settlement.
Medieval era
In 711 AD, after the
Battle of Guadalete, the entire region became part of
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
, and the town of Andújar first became known as ''Anduyar'' during the emirate of
Muhammad I of Córdoba (853). The city was fortified by the
Almohads during the 12th century. In 1225, the Muslim king of
Baeza handed over the castles of
Jaén, Andújar and
Martos, to
Ferdinand III of Castile, although some scholars believe the transfer occurred at a different time, especially as the
siege of Jaen in 1225 was unsuccessful and was thus still in Muslim hands in this year. Ferdinand was entrusted with the fortresses, and control was given to
Álvaro Pérez de Castro, with the area occupied by troops from the military orders of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
and
Calatrava.
Andújar became a rendezvous point for Christian troops and armies who fought south of the Sierra Morena. The Muslim inhabitants of Andújar, Martos, and
Baeza abandoned these towns at the end of 1226.
In 1227, the first Christian inhabitants arrived at Baeza, Andújar and Martos, although some sources indicate that the repopulation of Andújar did not occur until 1228. In 1467, the title of City was granted to Andújar by
Henry IV of Castile.
Modern times
During the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, the city was occupied by French troops in 1808. General
Pierre Dupont de l'Étang, after conquering Córdoba, established his HQ at Andújar. From Andújar Dupont sent troops to
Bailén, where he lost the
battle there. After this battle, the capitulations were signed at Andújar in the Palace of Gracia Real.
In 1835, the first Junta de Soberanía Central de Andalucía (''Junta of Central Sovereignty of Andalusia'') was established at Andújar; it is considered the pioneer of the autonomist movement in Andalusia. In 1873, Andújar was declared a federal canton.
During the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
,
Republican forces besieged a
Nationalist force, led by Captain
Santiago Cortés González, that had taken refuge in the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza. The
Siege of Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza lasted one year.
Climate
Andújar has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(''Csa'') with very hot, dry summers and mild wet winters. Located in the east of the
Guadalquivir valley, it has winters very similar to those observed in
Córdoba and colder than in
Seville
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...
due to its location further inland. Summers are extremely hot, often with average highs exceeding for the period 1981-2010. Andújar, together with the municipalities of
Montoro and
Marmolejo, appear to have, on average, the highest average maximum temperatures in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
during the summer.
Local holidays and customs
Its Christian
patron saints are the
Virgen de la Cabeza and
St. Euphrasius of Illiturgis.
The most well-known local holiday is the Pilgrimage of the Virgen de la Cabeza, celebrated on the last Sunday of the month of April. During this pilgrimage, the faithful visit the sanctuary on the hill of the Cabezo. The local legend states that on the night of August 12, 1227, a shepherd from
Colomera named Juan Alonso de Rivas was watching over the livestock belonging to a neighbor from
Arjona when he began to see strange lights at the top of a hill. He also heard the incessant sounds of a bell. He climbed the hill and there found the
image
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
of the Virgen de la Cabeza.
A local fair (''feria'') is also celebrated in September, associated with cattle-raising, but this aspect has diminished in recent years. Despite this, the fair still features stands and booths erected for the sale of cattle and livestock.
Sports
The local
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
(soccer) team is the 80-year-old
Club Deportivo Iliturgi, in the third division of the national soccer league. In
futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
, the local team is
Andújar Fútbol Sala, which is in the First National Division A.
In September 2008, the Paralympic swimmer
Miguel Ángel Martínez Tajuelo was the first native of the city to participate in these games, attending the
Paralympic Games in Beijing 2008. He won 3 Paralympic awards in the 100 meter race (5th), 50-meter race (6th) and 50 meter backstroke (5th).
Neighborhoods
* Barrio Montañés
* Los Belenes
* Polígono Puerta de Madrid (working class area divided into sector Huelva, sector Almería, sector Sevilla, sector Granada).
* Barrio de la Paz (unofficially known as ''Barrio de la UVA'').
* Barrio San Bartolomé
* Emperadores
* La Pastora
* Las Vistillas
* Cuadro de la Virgen
Twin towns & sister cities
Andújar is
twinned with:
*
Favara,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
See also
*
List of municipalities in Jaén
Notes
External links
*
*
Historia Andújar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andujar
Municipalities in the Province of Jaén (Spain)
Guadalquivir