Aznalcázar is a town located in the
province of Seville
The Province of Seville () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It borders the provinces of Málaga and Cádiz in the south, Huelva in the west, Badajoz in the north and Córdoba in the ...
, southern
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. It is only 20 minutes away from Seville, and is one of the 13 towns located in
Doñana National Park, one of Spain's most important national parks and wildlife reserves.
As most Spanish towns, Aznalcázar has an active social and cultural life, with several bars and restaurants, annual “fiestas”, two supermarkets, one Spanish language school for foreigners and 3 banks. It is also home to Las Minas golf course.
Public transportation connects Aznalcázar with Seville, as well as nearby towns and landmarks such as El Rocío.
History
The town could be possibly identified with Olontigi, an ancient
Tartessian settlement of which not much is known but its coinage issue between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, bearing the Latin inscription OLVNT. The ''Barrington Atlas of the Ancient World'' equates this site with modern Aznalcázar. Less likely alternatives proposed in the 19th century include
Gibraleón
Gibraleón is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2005 census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population info ...
,
Moguer and
Almonte, all in the
Province of Huelva
Huelva () is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva.
Its area is ...
. Given
Pliny's mention of the city along with
Laelia
''Laelia'' is a small genus of 25 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). ''Laelia'' species are found in areas of subtropical or temperate climate in Central America, Central and South America, but mostly in Mexico. ''Laelia'' is abbreviat ...
and
Lastigi on the Menoba river (
Guadiamar), Aznalcázar, or a nearby town, is the most likely candidate.
The current name derives from the arab fortress and palace (
ar: حصن القصر), which translates to "Fortress of the palace".
Main sights
*Church of St. Paul, in Gothic-Mudéjar style
*18th century houses
*Old Fountain
*Cerro del Alcázar, site of archaeological findings (such as Punic-Libyan coins) and of remains, such as remains of the fortress from which the town takes its name.
Tourism
Located inside the Doñana, one of Spain's most important national parks and wildlife reserves, Aznalcazar is a great gateway for ecotourism and Sevilla. The town has one small hotel, one casa rural (bed & breakfast alike hotel) and one Spanish language school.
See also
*
List of municipalities in Seville
Province of Seville, Seville is a provinces of Spain, province in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, which is divided into 106 Municipalities of Spain, municipalities. Spanish census, Seville is the ...
References
External links
Aznalcázar- Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía
Municipalities of the Province of Seville
{{Andalusia-geo-stub