Huéscar () is a municipality of the
province of Granada, Spain.
History
When the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
was conquered by Rome, Osca was a town of the
Turdetani, and incorporated into the Roman province of
Hispania Baetica. However, purportedly ancient coins from this town are not genuine.
War with Denmark
When Spain allied with the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
against Napoleon during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
, Spanish troops in
French-aligned
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish language, Danish and Norwegian language, Norwegian: ) is a term for the 16th-to-19th-century multi-national and multi-lingual real unionFeldbæk 1998:11 consisting of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Norway (includ ...
suddenly found themselves in enemy territory. While many were evacuated by the UK or escaped by other means, some 5,000 Spanish soldiers of the
Division of the North were imprisoned in Denmark. Spain cut off relations with Denmark in response. Upon receiving this news, the City Council of Huéscar decided to declare war on Denmark. Huéscar, being a small village with only eight municipal guards at the time, did not send any troops to fight against Denmark, and neither did Denmark engage in hostilities against Huéscar. By the time of Napoleon's defeat, the declaration of war had been forgotten, and Huéscar forgot to declare peace.
In 1981, a local historian rediscovered the declaration of war. This led to a ceremony and celebration on 11 November 1981, wherein the city mayor and the Ambassador of Denmark ratified a peace treaty. Some representatives of Denmark attended wearing
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
costumes, while Spaniards erected signs in Danish jokingly warning against entering enemy territory.
During the intervening 172 years, no conflict or injury occurred between the two parties.
Tourism
The main landmark is the
collegiate church of Santa MarÃa la Mayor (St Mary the Great), designed by
Diego de Siloé in the 16th century.
Geotourism
Huéscar is within the
Granada Geopark, which was designated in 2020. The Geopark has promoted Huéscar in the context of
geotourism as the start and finish of a 143 km trekking route, the "First Settlers Great Path".
The name reflects the legacy of
Early humans in the area, as evidenced by a number of
geosites of
paleontological interest.
Sister cities
Huéscar is
twinned with:
*
Kolding
Kolding () is a Denmark, Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industria ...
,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, since 1982
Notable people
*
Esther González (born 1992), footballer for the
Spain national team
See also
*
List of municipalities in Granada
Province of Granada, Granada is a provinces of Spain, province in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain, which is divided into 174 Municipalities of Spain, municipalities. Spanish census, Granada is the ...
See also
*
Duke of Huéscar
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huescar, Granada
Municipalities in the Province of Granada
Roman sites in Spain