Teruel () is a city in

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of

Teruel Province Teruel ( Catalan: ''Terol'' ) is a province of Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. The capital is Teruel. It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia (including its exclave Rincón de Ademuz), Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Z ...

. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its harsh

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

, with a wide daily variation on temperatures and its renowned ''

jamón serrano ''Jamón'' (; : ''jamones'') is a type of dry-cured ham produced in Spain. It is one of the most globally recognized food items of Spanish cuisine. It is also regularly a component of tapas. ''Jamón'' is the Spanish word for ' ham'. As such ...

'' (cured ham), its

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

, its surrounding

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

s, rock outcrops containing some of the oldest

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

remains of 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 ...

, and its famous events: '' La Vaquilla del Ángel'' during the weekend (Friday to Monday) closest to 10 July and "Bodas de Isabel de Segura" around the third weekend of February. Teruel is regarded as the "town of

Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...

" (Moorish-influenced architecture) due to numerous buildings designed in this style. All of them are comprised in the

Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for Ch ...

which is a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. Teruel's remote and mountainous location

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

and its low population has led to relative isolation within Spain. A campaign group with the slogan ''

Teruel existe Teruel Existe (, TE) is a Spanish political party based in the province of Teruel. It was founded in November 1999 as a citizen platform with the goal of demanding a fair and equal treatment for the province of Teruel. In 1999, Teruel still had n ...

'' ("Teruel exists") was founded in 1999 to press for greater recognition and investment in the town and the province. Due in part to the campaign, transport connections to Teruel were improved with the construction of a

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 ...

between

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

and

Sagunto Sagunto () is a municipality of Spain, located in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community. It belongs to the modern fertile ''comarca'' of Camp de Morvedre. It is located approximately north of the city of Valencia, close to the Costa ...

. However, Teruel remains the only provincial capital in

peninsular Spain Peninsular Spain is the part of the territory of Spain located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and several islets and crags off the coast of Morocco kno ...

without a direct road or

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

link to the national capital,

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 ...

. A running joke in the Spanish online satirical publication

El Mundo Today ''El Mundo Today'' is an online satirical newspaper published in Spain. Its public launch was in January 2009, and it is currently active. The website adopts the style of the online press although the content of the publication is totally fict ...

is that Teruel does not exist.

History

The area around Teruel has been populated since the times of the

Celtiberians The Celtiberians were a group of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting an area in the central-northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BC. They were explicitly mentioned as being Celts by several classic authors (e.g. Strabo) ...

, who called it Turboleta. The place-name Turboleta could come from the Basque-Iberian term ''itur'' + ''olu'' + ''eta'' (place of the water source, spring), according to the theory of Basque-Iberism. The area was later occupied by the Romans, who left remains in nearby towns, such as

Cella In Classical architecture, a or naos () is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings: of a hermit's or monk's cell, and (since the 17th century) of a biological cell ...

. Some authors claim that in the location of the current city of Teruel (specifically its Jewish quarter) was originally called Tirwal, a name that would have come from the Arabic word meaning "tower." A Muslim enclave is said to have existed in that location in the year 935. However, the corresponding archaeological sites found there belong to a defensive structure, not a population center. On 1 October 1171, King Alfonso II captured Tirwal. He was threatened by the Almohads’ capture of Valencia, and wanted to strengthen the southern border of his kingdom. In the same year, he founded the city of Teruel, granting it

fueros (), (), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ...

and privileges to facilitate the repopulation of the area. The foundation of Teruel marked an unprecedented change in the political and territorial structure of southern Aragon. The predominance of

Albarracín Albarracín () is a Spanish town, in the province of Teruel, part of the autonomous community of Aragon. According to the 2007 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 1075 inhabitants. Albarracín is the capital of the mountainous Si ...

and

Alfambra Alfambra is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 676 inhabitants. This locality is famous for the Battle of Alfambra fought in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War Historical Orig ...

during the Muslim era was replaced by that of the newly-founded cities, Teruel in particular, to the detriment of Alfambra, which would remain in the background under the organizing principle of

manorialism Manorialism, also known as seigneurialism, the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "Land tenure, tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features incl ...

. According to one legend, Teruel was founded when all the wise and important people of the town came together to look for signs and omens. The omen they found favorable was a bull, mooing from atop a high place with a star shining on it from above. The high place where they found the bull was eventually made into the town’s main square. According to some authors, the name of the city has its origins in this meeting, since the combination of the words “bull” (''toro'') and the name of the star, "Actuel," would make "Toroel," which could become "Toruel." The legend of this encounter also explains the star and bull on the city’s flag and coat of arms. The inhabitants of Teruel intervened in the conquest of

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

, which had been in the hands of the Muslims, and in the

War of the Two Peters The War of the Two Peters (, ), also known as the Castilian–Aragonese War of 1356–1369, was fought from 1356 to 1369 between the crowns of Castile and Aragon. The conflict was a struggle between two claimants to the throne of Castile, Pet ...

against the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

. The population was granted the title of city in 1347 by

Pedro IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

for their support in the Battle of Épila. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish and Mudejar communities attained considerable importance within the social and economic life of the city, since their

aljama ''Aljama'' (, , ) is a term of Arabic origin used in old official documents in Spain and Portugal to designate the self-governing communities of Moors and Jews living under Christian rule in the Iberian Peninsula. In some present-day Spanish cit ...

s were consolidated towards the end of the 13th century. The Jewish Quarter of Teruel still preserves its name, and many archaeological sites have been found there. In the Middle Ages, Teruel possessed a prominent Jewish community, which was robust during the centuries Muslims were in power and enjoyed several privileges. Later on after the Christian reconquest of Spain, the Jewish community paid a yearly tax of 300 sueldos (in the 14th century). Its members were engaged in commerce and industry, especially in wool-weaving. During the persecutions of 1391 many of them were killed, while others accepted Christianity in order to save their lives. Teruel was fought over in 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 ...

, and much of the city was destroyed. The

Battle of Teruel The Battle of Teruel was fought in and around the city of Teruel during the Spanish Civil War between December 1937 and February 1938, during the worst Spanish winter in 20 years.Hugh Purcell, p. 95. The battle was one of the bloodiest actions of ...

in December 1937-February 1938, was one of the bloodiest of the war. The town changed hands several times, first falling to the Republicans and eventually being re-taken by the Nationalists. In the course of the fighting, Teruel was subjected to heavy artillery and aerial bombardment. The two sides suffered up to 140,000 casualties between them in the three-month battle. The Nationalists won a decisive victory.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Teruel has a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(''BSk''). Summer temperatures are warm to hot, although there is much daily variation, and winters are cold, with low minimum temperatures sometimes dropping to . The lowest amount of rainfall is in winter and the highest in late spring and mid autumn. The temperature records registered at the Observatory of Teruel were on August 14, 2021 and on January 12, 2021.

Main sights

The beauty of the town's cultural inheritance, which has some

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

influence, has been recognised by

, which includes four churches in the

, notably the town's ornate

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in the

style. One of Teruel's best known monuments is very small statue of a bull on top of a tall column, known as ''El Torico'' ("the little bull"). It is located in the main square, ''Plaza Carlos Castell'', more commonly known as the ''Plaza del Torico'' in the middle of the town center. Other sights include: *''Torre de El Salvador'' (14th century), in ''mudéjar'' style *Cathedral: Catedral de Santa María de Teruel, in ''mudéjar'' style *''San Pedro'', a ''mudéjar'' church (16th century) with a tower similar to that of the cathedral. It includes a mausoleum, Mausoleo de Los Amantes, housing the

mummified A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furthe ...

bodies of Isabel de Segura (a wealthy woman) and Diego de Marcilla (a poor man who battled at Crusades to earn some money with the intention to return to get married with Isabel) whose love ended tragically. This story is known as '' los amantes de Teruel'' and has inspired writers (for example Hartzenbusch) and an opera composed by

Tomás Bretón Tomás Bretón y Hernández (29 December 1850 – 2 December 1923) was a Spanish Conducting, conductor and composer. Biography Tomás Bretón was born in Salamanca. He completed his musical studies at the School of Fine Arts in his hometown, w ...

. *Church of ''La Merced'', with a bell tower in ''mudéjar'' style (the upper sector added later in Baroque style). *Church of ''San Salvador'' (17th century), with one of the most outstanding ''mudéjar'' towers. It houses a 14th-century wooden sculpture of Christ. *Church of ''San Martín'' (17th century). *'' Torre de San Martín'' (14th century), in ''mudéjar'' style *Church of ''San Miguel'' (12th century), remade in the 17th century in Baroque style. *''Castillo de Alambes'', a 15th-century fortification built over the Arabic Alcazar. *''Casa El Torico'', ''Casa Ferrán'' and ''Casa La Madrileña'', 1910s liberty style houses *Palace of the Marquis of Tosos (17th century) *The Gothic church of St. Francis (1391–1492). It has a single nave with chapels covered by a ribbed vault with no crossing. *''

Los Arcos Los Arcos is a town and Spanish municipality, in the Chartered Community of Navarre, situated in the administrative division of Estella, in the region of East Estella and is 62 km from the capital of the community, Pamplona Pamplona ( ...

'', an aqueduct with two orders of arcade from 1538. On the outskirts of Teruel is Dinópolis Teruel, a combined

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

and

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

centred on

s. Promoted as a

paleontological Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

park, it includes a life-size robotic model of a ''

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It live ...

''. Dinópolis also owns three other museums in the surrounding area, which display the remains of dinosaurs discovered in the region. The chimney of the Teruel Power Plant is one of the tallest freestanding structures in Western Europe. File:El Torico 2024.jpg, El Torico Fountain File:Torre de El Salvador 10.jpg, Mudéjar Tower of El Salvador (14th century) File:Museo de Arte Sacro, Teruel, España, 2014-01-10, DD 42.JPG, Glass roof of the museum of religious art in Teruel File:Escalinata neomudéjar (Teruel).jpg, La Escalinata

Education and research

A branch of 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 List of oldest u ...

is located in Teruel. The Aragon Center for Physics of the Cosmos (CEFCA in Spanish), which conducts research in astrophysics and cosmology is also located in Teruel. CEFCA operates the Astrophysical Observatory of Javalambre (OAJ), which is located in the south of the Teruel province and recognized as a national .

Transportation

Teruel Airport Teruel Airport is an airport near Teruel in the Teruel Province of Spain. Known under the commercial name Plataforma Aeroportuaria-Teruel (PLATA), it was certified for public use by the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) on 5 ...

opened in 2013, after being repurposed from an original military airbase; it is primarily an aircraft storage and maintenance facility, with no passenger traffic.

Sport

The 3rd Stage of The

2024 La Vuelta Femenina The 2024 (officially by Carrefour.es) was the second edition of , a cycling stage race which takes place in Spain. The race took place from 28 April to 5 May, and was the 15th event in the 2024 UCI Women's World Tour. The general classificati ...

finished at Teruel on April 30th. It was won by

Marianne Vos Marianne Vos (; born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch multi-discipline cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Team, UCI Women's WorldTeam . After winning a junior European and World Championship in road racing, she continued her success in senior c ...

Notable people

Alba Bautista Alba Bautista Cañas (born 13 July 2002) is a Spanish rhythmic gymnast. She won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in the team category. She is the 2023 Spanish senior national champion. She competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics in t ...

(born 2002), rhythmic gymnast and world bronze medalist *

David Civera David Civera Gracia (born in Teruel, Aragón, Spain on 8 January 1979) is a Spanish singer. Biography Civera was born in Teruel, in 1979. His parents are José and Pilar and he has two sisters, Sonia is older than David, and Andrea is the yo ...

(born 1979), singer * Manuel Macías y Casado (1844–1937), general and military governor * Luis Milla (born 1966),

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player and manager * Javier Sierra (born 1971), journalist and writer *

Juan Gabriel of Teruel Juan Gabriel of Teruel (also spelled Joan Gabriel; Latin name: Iohannes Gabriel Terrolensis; former Muslim name: Alí Alayzar) was a Spanish convert from Islam to Christianity known for translating the Quran into Latin during the early 16th cent ...

, 16th-century Spanish translator known for translating the Quran into Latin

References

External links

*Englis
World Heritage Centre
{{Authority control