Urueña

Urueña is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 213 inhabitants.

The streets and stone houses have been restored to reflect those of a medieval town. The city still retains much of its walls, including two gates and the castle. The parish church, Santa María del Azogue, was built in gothic-renaissance styles.

It also features four museums. Outside the walled enclosure and within walking distance is the Romanesque-style '' Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Anunciada'' (Hermitage of Our Lady of the Annunciation) and the ruins of an old monastery. Evidence of prehistoric inhabitants has been found in the region.

It is a member of th
I.O.B.-International Organisation of Book Towns
a network of villages where second-hand and antiquarian bookshops are concentrated.

Toponymy

The term "Urueña" could derive from the Basque word ''ur'', meaning 'water,' combined with the pre-Roman locative suffix ''-anca'', which first transformed into ''-anga'' and later into ''-ueña'' during its Castilianization. However, this would represent an unprecedented phonetic evolution and is philologically inexplicable. According to linguist Álvaro Galmés de Fuentes, the suffix originates from the Celtic ''onna'', meaning 'spring or stream,' which would have evolved regularly into "-ueña."

Geography

The municipality is located in the province of Valladolid, excluded from the region known as ''Tierra de Campos''. It sits atop a hill, within the foothills of the Torozos Mountains.

History

The history of this town takes us back to the earliest Vaccean settlements. It was Romanized at the beginning of the Common Era and Christianized around the 10th century. From the 12th to the 14th centuries, it served as the head of the ''Infantado'' of Valladolid.

The town’s location, strategically dominating the valley, made it highly attractive to early settlers. Its name is believed to derive from the Vaccean language: ''Ur-Uru'' (water area) and ''Anna-Eneas'' (sister). At the foot of the hill where the town stands, a spring of clean water has existed since antiquity, supplying the population for centuries. In the mid-20th century, a fountain was built within the town, drawing water from this spring to ease residents’ access.

The Romans arrived in the area around 1 BC. A connecting route between Palencia and Zamora, the ''Toresana'' road, passed through the territory, with remnants of the road and a bridge still visible.

During the Middle Ages, under King Sancho II of Castile (Sancho the Strong), the town became the head of the ''Infantado'' of Valladolid. His sister, Lady Urraca, cared for and inhabited the fiefdom. Later, Alfonso VII granted his sister Sancha Raimúndez the ''Infantado'' of Valladolid, including dominion over the towns of Medina de Rioseco, Castromonte, and Urueña—all situated on the border between the kingdoms of León and Castile, which were united under Alfonso VII’s reign. When Alfonso VII died in 1157, the kingdoms were divided again: León went to his son Fernando II, and Castile to Sancho III the Desired, who fortified Urueña in response to the new division. Sancho III ruled for only a year, succeeded by the child Alfonso VIII of Castile. The ''Infantado'' of Valladolid then fell under the jurisdiction of Fernando II of León, who, feeling wronged by Alfonso VII’s will, exploited Alfonso VIII’s minority to seize these lands. When Alfonso VIII came of age, he waged war against Fernando II, forcing the signing of a peace treaty in Medina de Rioseco, which restored the borders as outlined in Alfonso VII’s will. Subsequent disputes led to another treaty, the Treaty of Fresno-Lavandera, listing territories belonging to each kingdom; Urueña remained part of Castile. In later reigns, the town persisted as a crucial border point between the two kingdoms.

In the 15th century, King Juan II gifted the town to Don Pedro Girón, steward and favorite of Prince Enrique IV (the future king).

In 1876, a devastating fire destroyed half the town, including the Town Council and all its archives. Recently, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Urueña has undergone significant transformation in appearance, infrastructure, and quality of life. Streets have been paved, houses and palaces reconstructed, and the castle—now used as a cemetery—was restored and landscaped in 2005. The town also boasts a vibrant cultural life, thanks to museums such as the most notable Ethnographic Museum, managed by its founder Joaquín Díaz and housed in a reconstructed 16th-century building.

Gallery

Image:Urueña vista2 lou.jpg, view of urueña walls
Image:Vista de Urueña.JPG, view of urueña
Image:Urueña callereal2 lou.jpg, street
Image:Urueña arcovilla1 lou.jpg, urueña walls
Image:Urueña muralla2 lou.jpg, urueña walls
Image:Urueña castillo1 lou.jpg, Castle of urueña
Image:Fundación Joaquín Díaz - Panorámica. Ermita y muralla - Urueña (Valladolid).jpg, Hermitage and walls
Image:Urueña anunciada1 lou.jpg, Hermitage
Image:Iglesia de Santa María de Azogue.Urueña (Valladolid).JPG, Church of Saint Mary of Azogue
Image:Urueña museoetno2 lou.jpg, Joaquin Díaz Ethnographic Museum

See also

*Cuisine of the province of Valladolid

References

Municipalities in the Province of Valladolid
Book towns
{{Valladolid-geo-stub