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Úbeda
Municipality
FlagCoat of arms
Location of Úbeda
Coordinates: 38°0′50.84″N 3°22′20.81″W / 38.0141222°N 3.3724472°W / 38.0141222; -3.3724472
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Jaén
Government
• Mayor	Antonia Olivares Martínez (PSOE)
Area
• Total	397.1 km (153.3 sq mi)
Elevation	748 m (2,454 ft)
Population
• Total	34,602
• Density	87/km (230/sq mi)
Demonym	Ubetenses
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	23400
Website	Official website
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iv)
Reference	522rev-001
Inscription	2003 (27th Session)
Area	4.2 ha (10 acres)
Buffer zone	90.3 ha (223 acres)

Úbeda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈuβeða]) is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. The town lies on the southern ridge of the so-called Loma de Úbeda, a table sandwiched in between the Guadalquivir and the Guadalimar river beds.

Both this town and the neighbouring Baeza benefited from extensive patronage in the early 16th century resulting in the construction of a series of Renaissance style palaces and churches, which have been preserved ever since. In 2003, UNESCO declared the historic centres and landmarks of these two towns a World Heritage Site. As of 2017, the municipality has a registered population of 34,733, ranking it as the fourth most populated municipality in the province.

History

Legend has it that Úbeda was established by Tubal, a descendant of Noah. The city's name is said to have originated from the mythical tower of King Ibiut.

Archaeological evidence indicates the earliest settlements in Úbeda going back to the Copper Age, and are situated in the oldest part of town known as Cerro del Alcázar. Recent archaeological investigations have revealed a history spanning six millennia; thus, Úbeda stands as the "oldest city, scientifically substantiated, in Western Europe". This assertion comes from the research team led by Professor Francisco Nocete, based on findings from 35 Carbon-14 datings conducted at the Las Eras del Alcázar site.

There are remnants from the Chalcolithic, Argaric, Oretanian, Visigothic, and Late Roman periods in the Alcázar. There was a sistering Iberian settlement nearby called Iltiraka, later incorporated into the Roman colony of Salaria and was known as Old Úbeda or Ubeda Vethula. Greeks arrived in Úbeda seeking trade, followed by the Carthaginians with imperialist aims, but both were defeated by the Romans after prolonged conflicts.

During the Roman Empire, following the Battle of Ilipa in 206 BCE, the ancient Iberian city-state underwent Romanization, becoming known as Betula. It became a hub for various scattered populations. In the Gothic era, the Vandals destroyed the region, leading the inhabitants to consolidate in what is now known as Bétula Nova, though the reasons for this are unclear.

The city regained significance with the arrival of the Arabs, notably under Abderramán II, who reestablished it as Ubbada or Ubbadat Al-Arab —Úbeda "of the Arabs"—, aiming to control the neighboring Mozarabs of Baeza. In the 11th century, it was contested among the taifa kingdoms of Almería, Granada, Toledo, and Seville until its eventual conquest by the Almoravids. As a Muslim city, it expanded its defensive walls and flourished as one of Al-Andalus' most important centers due to its thriving craftsmanship and trade. Thus, it became a prosperous and strategic stronghold.

During the year 1091, Úbeda was forcibly surrendered to Alfonso VI by the king of Toledo amidst internal rebellion among the Andalusian Moors. Throughout the 12th century, Castilian kings intensified pressure on the region, leading to Úbeda being mentioned in historical records primarily for its involvement in military conflicts. The city experienced significant devastation and changes of control, including a massacre by crusaders in the battle of 1212.

During the Reconquista, in 1233, King Ferdinand III took the city as a part of the Kingdom of Castile. The Úbeda's terretories increased substantially, including the area from Torres de Acún (Granada) to Santisteban del Puerto, passing by cities like Albánchez de Úbeda, Huesa and Canena, and, in the middle of the 16th century it also included Cabra del Santo Cristo, Quesada or Torreperogil.

During the 14th and the 15th centuries, the differences between the local nobility and population impaired the growth of the town. In 1368, the city was damaged during the Castilian Civil War between Peter I of Castile and Henry II of Castile. This, combined with other circumstances, caused the worsening of the rivalry between the families de Trapera and de Aranda at first, and the families de la Cueva and de Molina after. This political instability was solved when the Catholic Monarchs ruled: they ordered the Alcázar, used by the nobility as a fortress, was destroyed.

Úbeda, on the border between Granada and Castile-La Mancha, was an important geographic buffer, and thus the population gained from the Castilian kings, a number of official privileges, such as the "Fuero de Cuenca", which organized the population formed by people from Castilla and from León, in order to face the problems that there could be in the borders. Through the "Fuero de Cuenca", a popular Council was formed, which developed a middle-class nobility, which made the high-ranking official hereditary.

During the 16th century, these important Castilian aristocratic families from Úbeda reached top positions in the Spanish Monarchy administration. Notably, Francisco de los Cobos and his nephew Juan Vazquez de Molina became Secretary of State for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Philip II respectively. The Viceroy of Peru Pedro de Toledo, the governor of the Canary Islands Juan de Rivera y Zambrana, the Marquis of Messia or the Count of Guadiana are other examples of nobiliary families living in Úbeda at the time. Due to the patronage of arts of these competing families, Úbeda became a Renaissance focus in Spain and from there Renaissance architecture spread to the Kingdom of Seville and America.

The Holy Chapel of the Saviour of the World and Vazquez de Molina Palace, today the Council Town, were designed by the architects Diego de Siloé, Berruguete, and Andrés de Vandelvira, among others. This thriving period ended because of the 17th crisis. The last years of the 18th century, the town started to recover its economy, with the help of the agriculture and handmade industries.

In the early 19th century the War of Independence (this war against Napoleon is often called the "Peninsular War" in English) produced huge economic losses again, and the city did not boost until the end of the 19th century, when several technical improvements were applied in agriculture an industry. Ideological discussions took place at the "casinos", places for informal discussions about several items.

Historically, a Jewish community thrived in Úbeda during medieval times, until the expulsion of the Jews. In 2007, the remains of a synagogue dating to the 13th century were uncovered in Úbeda's historic city center. Named "Sinagoga del Agua", or "Water Synagogue" because of the seven wells and the mikveh, or Jewish ritual bath, that were found. The Water Synagogue consists of a mikveh, a synagogue room with a women's gallery, a patio with a Jewish tree of life design, and a cellar used to store olive oil and kosher wine.

Economy

The city is near the geographic centre of the province of Jaén, and it is the administrative seat of the surrounding Loma de Úbeda comarca. It is one of the region's most important settlements, boasting a regional hospital, university bachelor's degree in education college, distance-learning facilities, local government facilities, social security offices, and courts. According to the Caixa yearbook, it is the economic hub of a catchment area with a population of 200,000 inhabitants. Twenty-nine percent of employment is in the service sector. Other fractions of the population are employed in tourism, commerce, industry, and local government administration. The agricultural economy mainly works with olive cultivation and cattle ranching. Úbeda has become in one of the biggest olive oil's producers and packers of the Jaén province.

One of the main seasonal attractions of the town is the annual music and dance festival which is held in May and June including opera, jazz, flamenco, chamber music, symphony orchestra and dance. Just southeast of the town lies the nature park of Sierra de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas.

Main sights

The most outstanding feature of the city is the monumental Vázquez de Molina Square, surrounded with imposing Renaissance buildings such as the Palacio de las Cadenas (so named for the decorative chains which once hung from the façade) and the Basílica de Santa María de los Reales Alcázares. The Chapel of the Savior or Capilla del Salvador was constructed to house the tombs of local nobility. Both the interior and exterior are decorated; for example, the interior has elaborate metalwork screen by the ironworker Bartolomé de Jaen. The Hospital de Santiago, designed by Vandelvira in the late 16th century, with its square bell towers and graceful Renaissance courtyard, is now the home of the town's Conference Hall. Úbeda has a Parador hotel, the Parador de Úbeda, housed in a 16th-century palace which was the residence of a high-ranking churchman of that period.

The town lends its name to a common idiom in Spanish, andar por los cerros de Úbeda (literally 'to walk around the hills of Úbeda'), meaning 'to go off at a tangent'.

The city possesses 48 monuments, and more than a hundred other buildings of interest, almost all of them of Renaissance style. All this patrimony led Úbeda to being the second city of renowned Spain Historical – artistic Set, in the year 1955. In the year 1975 it received the appointment of the Council of Europe as Exemplary City of the Renaissance. Finally, in 2003 it was named a World Heritage Site, together with Baeza, by UNESCO.

• Hospital de Santiago
• El Salvador Chapel and Dean Ortega's Palace
• Basílica de Santa María de los Reales Alcázares

Sister cities

• Chiclana de la Frontera, Spain.
• Lège-Cap-Ferret, France.

People

• Ruy López Dávalos Count of Ribadeo since it was sold by the first count, the Frenchman Pierre de Villaines, who received it from Henry II of Castile on 20 December 1369, Adelantado of Murcia, 1396, Constable of Castile, 1400–1423, during the reigns of kings Henry III of Castile and John II of Castile.
• Beltrán de la Cueva, 1st Duke of Alburquerque,nobleman who is said to have fathered Joan, the daughter of Henry IV of Castile wife Joan of Portugal.
• Francisco de los Cobos, Charles the Fifth's Secretary of State.
• Diego de los Cobos Molina, Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Jaén (1560–1565) and Bishop of Ávila (1559–1560).
• Arsenio Moreno Mendoza was a Spanish writer, academic, and politician.
• Joaquín Sabina, writer, poet and singer.
• Antonio Muñoz Molina, writer who won Prince of Asturias Award of literature category.
• Saint John of The Cross, mystic poet.
• Zahara (Spanish Musician), singer-songwriter.
• Carlos Muñoz (footballer, born 1961), former professional football player.
• José Luis Villacañas, political philosopher and historian of politic ideas.
• Juan Pizarro Navarrete, physician and politician.

References

1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
2. Sánchez Ruiz, Marcelino; Coronado Sánchez, Ana (2011). "La campiña y La Loma: huella, memoria y vida". Revista ph (78). Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico: 17.
3. Castillo Olivares, M.ª Dolores Antigüedad del (2004). "Úbeda: la consolidación de la imagen renacentista" [Úbeda, the Crystallization of a Renaissance City] (PDF). Espacio, Tiempo y Forma. Serie VII. Historia del Arte. 17. UNED: 15.
4. Román, Alberto (2023-10-18). "Las obras de las Eras del Alcázar están ya al 75% de ejecución". Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-29.
5. "Úbeda, más vieja". www.diariojaen.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-29.
6. ^ "La Evolución Urbana de Úbeda" (PDF). Government of Spain - Education, Culture and Sport Ministry.
7. "Úbeda". JGuide Europe. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
8. "Story". Sinagoga del Agua. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
9. Castellano, Orge. "Spanish towns unearth ancient synagogues to bring back Jewish history — and tourists". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
10. "¿De dónde surge la expresión jiennense "irse por los cerros de Úbeda"? | Jaen24h". www.jaen24h.com.
11. UNESCO World Heritage List, "Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza", retrieved August 4, 2019
12. "El hermanamiento entre Chiclana y Úbeda cumple sus bodas de plata". Diario de Cádiz (in Spanish). Joly Digital. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
13. Montes, Pablo (27 September 2017). "Lège- Cap-Ferret y Úbeda; ciudades turísticas opuestas y hermanadas". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 October 2019.
14. Páez de Castro, Juan; del Pino González, Eduardo; García Pinilla, Ignacio J. (30 October 2017). Poesía latina: de Juan Páez de Castro. Ediciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. p. 173. ISBN 9788490442531.
15. Román Vílchez, Alberto (2 September 2014). "Una placa para la casa en la que nació Joaquín Sabina". Ideal (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
16. Mateo Pérez, Manuel (12 June 2013). "La Úbeda de Muñoz Molina". El Mundo (in Spanish). Unidad Editorial Información General, S.L.U. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
17. Brenes, María Amelia (14 December 2013). "La noche más oscura de San Juan". El Mundo (in Spanish). Unidad Editorial Información General S.L.U. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
18. Roman, Alberto (2022-11-07). "Úbeda despide a Juan Pizarro, el alcalde que sabía ponerse a la altura de quien tenía delante" [Úbeda says goodbye to Juan Pizarro, the mayor who knew how to rise to the level of who was in front of him]. Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-11-12.

External links

• Virtual Guide to Úbeda (municipal council website)
• Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza (UN World Heritage website)
• Histories of Úbeda (in Spanish)
• eGuide to Úbeda
• Ubeda's updated statistics

v t e World Heritage Sites in Spain
For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Spain.
North West	Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias Roman walls of Lugo Route of Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) Tower of Hercules
North East	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon Pirineos - Monte Perdido Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin Route of Santiago de Compostela San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries Vizcaya Bridge
Centre	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests Aranjuez Cultural Landscape Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida Archaeological Site of Atapuerca Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-mural Churches Burgos Cathedral Old Town of Cáceres Historic Walled Town of Cuenca Monastery and Site of El Escorial Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija Las Médulas Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin Route of Santiago de Compostela Old City of Salamanca Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct Siega Verde Historic City of Toledo University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
East	Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona Palmeral of Elche Poblet Abbey Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin Silk Exchange in Valencia Works of Antoni Gaudí
South	Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín, Granada Cathedral, Alcázar and General Archive of the Indies, Seville Dolmens Site of Antequera Doñana National Park Historic Centre of Córdoba Madinat al-Zahra Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin
Balearic Islands	Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca
Canary Islands	Garajonay Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains San Cristóbal de La Laguna Teide National Park
Shared with other region/s Shared with France Shared with Slovenia Shared with Portugal Shared with Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine

v t e Municipalities in the province of Jaén
Albanchez de Mágina Alcalá la Real Alcaudete Aldeaquemada Andújar Arjona Arjonilla Arquillos Arroyo del Ojanco Baeza Bailén Baños de la Encina Beas de Segura Bedmar y Garcíez Begíjar Benatae Bélmez de la Moraleda Cabra del Santo Cristo Cambil Campillo de Arenas Canena Carboneros Castellar Castillo de Locubín Cazalilla Cazorla Chiclana de Segura Chilluévar Cárcheles Escañuela Espeluy Frailes Fuensanta de Martos Fuerte del Rey Guarromán Génave Higuera de Calatrava Hinojares Hornos Huelma Huesa Ibros Iznatoraf Jabalquinto Jaén Jamilena Jimena Jódar La Carolina La Guardia de Jaén La Iruela La Puerta de Segura Lahiguera Larva Linares Lopera Los Villares Lupión Mancha Real Marmolejo Martos Mengíbar Montizón Navas de San Juan Noalejo Orcera Peal de Becerro Pegalajar Porcuna Pozo Alcón Puente de Génave Quesada Rus Sabiote Santa Elena Santiago de Calatrava Santiago-Pontones Santisteban del Puerto Santo Tomé Segura de la Sierra Siles Sorihuela del Guadalimar Torreblascopedro Torredelcampo Torredonjimeno Torreperogil Torres Torres de Albanchez Úbeda Valdepeñas de Jaén Vilches Villacarrillo Villanueva de la Reina Villanueva del Arzobispo Villardompardo Villarrodrigo Villatorres

• Úbeda
• Municipalities in the Province of Jaén (Spain)
• World Heritage Sites in Spain