Huesca dates from pre-Roman times, and was once known asBolskan (Iberian:) in the ancientIberian language. It was once the capital of theVescetani, in the north ofHispania Tarraconensis, on the road from Tarraco (modernTarragona) and Ilerda (modernLleida) to Caesaraugusta (modernZaragoza).[3] During Roman times, the city was known asOsca, and was a Roman colony under the rule ofQuintus Sertorius, who made Osca his base. The city minted its own coinage and was the site of a prestigious school founded by Sertorius to educate young Iberians in Latin and Roman customs. After Sertorius, it is thought that it was renamedIleoscan (Ἰλεόσκαν) byStrabo.[4] It appears to have been situated on silver mines.[5]
Eighteenth-century Spanish historianEnrique Flórez[6] has pointed out the impossibility of one city supplying such vast quantities of minted silver as has been recorded by ancient writers under the termsargentum Oscense,signatum Oscense; and is of the opinion that "Oscense" meant "Spanish", being a corruption of "Eus-cara".[7] The Romanised city was made amunicipium by decree ofAugustus in 30 BC.
The Arabs conquered the city in the late 8th century, and the city came to be calledWashqah (وشقة inArabic), falling within theUpper March of theEmirate of Córdoba. It was ruled by a local governor appointed from Córdoba, but was repeatedly subject to political turmoil, rebellion and assassination as theBanu Qasi,Banu Amrus andBanu al-Tawil clans, as well as theArista dynasty of Pamplona, struggled for control, autonomy and independence from the Emirate. In the mid-10th century, Wasqah was transferred to theBanu Tujib, who governed the Upper March fromZaragoza, and it became part of theTaifa of Zaragoza in 1018 when they successfully freed themselves from the disintegratingCaliphate. In 1094Sancho Ramirez built the nearbyCastle of Montearagón with the intention of laying siege to Wasqah but was killed by a stray arrow as he reached the city's walls. It was conquered in 1096 byPeter I of Aragon and moved his royal capital to Huesca from the ancient capital ofJaca. In 1118 the Aragonese capital was moved toZaragoza.[8]
Historically, Huesca was home to one of the most importantJewish communities in Aragon, third afterZaragoza andCalatayud.[11] The town once had three synagogues.[12] In 1489–90, theInquisition prosecuted and burned several local Jews for having arranged thecircumcision of twoconversos some twenty-five years earlier.[13] The Jewish community flourished until the 1492expulsion of the Jews.[11]
Huesca lies on a plateau in the northern region of Aragón, with an elevation of 488 m (1,601 ft) above sea level. Close to the city lie theSierra de Guara mountains, which reach 2,077 m. The geographical coordinates of the city are: 42° 08´ N, 0° 24´ W.
Both the modern Coat of Arms of Huesca (es) (which date from the 16th century) and its mediaeval predecessor (from the 13th) include at their top the device of a block having a V-shaped notch. It is commonly said that it symbolisesSalto de Roldán ('Roland's Leap'), a natural rock formation about 25 km (16 mi) north of the city.[20][21][22][a] Some writers have suggested that the official Spanish name of Huesca (Catalan:Osca) derives from a Latin,Basque andCatalan wordosca, meaning notch or indentation, referring to the Salto de Roldán.[20]
Huesca has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa). withsemi-arid influences. Winters are cool (with normal maximums from 8 to 16 °C and minimums from -2 to 6 °C) and summers are hot, with daily maximums reaching up to 35 °C (95 °F), while the rainiest seasons are autumn and spring. The averageprecipitation is 480 mm per year.Frost is common and there is sporadic snowfall, with an average of three snowy days per year.[23]
Climate data for Huesca Airport,541 m a.s.l. (1981–2010)
Huesca Cathedral (Catedral de la Transfiguración del Señor), aGothic-style cathedral built by kingJames I of Aragon around 1273 on the ruined foundations of a mosque. Work continued until the fifteenth century, and the cathedral is now one of the architectural gems of northern Spain. The doorway, built between 1300 and 1313, has carvings depicting the Apostles. The interior contains a triplenave and chapels. It includes a magnificent high altar made fromalabaster, carved to representthe crucifixion, built between 1520 and 1533 byDamián Forment. The cloister and the bell-tower were built in the fifteenth century.
The Museum of Huesca occupies the building formerly belonging to the old university. The famous "Bell of Huesca" lies in one of its vaults, and is said to have been constructed from the heads of rebels who were executed by KingRamiro II of Aragon.
Huesca celebrates its most important annual festival in August: the festival (or fiesta) ofSan Lorenzo (Saint Lawrence), a native of Huesca martyred in 268 AD. The anniversary of his martyrdom falls on August 10. Thefiesta starts on 9 August and finishes on the 15. Many of the inhabitants dress in green and white for the duration. San Lorenzo, born in Huesca, was a deacon in Rome and a martyr who, according to legend, was burned on a grille by the Romans. The grille is the symbol of San Lorenzo and can be seen in a number of decorative works in the city.
Huesca is the birthplace of film directorCarlos Saura and his brother Antonio Saura, a contemporary artist.
The writer Oscar Sipan, winner of several literary prizes, was born in Huesca in 1974. The celebrated illustrator Isidro Ferrer, though born in Madrid, lives in the city.
Amrus ibn Yusuf (Huesca, 760- 808/9 or 813/4 Talavera de la Reina or Zaragoza), general of the Emirate of Córdoba and governor of Zaragoza
Petrus Alphonsi (Born at an unknown date in the 11th century in Huesca, died 1140?), was a Jewish Spanish physician, writer, astronomer, and polemicist, who converted to Christianity.
Petronilla of Aragon (Huesca, 1136 – 15 October 1173), Queen of Aragon from the abdication of her father in 1137 until her own abdication in 1164.
Alfonso II of Aragon (Huesca, March 1157 – 25 April 1196), was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death.
Peter II of Aragon (Huesca, July 1178 – 12 September 1213), was the King of Aragon (as Pedro II) and Count of Barcelona (as Pere I) from 1196 to 1213.
Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa (Huesca, 1607 - 1681), collector, scholar, Spanish cultural promoter and patron.
Valentín Carderera (Huesca, 1796 - Madrid, 1880), promoter of the arts, writer and academic art painter.
Lucas Mallada y Pueyo (Huesca, 1841 - Madrid 1921), mining engineer, paleontologist and writer, belonging to Regenerationism movement.
Fidel Pagés (Huesca, January 26, 1886 - September 21, 1923 Madrid), Spanish military surgeon, known for developing the technique of epidural anesthesia.
Ramón Acín Aquilué (1888, Huesca, Aragon, Spain – 1936), anarcho-syndicalist, teacher, writer and avant-garde artist murdered by fascists in the first year of the Spanish Civil War.
Pepín Bello (13 May 1904, Huesca – 11 January 2008), intellectual and writer. He was regarded as the last survivor of the "Generation of '27".
Julio Alejandro (Huesca, 1906 – 1995 Javea), was a Spanish screenwriter. He wrote for 80 films between 1951 and 1984.
Antonio Saura (September 22, 1930, Huesca – July 22, 1998, Cuenca) was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties.
Carlos Saura (4 January 1932, Huesca – 10 February 2023, Collado Mediano) is a Spanish film director and photographer.
Josep Acebillo (born in Huesca, Spain, in 1946), architect.
Esteban Navarro (Moratalla, 1965), writer. Huesca resident since 2001.
Nunilo and Alodia (Huesca, A.D. 851), martyrs of Christianity. Died after refusing to deny Christ.
Huesca is notable for the saying "Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca", a running joke among militiamen of theSpanish Civil War. In February 1937,George Orwell was stationed near thefalangist-held Huesca as a member of thePOUM militia.[16] InHomage to Catalonia, Orwell writes about this running joke, originally a naïvely optimistic comment made by one of the Spanish Republican generals:
Months earlier, whenSiétamo was taken, the general commanding the Government troops had said gaily: "Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca." It turned out that he was mistaken. There had been bloody attacks, but the town did not fall, and [the phrase] had become a standing joke throughout the army. If I ever go back to Spain I shall make a point of having a cup of coffee in Huesca.[27]
Huesca is also famous for the legend of theBell of Huesca.
TheAutovía A-23 runs through Huesca, connecting the city withZaragoza. While under construction as of 2018, theAutovía A-22 also connects Huesca toLleida. The two highways will eventually connect.
Huesca has been served byHuesca–Pirineos Airport since 1930,[29] but the airport does not currently have any scheduled commercial passenger services. The nearest airports areZaragoza Airport, located 83 km (52 mi) south west andLleida-Alguaire Airport, located 119 km (74 mi) to the south east of Huesca.
Huesca railway station is served by regional and AVE trains to destinations including Zaragoza, Canfranc, Madrid and Jaca.
In 2018,SD Huesca, became the town's first football team to be promoted toLa Liga. They became the 63rd team to play in the league, and their stadium's maximum capacity was the smallest in the2018–19 La Liga.
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