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Founded as the military encampment of theLegio VI Victrix around 29 BC, its standing as an encampment city was consolidated with the definitive settlement of theLegio VII Gemina from 74 AD. Following its partial depopulation due to theUmayyad conquest of the peninsula, 910 saw the beginning of one of its most prominent historical periods, when it became the capital of theKingdom of León, which took active part in theReconquista against theMoors, and came to be one of the fundamental kingdoms of medieval Spain.
After a period of stagnation during theearly modern age, it was one of the first cities to hold an uprising in theSpanish War of Independence, and some years later, in 1833 acquired the status of provincial capital. The end of the 19th and the 20th century saw a significant acceleration in the rate of urban expansion, when the city became an important communications hub of the northwest due to the rise of the coal mining industry and the arrival of the railroad.
León's historical and architectural heritage, as well as the numerous festivals hosted throughout the year (particularly noteworthy are the Easter processions) and its location on theFrench Way of theCamino de Santiago, which is ranked as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, make it a destination of both domestic andinternational tourism. Some of the city's most prominent historical buildings are theCathedral, one of the finest examples of French-style classic Gothic architecture in Spain, theBasilica of San Isidoro, one of the most important Romanesque churches in Spain and resting place of León's medieval monarchs, theMonastery of San Marcos, an example ofplateresque and Renaissance Spanish architecture, and theCasa Botines, a Modernist creation of the architectAntoni Gaudí. An example of modern architecture is the city's Museum of Contemporary Art orMUSAC.
The Romans established the site of the city to protect the recently conquered territories of northwesternHispania from theAstures andCantabri, and to secure the transport ofgold extracted in the province —especially in the huge nearby mines ofLas Médulas— that was taken to Rome throughAsturica Augusta (modern-dayAstorga).[7][8]
Tacitus calls the legionGalbiana, to distinguish it from the oldLegio VIIClaudia, but this appellation is not found on any inscriptions. It appears to have received the appellation ofGemina[9] on account of its amalgamation byVespasian with one of the German legions, probably theLegio IGermanica. Its full name was Legio VII Gemina Felix. After serving in Pannonia, and in the civil wars, it was settled by Vespasian in Hispania Tarraconensis, to supply the place of the Legio VIVictrix andLegio XGemina, two of the three legions ordinarily stationed in the province, but which had been withdrawn to Germany.[10]
That its regular winter quarters, under later emperors, were at León, we learn from the Itinerary, Ptolemy, and theNotitiae Imperii, as well as from a few inscriptions;[11] but there are numerous inscriptions to prove that a strong detachment of it was stationed at Tarraco (modernTarragona), the chief city of the province.
Some elements of the original Roman encampment still survive in the modern city layout. Long sections of the Roman walls (built between the first century BC and the fourth century AD) are still standing. There are also archaeological exhibitions showing remains of the walls, gates, baths and an amphitheatre.
The post-Roman history of the city is largely the history of the Kingdom of León. The station of the legion in the territory of theAstures grew into an important city, which resisted the attacks of theVisigoths until AD 586, when it was taken byLeovigild; and it was one of the few cities which the Visigoths allowed to retain their fortifications.
During theUmayyad conquest of Hispania, in 715 Tariq advanced from the area of La Rioja towards Astorga and León. The same fortress, which the Romans had built to protect the plain from the incursions of the mountaineers, became the advanced post which covered the mountain, as the last refuge of Cisastur Tribes. However, there is no notice of resistance whatsoever. An attempt was made by the invaders to settle the strongholds with Berbers came in a military capacity, but the scheme was abandoned when the Berbers of northern Iberia rebelled against the Arabs and gave up their positions to join therevolt around 740.
Towards the year 846, a group ofMozarabs (Christians who did not flee from the Muslims and lived under the Muslim regime) tried to repopulate the city, but a Muslim attack prevented that initiative. In the year 856, under the Christian kingOrdoño I, another attempt at repopulation was made and was successful.Alfonso III of León andGarcía I of León made León city the capital of theKingdom of León and the most important of theChristian cities in Iberia.
The seat of the kingdom of Asturias moved to León in 910.
Sacked byAlmanzor in about 987, the city was reconstructed and repopulated byAlfonso V, whose Decree of 1017 regulated its economic life, including the functioning of its markets. León was a way-station forpilgrims on theCamino de Santiago leading toSantiago de Compostela. WithAlfonso V of León the city had the "Fueru de Llión", an important letter of privileges.
In 1188,Alfonso IX of León gathered thethree estates in the city of León (including representatives of the urban class) in theCortes of León of 1188. Due to the written documentary corpus, the 1188 Cortes were recognised by the UNESCO in 2013 as "cradle" of parliamentarism.[12]
Suburbs for traders and artisans sprang up, who, after the 13th century, began to influence the municipal government. During the earlyMiddle Ages, thelivestock industry produced a period of prosperity for the city.
León had an important Jewish community in the Middle Ages, and the reference to a Great Synagogue suggests the existence of more than one synagogue in the city.[13] Evidence from 1488 records the transfer of one synagogue, with adjoining gardens and buildings, to the Sociedad de Santa Ana in the suburb of León, possibly on the site of the city's notedyeshiva.[13] The fate of the Great Synagogue is known from a royal order of 14 September 1495, when theCatholic Monarchs granted it, with all its properties and rights, to the monastery of San Isidoro.[13]
Free from theseigneuralisation process of the Late Middle Ages, towards the end of the era León had consolidated as one of the 13 cities in theMeseta enjoying the right to vote at the Cortes of Castile.[14]
In the 16th century, economic anddemographic decline set in and continued until the 19th century. For the extent of theEarly Modern period the city remained controlled by a reduced set of noble families by means of theregimientos andregidurías.[15]The city population increased from 9,000 to 15,000 during the 19th century.[16] The population further increased during the 20th century: 18,000 (1910), 44,000 (1940), 73,000 (1960), and 100,000 (1971).[17] During the first decades of the 20th century, the city would be important as arailway center, with a significantsocialist andanarchistlabor movement, the city being the birthplace ofBuenaventura Durruti, whose brother Manuel was killed in León during theRevolution of 1934.
The military coup d'état that marked the beginning of theSpanish Civil War took place (and succeeded) in León on 20 July 1936, with the putschist military officers meeting little resistance.[18] The Catholic Church adhered to the rebels and instrumentalised the Catholic sentiment and traditions against theRepublic.[19] The rebels expanded from the city to the rest of the traditionally conservative province, which remained under rebel control except a small northern part connected to Asturias, that became part of the battlefront until thefall of the North in October 1937.[20] Both theConvent of San Marcos, the old Santa Ana factory and the provincial prison were nonetheless rehabilitated as mass detention camps in the city by theFrancoist side.[21][22]
During the 1960s, León experienced much growth due to in-migration from the rural zones of the province.
León Cathedral, arayonnantgothic building. It is one of the most relevant examples of the Gothic style in Spain, almost all of it built from 1205 to 1301.[23] It contains one of the most extensive and best preserved collections of medieval stained glass in Europe, with at least 1,764 square meters of surface, most of it containing the original windows.
Basilica of San Isidoro, a highlight ofRomanesque architecture in Spain. Built during the 11th and 12th centuries AD, the complex includes a subterranean Royal Pantheon with 12th centurypainted murals in an exceptional state of preservation.
Convent of San Marcos (currently a luxuriousParador) built from the 16th century AD to the 18th. Its most striking feature is a highly ornamentalplateresque façade.
Church ofSan Salvador de Palat del Rey, the most ancient in the city (10th century), however with few remains of the original Pre-Romanesque building. As the name (meaning church of the "Holy Savior of the King's Palace") suggests, it once acted as royal chapel.
Church of Nuestra Señora del Merdado, from the 11th century.
Roman Walls, built in the 1st century BC and enlarged in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. Long sections in the Eastern and Northern sides are preserved, as well as less complete parts in the Western side and some remains surrounded by other buildings in the Southern side. Some sections of a medieval wall built in the 13th and 14th centuries AD also exist in the Southern side. The wall can be visited in specific locations.
Casa Botines, aneogothic styled building designed byAntoni Gaudí and built in 1891-1892 (one of the three Gaudí buildings outside Catalonia).
MUSAC. It is acontemporary artmuseum which opened in 2005. Its design by the architectural studioMansilla+Tuñón was awarded with the 2007European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. One of the building's most distinctive features is its façade formed out of thousands of large multicolored stained-glass panels. Close to the museum is the León Auditorium, also projected byMansilla+Tuñón, which has an equally striking presence of crisp white cubes perforated by irregularly set windows.
Museo de León, which contains a collection of prehistorical tools and art from the Roman, Medieval and Modern periods.
Leonese customs include theSemana Santa ("Holy Week"), featuring numerousprocessions through the centre of the city. One of them is the so-called "Procession of the Meeting", which acts out the meeting of three groups representingSaint John, theVirgin Mary andChrist, in theesplanade in front of the old council.
Holy Week processions inLeón are also very popular, with more than 15,000 penitents (calledpapones, inLeonese language) on the streets. Processions begin on"Viernes de Dolores" (the Friday in the week before Holy Week) and last until Easter Sunday. The most solemn and famous procession is the"Procesion de los Pasos", also known as the"Procesion del Encuentro" (Procession of the Meeting). During this nine-hour marathon procession, about 4,000 penitents carry thirteen "pasos" around all the city. The most solemn moment isEl Encuentro (The Meeting) when the pasos representingSaint John andLa Dolorosa face one to the other and are"bailados" (penitents move the paso as if Saint John and La Dolorosa were dancing).
The Holy Week in Leon was declared of International Tourist Interest in 2002.
The burial ofGenarín, a satyrical procession remembering the death of a furrier in 1929.[24]
Associated with Semana Santa is the procession called "The Burial of Genarín".Genarín was an alcoholic beggar who was hit and killed by the firstgarbage truck in the city of León in the year 1929.[citation needed] This is a celebration of alcohol, and the main purpose of the people who attend it is getting drunk in honor to the alcoholic beggar.
The San Juan and San Pedro festivities are also remarkable, celebrated during the last week of June (between June 23 and June 29). During these days several concerts and festivals take place and the whole city is occupied byterraces andstreet markets where Leonese people celebrate the beginning of the summer, especially on San Juan's night (June 23) whenfireworks andbonfires take place.
León features awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb). In winter, temperatures normally oscillate between −1 °C (30 °F) and 7 °C (45 °F). Frost is common in the early hours of the morning before the dawn during the coldest months of the winter, but normally melts after sunrise. Snowfalls are not rare in the city (9 days a year), however heavy snowfalls are not common. Summers are warm and relatively dry, with temperatures usually oscillating between 16 °C (61 °F) and 35 °C (95 °F). With about 2,673 sunshine hours, the city enjoys a considerable amount of sunshine throughout the year.
Climate data for León, Virgen del Camino 916 m asl (1991–2020), extremes (1938-present)
León has two railway stations: theLeón railway station, for long distance, andLeón-Matallana, for commuter rail and tram. There are high-speed services that connect León to Madrid in approximately two hours. Other destinations directly reachable from León are Galicia (to the West), Asturias (to the North) and Valladolid (to the South-East, in the same route as Madrid).
León has 13 city bus lines, belonging to the company Alesa, a subsidiary of ALSA. Besides, there is a commuter rail towards the northeast of the province that becomes a tram when it enter the city.
The Leonese language derives directly fromLatin and developed in the Middle Ages. At this time, Leonese was the official language of theLeonese Kingdom and achieved a high codification grade in the city of Llión.[27] The first written text in Leonese wasNodicia de Kesos (959 or 974); other works in the language includeFueru de Llión,Fueru de Salamanca,Fueru Xulgu,Códice d'Alfonsu XI, ouDisputa d'Elena y María orLlibru d'Alixandre.[28]
Leonese is considered a seriouslyendangered language byUNESCO.[29] It is almost extinct, being known and spoken by only a very few elderly people who live isolated in the mountains of the northern part of the province of León. However, people who wish to separate León from Castile and who support Leonese autonomy are trying to revive the language. León City Council and Leonese language associations like theAsociación Cultural de la Llingua Llïonesa El Fueyu are promoting its knowledge and use.
Leonese Language Day started in 2006 with the support of Leonese Provincial Government, and from 2008 the celebration is organised by the León City Council.
At the end of the 1990s, several associations unofficially promoted Leonese language courses. In 2001, the Universidad de León (University of León) created a course for Teachers of Leonese language, and local government developed Leonese language courses for adults. The Leonese Language Teachers and Monitors Association (Asociación de Profesores y Monitores de Llingua Llïonesa) was created in 2008 and promotes Leonese language activities.
Leonese lessons in schools started in 2008, and it is currently taught in sixteen schools in León city in 2008–2009, promoted by the Leonese Local Government Department for Education. This course is for pupils in their 5th and 6th year ofprimary school (11- and 12-year-olds), where Leonese language is taught with Leonese culture.
More than one hundred people are studying Leonese in adult classes in 2008–2009. There are five levels for adults in the official courses developed by the Department for Leonese Culture of the Leonese City Council.[30]
Within the wide range ofLeonese cuisine the following dishes are the most representative:cecina (cured, smoked beef meat),morcilla (a blood sausage),botillo (a dish of meat-stuffed pork intestine), garlic soup, elcocido leonés (a mix of meat with vegetables and chickpeas, served after a vegetable-vermicelli soup) andmantecadas (pastry).Another very important part of the gastronomy of León are thetapas, which are usually given free with drinks, unlike in the rest of Spain. It is very common to go "de tapas" or "tapear" i.e. to go for a few drinks ("un corto", which is a very small beer, "una caña", which is roughly half a pint of beer or "un vino", a glass of wine, or a “butano”, a small glass of orange soda) just before lunch but more normally as a light form of dinner.
^abcBeinart, Haim (2001).The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. Vol. 1. Translated by Jeffrey M. Green. Oxford: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization in association with Liverpool University Press. pp. 80–81.
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