As of 2020[update], with 213,105 inhabitants, Jerez is the most-populated municipality in the province of Cádiz. Its municipality covers an area of 1,188.14 km2 (458.74 sq mi) and includesLos Alcornocales Natural Park.
Winegrowing has long been, particularly upon the transition to modernagro-extractivism in the mid 18th century, the main drive of the economy of Jerez.[2] During the 19th century, the local wineSherry was overwhelmingly produced for foreign export, catering to the British market in the first place.[3] Throughout this century the city earned a reputation as a paradigm for large landowners, highsocial inequality, and the winery-related identity.[4]
Venencia Roundabout, also known as Catavino Roundabout
The classical Latin name ofAsta Regia, unrelated to the present name, referred to an ancient city now found within Mesas de Asta, a rural district approximately 11 km (6.84 mi) from the center of Jerez.
The current Spanish-language name came by way of the Arabic-language nameشريشSharīsh,[5] used during theMuslim period in Iberia. The placename was rendered asXerez orXerés (Old Spanish pronunciation:[ʃeˈɾet͡s̻,ʃeˈɾes̺]) in old Romance sources; hence the name of the famous fortified wine,sherry.Frontera ('frontier') referred to its location on the border between theMoorish andChristian regions on theIberian Peninsula during the 13th century.[citation needed] Upon the Modern-era readjustment and simplification of Spanish-language sibilant phonemes (including/ʃ/ changed into/x/) the spelling of the place name ended up being changed accordingly.
Traces of human presence in the area date from the upper Neolithic, and humans have inhabited Jerez de la Frontera since at least theCopper orNeolithic Age, but the identity of the first natives remains unclear. The first major protohistoric settlement in the area (around the third millennium BC) is attributed to theTartessians.[6] Jerez later became a Roman city under the name ofAsta Regia (located 8 km further north at Cortijo el Rosario).
After thecollapse of the Western Roman Empire, theVandals and theVisigoths ruled the area until theUmayyad conquest of Hispania in the early 8th century. In the 11th century it briefly became the seat of an independenttaifa. Some years later'Abdun ibn Muhammad united it withArcos de la Frontera and ruled both (ca. 1040–1053). In 1053 it was annexed toSeville. From 1145 to 1147 the region of Arcos and Jerez briefly operated as an emirate under the dependency ofGranada, led byAbu'l-Qasim Ahyal. Later theAlmohads conquered the city. In the 12th and 13th centuries Jerez underwent a period of great development, building its defense system and setting the current street layout of the old town.
In 1231 theBattle of Jerez took place within Jerez. Christian troops under the command ofÁlvaro Pérez de Castro, lord of the House of Castro and grandson of Alfonso VII, king of Castile and León, defeated the troops of the EmirIbn Hud, despite the numerical superiority of the latter. Aftera month-long siege in 1261, the city surrendered toCastile, but its Muslim population remained. It rebelled and was finally defeated in 1264.
Due to its agriculture-based economy and demographics, Jerez was already a major city of the Lower Andalusia towards the end of the Middle Ages.[7]
Juderia street in Jerez.
Historically, aJewish community existed in Jerez until the 1492expulsion of the Jews. Today the street "Juderia", meaning Jewish quarter in Spanish, in Jerez marks where the old Jewish quarter once existed.[8]
Thediscovery of the Americas and theconquest of Granada, in 1492, made Jerez one of the most prosperous cities of Andalusia through trade and through its proximity to the ports ofSeville andCádiz. Attracted by the economic possibilities offered by the winemaking business, a substantial foreign European population (English, Flemish, Portuguese and, most notably, Genoese) installed in the city.[10] Together with the local wealthy class, they participated inslave ownership.[11]
Despite the social, economic and political decadence that occurred in the seventeenth century, towards the end of theHabsburg rule, the city managed to maintain a reasonable[citation needed] pace of development, becoming world-famous for itswine industry.
In January 1892, apeasant uprising took place in Jerez and its violent repression lead to a series of protests and revenge bombings in the next decade.[12]
The city of Jerez is governed by theayuntamiento (municipality) of Jerez, whose representatives, as in other towns in Spain, are elected every four years by universal suffrage for all citizens older than 18 years of age. The body is chaired by the mayor of Jerez.
The economy of Jerez has traditionally been centred on the wine industry, with exports ofsherry worldwide. Because it lacks the civil service that other cities enjoy, Jerez has based its economy on industry. The cultivation of fruits, grains, and vegetables and horse and cattlehusbandry has also been important to the local economy. It is the home base for the Spanish Military Stud farm, theYeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera.
After the wine crisis in the 1990s, the city is now seeking to expand its industrial base. Tourism has been successfully promoted. The city's strong identity as a center for wine, flamenco, and horses, its popular festivals,MotoGP hosting and its historical heritage have contributed to this success.
The city is the home ofJerez Airport and has also been positioning itself as a logistics hub for western Andalusia, through the integration between the airport, the rail system and nearby ports.
Jerez de la Frontera is located in the region ofCampiña de Jerez, which includes the municipalities of Jerez de la Frontera andSan José del Valle. The territory of the region corresponds to the previous municipality of the city of Jerez, before the disintegration of San José del Valle in 1995. The municipality of Jerez is the largest in the province ofCadiz and the sixth in Spain with 1188 square kilometers.
The region of the Campiña de Jerez is crossed by theGuadalete River. There are several wetlands in its territory, such as the lagoons of Medina andTorrox. There are also the Montes de Propio de Jerez, included in theNatural Park of Los Alcornocales. Its agriculture is known for the designation of origin of its wine,sherry, grown in the triangle formed between Jerez de la Frontera,Sanlúcar de Barrameda andEl Puerto de Santa María.
Jerez de la Frontera is located 6 km (3.7 mi) from El Puerto de Santa Maria, 12 km (7.5 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean and 85 km (53 mi) from the Strait ofGibraltar. The city is one of the six municipalities that make up the Metropolitan Area of the Bay of Cadiz-Jerez, a polynuclear urban agglomeration formed by the municipalities of Cadiz, Chiclana de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto Real, El Puerto de Santa Maria and San Fernando located in theBay of Cadiz.
Jerez de la Frontera and the rest of theCádiz metropolitan area have aSubtropical–Mediterranean climate. For its situation being inland (specially the airport which is further inland than the city), the Atlantic influences are small. Jerez is characterized by mild, short winters with occasional cool nights and hot, long summers with occasional very hot temperatures; unlike the surrounding coastal areas which are characterized by very mild winters and long warm summers. Most of the rain falls from October to January, while the summers are very dry but not rainless. For its situation being inland, the daytime temperatures are higher than in the coast and the lows are cooler, with a difference of at least 10 °C between the highs and the low temperatures of each month. The average annual temperature is 24.4 °C (76 °F) during the day and 11.9 °C (53 °F) at night. The average annual precipitation is 570 mm (22.4 in)per year, concentrated in the months of October through April. December is the wettest month with 109 mm (4.3 in). The city averages 53 rainy days, 137 clear days and 2,965 hours of sunshine a year. Snow is extremely rare, and it is even more infrequent than in most of the southern European islands. The last snowfall recorded in the city happened on February 2, 1954. Since then, no snowfall has been recorded.[13]
Climate data for Jerez de la Frontera (Jerez Airport) (1991–2020), Extremes (1921–)
Jerez is the world capital ofsherry, a fortified wine made from white grapes grown near the city of Jerez. Jerez has been a centre of viniculture since thePhoenicians introduced winemaking to Spain in 1100 BC.[citation needed] TheRomans continued the practice after they took control ofIberia around 200 BC. TheMoors conquered the region in AD 711 and introduceddistillation, which led to the development of brandy and fortified wine. Because sherry was a major wine export to the United Kingdom, British families founded many of the Jerez cellars. The city has manybodegas (wineries), many of which are of British origin. The most important include:
González Byass: Manuel María González Angel founded this bodega in 1835, and his English agent, Robert Blake Byass subsequently joined in. The firm produces thefino sherryTío Pepe.
Williams & Humbert: This is a winery located in Jerez de la Frontera dedicated to the production of sherry wines andbrandies and other liqueurs. Sir Alexander Williams and Arthur Humbert founded it in 1877.
Grupo Garvey: founded in 1780 by William Garvey Power.
Grupo Estévez: owns the Marqués del Real Tesoro andValdespin bodegas. With origins dating from 1430, Valdespino is one of the oldest bodegas in the area.[citation needed]
Jerez is the original home of the Carthusian sub-strain of theAndalusian horse breed, known as theCaballo cartujano in Spain. In the latter 1400s, the Carthusian monks began breeding horses on lands donated byÁlvaro Obertos de Valeto for construction of theCharterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera (la Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera). When the Spanish Crown decreed that Spanish horse breeders should breed their Andalusian stock with Neapolitan and central European stock, the monks refused to comply,[17] and continued to select their best specimens to develop their own jealously guarded bloodline for almost four hundred years.
Another famous equine institution headquartered in Jerez is theYeguada Militar de Jerez de la Frontera (known outside Spain as the Yeguada Militar), the Spanish military stud farm dedicated to the breeding of purebred Andalusian andArabian horses. Founded in 1847, it became the official stud farm of the Spanish military in 1893.
The2002 FEI World Equestrian Games were held in Jerez at theEstadio Municipal de Chapín, which was remodeled for the event, from September 10 to September 22, 2002. This was the 4th edition of the games, which are held every four years and run by theFEI.
Jerez is proud of itsAndalusian Centre of Flamenco, which was founded in 1993 to safeguard and promote the values and standards offlamenco. It is devoted to the investigation, recovery, and collection of flamenco-related historical documents, whether they are in audio, visual, or journalistic form. It also has a collection of flamenco artifacts, including musical instruments, costumes, promotional posters, sheet music, and postcards. The centre operates a museum and library to help educate the public and serve as a resource for scholars. Many of the most famous personalities of the city are or were involved in the performance of flamenco, includingLa Paquera de Jerez,Lola Flores andJosé Mercé.
Since 1987 theGrand Prix motorcycle racing has been held at theCircuito de Jerez in early May. Thousands of motorbikers from around the world come to the city this week to watch the MotoGP race held in Jerez annually. The race is one of the most watched races in Europe.
Another popular festival is theFeria del Caballo (declared a festival ofinternational tourist interest), one of the most famous Spanish fairs, and the most important fair in theprovince of Cádiz. It is celebrated annually in the Parque González Hontoria for one week in May, occurring always after theSpanish motorcycle Grand Prix. The a fair dedicated mainly to the horse. All booths (casetas) at the fair are open to the public, so that attendees may walk into any one of them and enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing. This is one of the main features that differentiates the Feria de Jerez from the rest of theAndalusian Fairs, such as theSeville Fair, where most of thecasetas are private and only card-holding members are allowed in.
Holy Week in Jerez, as in other cities in Andalusia, commemorates thePassion of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets during the last week ofLent, the week immediately beforeEaster. The Holy Week of Jerez de la Frontera stands out for being one of the most important in Andalusia in terms of number of brotherhoods, quality in its carvings and iconographic sets. Holy Week in Jerez was declared ofNational Tourist Interest in 1993.
During the Christmas season, from the end of November to the end of December, manypeñas (religious and cultural clubs) celebrate the holidays with public festivals where anyone can go to drink, eat, dance and sing Christmas carols, accompanied by friction drums calledzambombas.
The Andalusian Flamenco Centre is located in thePemartín Palace (Palacio de Pemartín) and offers a library, displays, video films and live demonstrations of the art of flamenco dancing.
Estadio Municipal de ChapínPalacio de Deportes de Chapín
The Complejo Municipal de Chapín is a complex of sports facilities that includes a football stadium and field, a baseball field, equestrian facilities and a Sports Hall, as well as a futsal field and basketball and volleyball courts.
The Estadio Municipal de Chapín, a multi-purpose stadium, was built in 1988 and seats 20,523 spectators. In 2002 the stadium was remodeled to hold the2002 FEI World Equestrian Games. The whole grandstand was covered with a roof, and a hotel and spa-gym were added. It was historically the home ofXerez CD, the city's club founded in 1947 and known simply as Xerez, which played in the top division in the 2009–2010 season. Currently, the stadium is the home ofXerez Deportivo FC, founded in 2013 to replace the old Xerez club.
Venenciadores de Jerez, the city's baseball team, is currently without a home field and awaits completion of one in the Complejo Municipal de Chapín.
The mainfutsal team in Jerez isXerez Deportivo FC (also known asXerez Toyota Nimauto for sponsorship reasons). It was founded in 2014 and currently plays in theRuiz Mateos Sports Center and thePalacio Municipal de Deportes de Chapín inSegunda Andaluza.
The most important rugby club isClub Rugby Xerez, which trains at thePradera Hípica in Chapín.
The Domecq Stadium was the first football stadium in Jerez de la Frontera. It was the home ofXerez CD andJerez Industrial CF before its demolition. The Stadium del Parque (Park Stadium) was built in 1923 and remodeled (with the name of Domecq Stadium) in 1932 by the architect Francisco Hernández Rubio. It held 20,523 and it was demolished in 1988.
Currently, the Juventud Stadium is the oldest stadium in the city. It holds 5,000 and is the home ofJerez Industrial CF, founded in 1951, the main rival ofXerez.
Formerly, the football field belonged to the youth hostel which is located in the vicinity thereof, hence its name.
TheUniversity of Cádiz, the provincial university, has a campus in Jerez. It specializes in socio-political studies.
The city is also home to a member of the Official School of Languages (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas) and a centre of the National Distance Education University (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED).
Jerez Airport, also known asAeropuerto de La Parra, is the main airport in theprovince of Cádiz. It is located 8 km (5 mi) north of the city centre and is connected to the city by train and bus.
It was built in 1937, during theSpanish Civil War by the Nationalists in order to transport soldiers from Africa to Spain. The airport was open to civil traffic in 1992. It is the third most important airport in Andalucia after Malaga and Seville.
Jerez has had a railway line since 1854, which was one of the first in Spain, theAlcázar de San Juan–Cádiz railway. The line went between Jerez and El Puerto de Santa María and transported wine barrels for export.Jerez de la Frontera railway station is used by more passengers than Cádiz and is the fourth busiest in Andalucia.
According to official population data from INE, the municipality of Jerez had 213,105[19] inhabitants as of January 1, 2020. This makes Jerez the most populous city in the province, fifth in Andalusia, and 25th in Spain.
^Simpson, James (2002). "Adapting to international markets: Sherry, 1820-1900".Douro. Estudos & Documentos.7 (13). Porto:Universidade do Porto: 207−209.
^INEbase. Variaciones intercensales. En línea:http://www.ine.es/intercensal/ Consultado 23-07-2021. Cuando se dispone del dato de población de hecho y de derecho se ha tomado la cifra más alta.
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