| Jaén
is a city in south-central Spain, the name is probably derived from the
Arabic word Jayyan, (crossroads of caravans). It is the capital of the
province of Jaén. It is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia.
The inhabitants of the city are known as Jiennenses. Its population is
117,540 (2006), about 1/6 of the population of the province.
In
the last years Jaén has had a great increase of cultural tourism.
Jaén is also known as the World Capital of Olive Oil, because it's
the biggest producer of this liquid gold (as the locals refer to it). The
urbanism of Jaén is determined by its adjustment to the hills of
the Santa Catalina mountains, with steep, narrow streets, in the historical
central city district.
The
city of Jaén is the administrative and industrial centre for the
province. Industrial establishments in the city include chemical works,
tanneries, distilleries, cookies factories and textile factories.
Monuments
Jaén Cathedral,
one of the most important Renaissance style cathedrals, began construction
in 1570 and was completed in 1802. It is dedicated to the Assumption of
the Virgin, and it was built to shelter the relic of The Holy Face, or
Veil of Veronica, lodged at the major chapel and exposed to the public
every Friday. Due to the length of time in its construction, different
artistic styles can be appreciated, the most prominent being Renaissance;
Andrés de Vandelvira the most important architect. He is the greatest
exponent of the Andalusian Renaissance. It aspires to be listed as a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Saint Catalina's castle.
Saint Catalina's Castle (Castillo
de Santa Catalina) sits on the top of a hill overlooking the city. Previously
there existed a fortress of Arabic origin (Abrehui's castle), of which
some remains still exist. The current construction is of Christian origin,
raised after the conquest of the city by Ferdinand III of Castile, called
the Saint, in 1246.
Arab Baths, the most
significant remnants of the Moorish era of Andalusia, are the largest Arab
baths preserved in Spain. They can be visited under Villardompardo's Palace
(another important monument in the city).
Other important monuments
are the Museum of Arts and Popular Customs, the International
Museum of Naïf Art, San Andrés's Chapel, the Provincial
Museum of Jaén (which shelters an important collection of archaeological
Iberian remains), Saint Ildefonso's church, etc.
University
The city has the University
of Jaen, which nowadays consists of approximately 15.000 pupils and 27
degrees. This university is present in the city, in the Campus "Las Lagunillas",
but also is present in Úbeda and Linares with only some degrees.
The university is very modern with a large foreign student population.
Leisure and entertainment
Entertainment
In Jaén the culture
of the tapeo is very common, numerous bars exist where for the price of
a beer (1 or 1,5 €), you eat a tapa, which consists of a small plate
of food for one person. A legend of a large lizard is commonly associated
with the city of Jaen.
Gastronomy
The gastronomy of Jaen is
very varied, emphasizing local dishes such as the pipirrana (tomato, green
peppers, breadcrumbs, garlic shoots, olive oil, vinegar, salt and hard-boiled
egg); "spinach a la Jaén" (garlic, croutons, spiced sausage, bayleaf,
egg, orange zest and vinegar); "rice a la Jaén" (very weak), "veal
with chopped garlic", "trout from the rivers of Jaén" (trout, butter,
chunks of ham with bacon, parsley, white wine and salt), "ajo blanco a
la Jaén" (raw almond, olive oil, eggs, garlic, salt, vinegar and
water).
Among the most well-known
confectionery of Jaén is "rice pudding", "gachas of Jaen" (a sort
of porridge), "pestiños", "gusanillos" and "ochíos".
Sports
The football team of the
city is Real Jaén and they play in the New Victoria Stadium.
The city has two major sporting
facilities: the Fuentezuelas and the Salobreja, together with the university
sports facilities. Trekking and climbing associations also exist, such
as El Lagarto and Jabalcuz.
Also of note is a Green Route
called Vía Verde del Aceite, which corresponds to an ancient tracing
of the iron seam from the beginning of the 20th century that united Jaén
with Puente Genil (Córdoba province) known as "The Oil Train".
There are various competitions
which have a great international importance, for example, those related
to chess and athletics.
Music
The most important event
is the International Piano Competition Premio Jaén (in Spanish:
Concurso Internacional de Piano Premio Jaén) that is the oldest
and most important piano competition in Spain. It started in 1953 with
Pablo Castillo García-Negrete, an architect who began to donate
the first cash prizes of only some thousands of pesetas. Nowadays the prize
consist of 57.000€ and the recording of classical music albums in
professional studios. The last winner of this significant competition was
the Chinese pianist Yin Yu Qin, in 2008, in the fiftieth competition.
There are other events likes
the Ciclos de Rock and the Lagarto Rock Festival.
Extracts from wikipedia.org
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