Logroño


Logroño is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed between the Iberian kingdoms of Castille, Navarre and Aragon during the Middle Ages.
The population of the city in 2021 was 150,808 while the metropolitan area included nearly 200,000 inhabitants. The city is a centre of trade of Rioja wine, for which the area is noted, and manufacturing of wood, metal and textile products.
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Etymology

Origin of the name

The origin of this toponym is, as for many other places, unknown. The name Lucronio was first used in a document from 965 where García Sánchez I of Pamplona donated the place so named to the Monastery of San Millán. In the Fuero of Logroño from 1095 it appeared under the name Logronio, except once when it was called illo Gronio. The most broadly accepted theses seem to be those which indicate it is a late latinization by prefixing the article "lo/illo" to the old toponym Gronio/''Gronno, a word of Celtic origin which means the ford or the pass. It is believed that this name was due to the frequent use of this place to cross the Ebro river.
Other historians have proposed alternative theories, such as a possible derivation from Lucus Brun or Lucus Beronius'', but its etymology remains unknown.

Titles

John II of Castile granted it the title of "City" on 7 February 1431 in Palencia and ratified it on 20 February in Valladolid, thus it stopped being called "Village", despite there being no explicit justification of the reasons for that change. 20 July 1444 the same king added the titles of "Very noble",, and "Very loyal",, which up until today appear in the seal of the city. In this case, the reason was the loyalty of the habitants against the homonymous king John II of Aragon, because despite the «long war, and wounds and deaths, and robberies, and fires, and damages and oppressions», the city remained loyal to the service of the king of Castile.
On 5 July 1523, the king Francis I granted it the three fleurs-de-lis for the shield of the city for its resistance during the French siege in 1521.
It also received by Royal Decree the title of "Excellence" 6 December 1854 from Isabella II, as a reward for its behavior during the cholera epidemic which devastated the city.

Geography

Logroño is located in the northern region of La Rioja, on the river Ebro, above sea level. The Camino de Santiago passes through the city. The geographical coordinates of the city are: 42° 27′ N, 2° 29′ W.
The city lies from Bilbao, from Zaragoza, from Madrid and from Barcelona.

History

Logroño was an old settlement, first of the Romans, under the name of Vareia, a commercial port that was founded near an older city of the Berones. From the 10th century, possession of Logroño was disputed between the kings of Navarre and those of Castile; the region was finally annexed to Castile. Alfonso VI of Castile granted Logroño in 1095 a charter of rights that served as a model for other Spanish cities. In 1609 and 1610 Logroño was the main seat of the Basque witch trials, part of the Spanish Inquisition.
Famous people from Logroño include Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, Fausto Elhúyar, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, Rafael Azcona, Ramón Castroviejo, Pedro J. Ramírez, Navarrete "El Mudo".

Demographics

Population centres

Economy

Logroño is the shopping and financial capital of La Rioja. Its economy is heavily reliant on wine, the most popular of which is Rioja D.O. Logroño is twinned with Dunfermline, Darmstadt, Libourne, Dax, Rancagua, Ciudad de La Rioja, Brescia, El Hagounia. The airport Logroño-Agoncillo connects the city with Madrid.

Food

There are over 50 taperías located within a four-block area near the town center. The traditional tapas restaurants often serve only one tapa Basque – meaning one serving, or media ración, a small plate of tapas, but offer the Rioja D.O.

Climate

The weather in Logroño – mostly due to its peculiar location, both in terms of distance to the [Atlantic">Basque language">Basque – meaning one serving, or media ración, a small plate of tapas, but offer the Rioja D.O.

Climate

The weather in Logroño – mostly due to its peculiar location, both in terms of distance to the [Atlantic coast and in the situation along the course of the Ebro river, is characterized by values ranging from those typically found in temperate oceanic climates to the warmer and drier ones observed in southeastern mediterranean regions of the river's valley. However, the weather station has a cold semi-arid climate with subtropical influences. The average annual temperature is. Although infrequent, unusually low temperatures during the winter can drop to or even lower, while daily high averages may exceptionally exceed the mark of in a particularly hot summer. The average annual precipitation is about, regularly spread over the whole year: from in drier periods to the range in the rainiest. The winds that affect the city are as follows: the northerly Cierzo, the southerly Ábrego, the easterly Solano, and the westerly Castellano. Intermediate winds are the northeasterly Navarrico, the northwesterly Regañón, the southwesterly Burgalés and the southeasterly Soriano.

Places of interest

Recreation (plazas and parks)

  • Paseo del Príncipe de Vergara : Located in the financial center of the capital and positioned in the center by the statue of General Espartero.
  • Plaza del Ayuntamiento: Located on the Avenue of Peace, the modern Town Hall of Logroño, designed by architect Rafael Moneo, is in a large plaza where in years past it has seen numerous public acts, festivals, expositions, concerts, and in the last few years, during Christmas, a life-size reconstruction of the nativity scene.
  • Parque del Carmen: Located near the bus station, this park has a variety of flora and fauna including several ducks and birds.
  • Plaza del Mercado: Located somewhere near Calle Portales, one of the most famous avenues of the city, at the foot of the Round Cathedral. This is where the nightly festivals of Logroño occur, near Calle Mayor.
  • Parque del Ebro: Located near the Ebro, an extensive park full of vegetation ideal for relaxing. Also has a bike path traversing through the park.
  • Parque de la Ribera: Next to Parque del Ebro, recently constructed. Here many gardens are found alongside the Plaza de Toros de la Ribera. Also: Riojaforum.
  • Parque de San Miguel

Social life

Calle del Laurel, known as "the path of the elephants" and Calle San Juan are typical streets where various restaurants and tapas bars offer some of the best pinchos and tapas in northern Spain. Calle Portales is the main street in the old town, where people like to walk and sit in the terraces to eat a meal or drink wine. Calle Marqués de San Nicolás is the main area where people spend weekend nights.

Broadcasting stations

Southwest of Logroño, at 42°26'34"N 2°30'43"W, a medium wave broadcasting station with a transmission power of 25 kW is operated and maintained by RTVE.

Sports

Festivals and traditions

The patron saint of Logroño is Santa María de la Esperanza.
The most important festivals are:
  • San Bernabé, celebrated on June 11, commemorating the victory and resistance of Logroño against French invaders under Francis I that besieged the city in May and June 1521. During this celebration, fried trout is typically served by the Fish Brotherhood, along with bread and wine, allegedly the only foodstuffs available in Logroño during the siege.
  • San Mateo, celebrated between September 20 and September 26. Since 2006 the celebrations start the Saturday before September 21 and last for a week.
During the first week of January there is a cultural festival known as "ACTUAL" with music, theater and art.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Logroño is twinned with:
Logroño is associated with:

Transport

The city is served by the Logroño railway station and by the Logroño–Agoncillo Airport which has flights to Madrid and Palma De Mallorca on Iberia and Vueling.

In popular culture

In the 4th season of the HBO television series True Blood, the witch Antonia is from Logroño. She refers to herself as Antonia Galván de Logroño. In the Netflix original series Money Heist, where members of the band of bank robbers use cities as codenames, their accomplice Benjamín Martínez is jokingly given the codename 'Logroño'.

Notable people

Some notable people from Logroño are: