Zaragoza

Introduction

Zaragoza from Basillica de Nuestra señora del pilar

© All Rights Reserved Rish_n_Ben

Zaragoza, also known as Saragossa, is the fifth largest city in Spain with metropolitan population of roughly eight hundred thousand people. It is also the capital city of the Autonomous Community and former Kingdom of Aragon. The city lies along the Ebro River and its main tributaries. The city and region have had an extremely long history starting as a Carthaginian military post, which was conquered by Caesar Augustus.

The Moors took over the city in 714 and held it until 1118. During that time it went on the control of many different Muslim Sultans. The Aragonese took control of the city and setup there own little kingdom. Although by 1137 they were pretty much under Castilian control. Zaragoza was a hot bed of activity during the inquisition, mainly because of a few local Priests that really took it on themselves to spread the message. The city suffered heavily during the Spanish Civil War with 500,000 to 1,000,000 people dying in the region. This is because the area was the centre for Republican Loyalist activity making Franco focus more on attacking it.

Today Zaragoza is a growing into a major economic center. There are also many wonderful sights to see in the city and amazing hiking in the surrounding region. This city is a wonderful place to spend a few days.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar

Zaragoza Cathedral

© All Rights Reserved steff

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a stunning Roman Catholic Church that venerates the Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Pillar. It is believed to be the first church ever dedicated to Mary. The church is supposedly on the sight where St. James the greater, an Apostle, saw an apparition of Mary, making this the only known apparition of the Mary that happened before her Assumption. St. James the greater was also the first person to bring Christianity to Spain. Several churches have been built on this sight with different styles. The current church was constructed between 1681 to 1686 in a baroque style, although the final touches were not put on until 1872. The Basilica itself is a large rectangle with a nave, which has 12 huge pillars, and two aisles. There are also two all brick chapels attached giving the church an Aragonese feel. Additionally there are 9 additional small chapels that are part of the main church

La Seo Cathedral

La Seo Cathedral is one of the main cathedrals in Zaragoza and is located on top of the old Roman Forum in the city center. A mosque was constructed on the site during the Moorish occupation but when the Christians reclaimed the city they built a Romanesque Cathedral on its spot, although the minaret from the mosque is still part of the current tower. From 1204 to the 15th century all the local kings were crowned in this church. The church has had its designed changed several times over the centuries. Today the church is a mixture of Romanesque, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Mudejar and Gothic styles. La Seo Cathedral and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar share co-cathedral status in the city.

Other Churches

The following Churches are the Mudéjar monuments that make up an UNESCO World Heritage Site

• San Pablo
• Santa María Magdalena
• San Gil
• San Miguel
• San Ildefonso
• Fecetas Monastery

Museums

• The Museum of the Forum is a good museum located below the Plaza Del Pilar.
• Museum of Trapestries is a great museum dedicated to the woven arts.
• Museum of Fine Arts has many paintings from early Aargonese artists.
• Camon Aznar Museum has many paintings ranging from Rubes to Van Dyck.

Other Sights and Activities

• City Hall
• Lonja is the old currency exchange.
• Carmen Gate is the old city gate.
• Palaces - There are several 16th century palaces scatered around the city that are worth visiting.
• Aljafería is a large Moorish castle located outside the old town. Currently the castle is the seat for the regional parliament. Built in the 10th century this castle is very impressive with amazing towers and stone work along its walls. One of the main features is the Troubadour Tower, which was built in the 9th century. The tower was the setting for Giuseppe Verdi's opera The Troubadour.

Events and Festivals

International Folk Festival, Zaragoza, Spain 2007

© All Rights Reserved Rish_n_Ben

• Las Fiestas del Pilar is the main festival in Zaragoza and starts on October 12th. It lasts for nine days with many events including an opening speech, bands, dances, procession of gignates y cabezubos that are figures made from papier mache, a final fireworks show over the Ebro River, and the bull festival. One of the more popular events is on the 12th when locals make a giant cloak of flowers for the Virgin.

Weather

Zaragoza is mainly a mediterranean continental desert climate, this is because the city is walled in on all sides by mountains. The average rainfall is only 310 mm, which makes for many sunny days. Most of the rain occurs in the spring. The summer is extremely dry with temperatures reaching up to 40 °C. The winters tend to be foggy with temperatures between 0 °C and 10 °C.

Getting There

By Plane

Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ) is a medium sized airport outside of the city. It is also a Spanish Airforce Base and an emergency landing strip for the NASA Space Shuttle. There is a bus service that connects the airport to the city every half hour.Currently, Air Europa flies to Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife-South, Air Nostrum to A Coruña, Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris-Orly, and Ryanair to Alicante, Brussels-South Charleroi, London-Stansted, Milan-Orio al Serio and Rome-Ciampino.

By Train

Intermodal Zaragoza Delicias Station is the main train station downtown. The city is on the Madrid to Barcelona Spanish High Speed railway line. Madrid is only 1 hour and 15 minutes by train and Barcelona is only 1 hour and 30 minutes. There are also long distance railway lines and local Cercanías lines, which are slower.

By Car

By Bus

Intermodal Zaragoza Delicias Station is the main bus station in town.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Night Clubs

The main night club districts are El Tubo, El Casco Viejo, La Zona, El Rollo and El Ambiente. El Ambiente is the gay friendly scene.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Zaragoza University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times can vary and the main post office usually is open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages.
Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78.