SORIA, CASTILLE LEON

Soria is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

It is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Segovia, and Burgos.

Soria is the least populous of all of Spain's provinces, with a density of around 9 inhabitants/km² - one of the lowest in the European Union. Of the province's population of 91,487 (2002), nearly 40% live in the capital, Soria. There are 183 municipalities in Soria, of which nearly half are hamlets of under 100 people and of which only 12 have more than 1000 people. The cathedral town of the province is El Burgo de Osma.

Soria is also the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The municipality had a population of 38,004 in 2006 - nearly 40% of the population of the province. Situated on the Rio Duero in the east of the autonomous community, the city is noted for its walls and a number of architecturally distinctive churches.

The area of Soria was inhabited by the Iberians, who merged by the Celts to form the Celtiberians around the 4th century BC. The name's origins are disputed: according to some scholars, it would derive from a Greek Achaian hero (Orias); a more considered theory has it stemming from Daurias, ancient name of the Duero river.

During the Roman invasion of Spain, Soria was besieged and its population committed a collective suicide in order to escape slavery. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the rebuilt city was occupied by the Suebi. Later, after the Arab conquest of Spain, it grew in importance due to its vicinity with the border with the Christian lands, which in the 8th century had stabilized across the Duero.

In 869 Soria was the centre of the rebellion of Suleyman ibn-Abus against the caliph of Cordoba, who sent his son Hakan to quench it. In the early 12th century the city was conquered by Alfonso I the Battler, being absorbed into the Kingdom of León in 1134. Due to its strategic placement at the borders of the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Navarre and León, Soria in the Middle Ages was at the centre of several conflicts between them. Alfonso VIII of Castile, in reward for its support, gave the city several privileges which it maintained until modern times. In 1195 the town was stormed by Sancho VII of Navarre, but later recovered and continued to develop its splendour and trades, mostly held by a community of Jews.

Soria lost most of its importance after the unification of Aragon and Castile in 1479, and above all after the decree of exile issued against the Jews in 1492. In the War of Spanish Succession (early 18th century), Soria sided for Philip V. In 1808 it was captured and set to fire by the French troops.

The economical and social crisis of Spain in the early 20th century, and the Spanish Civil War with Francisco Franco's dictatorship which followed, had negative effects on Soria and its neighborhood, which became depopulated due to strong emigration.

The policy of the current authorities aims to strengthen the local economy pivoting on Soria's tourism potential, and has also launched a program of reconstruction for the neighbouring villages.

Map of Soria:

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Write by: AN - Monday, January 12, 2009