Burgos (Burgos) (1)

Did you know that... Burgos

It is situated practically in the center of the province of its name, in an area of low mountain, is crossed by the river Arlanzón which acts as the main artery of the city. Despite the flat area produced by this river and the confluence of several of its tributaries, there are several hills and elevated areas, which in some cases separate neighborhoods and historic areas of the city. Although there is clear evidence of prehistoric settlements, Cantabrian settlements, berones, turmódigos, pelendones and arévacos, later the Romans would arrive and even an Arab chronicle mentions a population called Burchia, which could well correspond to the current Burgos, the current city begins to forge its history when in the year 884 Alfonso III, in an attempt to stop the Muslim advance, ordered Count Diego Rodriguez Porcelos to build a fortress at the top of the hill, next to the river Arlanzón and, under his protection, repopulate the area.

A little more history

When Fernán González, in the year 931, gathers under his government the counties of Burgos, Lara, Lantarón, Cerezo and Álava, he gave Burgos the category of capital of the county of Castilla. Fernando I, in 1035, erects it as the capital of the Castilian kingdom and Alfonso VI encumbra as episcopal seat. From the year 1230, and intermittently, was the seat and capital of the Crown of Castile until the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. At the end of the 16th century the city began a period of decadence caused by the importance of the Flemish Wars and the discovery of America among others, which together with the fact that the monarchs of the time moved the capital to Madrid, acted to their detriment. Burgos began to re-emerge from the last decades of the 18th century when Illustrated Despotism seemed to renew the city. In the successive centuries the different wars that the country suffered also affected it as could not be less, the Napoleonic ones, the Civil War... but nowadays Burgos is a lively and modern city where its great cultural, artistic and historical patrimony forms an important part in the day to day of its people.

What to see in Burgos?

Walking through the streets of Burgos is like going into a beautiful book where history, art and its illustrious characters have left their mark, becoming authors and protagonists. Wherever you enter the city, centuries of history welcome you. Crossing the river Arlanzón, one of its bridges, that of Santa María, we enter through the gate of the same name, which is one of the twelve ancient entrances to the city in the Middle Ages, emblematic monument reconstructed as an arch in honour of Charles I of Spain, to the Plaza de San Fernando, where the Cathedral stands, undoubtedly one of its most famous monuments for its great beauty. It was built on the initiative of Ferdinand III the Saint and Bishop Maurice in 1221 and inaugurated by that bishop in 1260. At the same time the Monastery of the Strikes was built. In addition, an endless number of beautiful churches, statues, museums, palaces and bridges go out to meet the curious passer-by. The church of Santa Gadea, that of San Nicolás, in front of the cathedral, that of San Gil, possibly built on the 13th century hermitage of San Bartolomé, that of San Esteban, San Cosme and San Damián, that of San Lesmes, a Gothic church situated right on the Way to Saint James, was ordered to be built by Alfonso VI of Castile in 1074 in honour of San Lesmes, patron saint of the city, and houses the remains of the monk. In the old village of Gamonal, now a district of Burgos and formerly a bishop's seat, is the church of Santa María la Real y Antigua, a Gothic church dating from the early 14th century. Palaces such as Castilfalé, today the seat of the municipal archive and built in the sixteenth century, the Palacio de la Diputación, the Casa del Cordón, the Palacio Arzobispal...​

To discover

Going back in time and watchman of the city is the Castle, which has suffered over the centuries numerous battles and destructions mixed with years of splendor, such as the one that lived with Henry III who turned it into a luxurious palace with huge and elegant rooms of Mudejar style. But it was the French, in 1813, who in their flight flew it leaving us what we see today. Today you can enjoy the city from its towers, but subject to a schedule of visits. The walls surrounded the city since the 13th century. The best preserved remains of them are Los Cubos. Upon reaching the doña Lambra tower, the wall makes a great turn and begins its ascent towards the gate of San Martín. The Carthusian Monastery of Miraflores was added to such beauty in the 15th century. But in Burgos they have known how to combine the cold and bluish grey tone of the stone with the cool green of its parks and gardens, the park of the Castle; Fuentes Blancas, near the Cartuja de Miraflores; the Paseo de la Isla. Between the Strikes and the Hospital del Rey is the beautiful El Parral park, the Paseo del Espolón, the banks of the Arlanzón ... And as a complement to such a prodigious environment can not miss its exquisite cuisine where together with the famous cheeses and black puddings, you can taste a delicious roast lamb, the Castilian soup, a good rotten pot.... and if you want to go tapas, the most frequent areas are those near the Plaza Mayor, such as San Lorenzo Street or Sombrerería Street, among others.

Festivities

The city of Burgos celebrates its main festivities in honour of San Pedro and San Pablo. It is usually an intense week revolving around the 29th of June, the feast day of San Pedro. On the 30th of January it celebrates San Lesmes, patron saint of Burgos. Corpus Christi is celebrated in processions and the following Friday the Curpillos, also known as the day of the Parral. It is a popular festivity that begins in the Monastery of the Strikes carrying out a procession with the Banner snatched from the Moorish chief Miramamolín after the victory of the Battle of Navas de Tolosa and ends with a pilgrimage in El Parral.

Traditions

The last weekend of May is the Pilgrimage of Our Lady of the White. The romeros, the authorities, the peñas and the groups of dances gather in the church of San Pedro de la Fuente to, from there and carrying an image of the Virgin, go up to the castle field where the medieval church of Nuestra Señora de la Blanca was located before the French devastated and destroyed the whole area of the castle and its surroundings during the War of Independence. After the mass paella is distributed among the audience. There are also workshops, performances, tournaments and medieval market.

Curiosities

The majority of the brotherhoods that take part in the Holy Week in Burgos have their origin in the Middle Ages that, at that time, were associated to some labor guild, the brotherhood of the silversmiths, shoemakers, plasterers, gardeners, tanners... There were also brotherhoods formed by clergymen, chaplains, merchants or noble knights. Later, with time, new ones have been formed that have a penitential character, as well as commemorating the Passion of Christ. Another curiosity, which we all know, is that in the church of Santa Águeda, next to the cathedral, took place the oath that the Cid demanded to King Alfonso VI that he had no art nor part in the death of his brother Sancho II, the famous Jura of Santa Gadea, by which he was later banished.

The Legend

One of the most typical images of the cathedral of Burgos is the figure of Pope Flies. Around him revolves the legend that is told when Henry III went to pray at the cathedral and there he fell in love with a beautiful maiden whom he followed to a house. So day after day until one afternoon they exchanged some handkerchiefs, but said nothing, then the king heard a lament and the maiden disappeared. When the king returned a few days later to the house where he saw the girl enter, he found it empty. The locals told him that she had been abandoned for several years. Then the king, afflicted, ordered a figure to reflect the beauty of the lady and to emit the lament he heard. But what his clumsy artisans gave him was the image that today, when the clock of the cathedral gives the hours, shows itself opening its mouth, that now mute by mandate of the bishop before emitted like a few squawks, nothing similar to a lament.

OTHER PLANS AND EXCURSIONS IN BURGOS

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SOME ROUTES BY BURGOS AND SURROUNDINGS

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