Béjar | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 40°23′N 5°46′W / 40.383°N 5.767°W | |
Country | Spain |
Autonomous community | Castile and León |
Province | Salamanca |
Area | |
• Total | 46 km2 (18 sq mi) |
Elevation | 959 m (3,146 ft) |
Population (2018)
[2] | |
• Total | 12,961 |
• Density | 280/km2 (730/sq mi) |
Demonym | bejarano |
Time zone | UTC+1 ( CET) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC+2 ( CEST) |
Postal code | 37700 |
Dialing code | 923 |
Website |
www |
Béjar (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbexaɾ]) is a town and municipality of Spain located in the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castile and León. As of 2018, it had a population of 12,961. The historical development of the town has been linked to its once thriving textile manufacturing industry.
Béjar was founded towards October–November 1208 and it was presumably granted a fuero afterwards. [3] It was originally placed to the south of the current settlement, but the population relocated to its current location in the first half of the 14th century. [3] Featuring a cattle-based economy, the town sustained a quick early growth. [3] Over the rest of the middle ages, the town passed several times from a royal demesne to seigneurial lordship and vice versa. [3] The town saw its fuero ratified in 1333. [3] Béjar celebrated an eight-day long medieval fair every year. [4] The town enjoyed from availability to plenty of wood resources, hydropower and sheep flocks. [5]
The arrival to power of the Zúñiga family after 1396 favoured the installment of numerous courtiers and servants, who increased the demand for clothing products. [6] Cloth-making boomed in the late-17th century. [7] The Ducal House of Béjar brought Flemish artisans to update the wool manufacturing techniques. [8]
Unlike other textile manufacturing hubs in the Castilian Meseta, the local textile industry got to survive past the Early Modern Period. [9] The late modern history of Béjar is indeed marked by its thriving textile industry, and during the 19th century it came to be referred to as the "Castilian Manchester". [10]
Due to the peripheral location of the town and the rugged relief, railway arrived late to Béjar, in 1894. [11] Following the end of the Civil War, Bécar became a major provider of wool clothes, primarily used for military and civil servants' uniforms. [12]
Béjar maintained a positive demographic growth until 1970, peaking at 17,576 inhabitants. [12] The textile industry entered a crisis in the 1970s, prompting to staffing cutbacks. [12] Passenger train services in the Astorga–Plasencia line closed on 1 January 1985, and rail freight transport a decade later, worsening rural flight patterns in the area and hindering business development. [13] In the wake of the decline of the secondary sector, the municipality has tried to foster other alternatives for the local economy such as tourism. [14]
The name Béjar is presumably of pre-Roman origin and it has been documented as Biclara and Biclaro. [15]
Béjar has many remarkable monuments and historical buildings: [16]