Logroño


Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the province of La Rioja.
The population of the city in 2008 was 153,736 while the metropolitan area included nearly 197,000 inhabitants. The city is a centre of the trade in Rioja wine, for which the area is noted, and produces wood, metal and textile products.

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 so-called place to the Monastery of San Millán. In the fuero 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

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", Muy Noble, and "Very loyal", Muy Leal, 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 oppresions», the city remained loyal to the service of the king of Castile.
5 July 1523, the king Charles 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, and then of the Celts.
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. The name is a combination of le and Groin, mashed together as Logroño over time. 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. It is twinned with Dunfermline, Darmstadt, Libourne, Dax, Rancagua, Ciudad de La Rioja, Brescia, El Hagounia. The new 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. The average annual temperature is. Although much infrequent, unusually low temperatures during the winter can drop to, and as low as ; 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.

Places of interest

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, there is a mediumwave broadcasting station with a transmission power of 20 kW. There may exist a longwave transmitter with 300 metres tall masts at Logroño with 300 metres tall masts transmitting RNE Todo Noticias on 207 kHz.

Sports

Triple jumper Carlota Castrejana is from the city.
David Lopez Moreno, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder is from Logroño.

Festivals and traditions

The patron saint of Logroño is Santa María de la Esperanza.
The most important festivals are:
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:
The city is served by the Logroño railway station.

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.

Notable people

Some notable people from Logroño are: