Linares

Nature

As it is located in the first foothills of Sierra Morena, Linares has a beautiful natural location and enclaves.

The spaces of greatest landscape value are found to the north of its municipal term. The best example of this is the natural monument of "The Bat.". To the spectacular tour of the river Guarrizas during its high course, the beauty of the Roman bridge of Vadollane, which is part of the Via Augusta.

Linares enjoys an extensive network of trails of a small route duly marked that they travel part of their natural and mining heritage, and that they can be visited on foot, on horse or by bike, adding one more incentive to the visit of this area. Sendas that complement with "Green routes"whose tracks take advantage of the old railway tracks.

The set of plant species in the municipality of Linares is distributed in three well-defined spaces:

• The countryside, on which much of the surface is intended for olive trees and dried cereals.

• The dehesas, for livestock use and in which the tree species that stands out is the oak.

• The pastures, little or no trees, which are used for cattle pasture or grasses or forage.

Next to the rivers Guadalimar, Guadiel and Guarrizas we find the vegetation called the riverside: strawberries, willows, white wings...

Parties and Events

Among the most rooted parties in the tradition of the Linarians, we have:

• Holy Week, declared as the National Tourist Interest Party of Andalusia, a week with a mixture of party and veneration.

• San Agustín Fairalong with Holy Week is Linares' most important holiday. They take place between August 27 and September 1. Among the most diverse activities, there are also bullfighting in the Santa Margarita.

• Ibero-Roman Festivals of CatulusMay. A wide range of programming and activities immerse the city of Linares and the Archaeological Set of Catulus in its Ibero-Roman past. Historical recreations of a Roman circus, camps, workshops, parades, combat tactics, gastronomy, guided tours and gladiator struggles, among others, are the sign of identity of this tourist-cultural event.

• Santa Barbaraon December 1. In these days Linares wants to remember his past mining with different demonstrations of trades in the mine and other activities for all ages that includes a multititling road through the mining district.

In addition to these most named, the May Crosses, Christmas, Carnival and the party of VoteIt's next to the hermitage of Linarejos.

Gastronomy

Linares has made the Tampoo a delicious sign of identity and one of the city's greatest attractions. Tabernas and bars fine-tune their ingenuity to make the exquisite tapas culinary miniatures that never fail to accompany the drink for free.

The Spanish gastronomy is very linked to the gastronomy of the province: olive oil as a common denominator of its peas and salads, not to mention sour olives, which are common as an appetizer. Among the most traditional are: gazhas, migas, gazpacho, andrajos, pipirrana and anis roses.

It also has others of clear mining descentsuch as potatoes with cod, potatoes with pimenton, mining and soaking based on orange salad, cod, olives, onions and olive oil.

In the letters of the Linarian restaurants, tradition, variety and innovation are given hand, and the most intense flavors are made of. It stands out among its local creations, the characteristic white sweet chachepol, a delicious biscuit soaked in syrup and spirit.

History

The history of Linares has always been very linked to the mining. The lead filons of their lands attracted different peoples and cultures to this enclave. It was a claim for the Tartessa, Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian, Visigodic and Arab peoples. Of all of them, archaeological vestiges have been found in the area.

Within the municipal term was founded in the 6th century BC the Iberian city of Catuluswhich would later become the capital of Oretania (a large territory that also included areas of Ciudad Real and Albacete) with great mining, agricultural and flourishing trade wealth.

They would also exploit these mines for the extraction of lead and silver. To ensure control of the main mining sites, General Anibal took the Princess Ibera Homily (born in Catulus), but without success, as the Carthaginians were defeated.

The Romans will magnify this city through all kinds of privileges (such as the continued coining of their own currency), making Catulo a city with first-class infrastructure such as hot springs, aljibes and even a forum and an amphitheater. The wealth of Catulus was such that chronists of the size of Estrabón, Polibio, Plinio el Viejo or Tito Livio speak of it in their writings. With the wars, Cástulo disappeared, and the population took refuge in the atalaya of the mines, becoming dependent on Baeza. The current city owes its name to a place close to Cástulo, called Linarium.

Liners it does not appear in the historical archives until 1155, reign Alfonso VII, which at that time was a village that depended on Baeza. In the mid-16th century, thanks to agriculture and livestock, commercial activity and the population are increasing, giving Philip II the title of villa. During the 17th and 18th centuries, mining activity increases considerably and focuses on lead extraction.

As early as the 19th century, the city is considered one of the most important centers in the province of Jaén. With the arrival of the new machinery and mining techniques, as well as the development of the rail as a means of transport of the mineral, Linares reaches its further progress. The intense mining activity attracts migrants to the new jobs generated by mining and makes the population more than six-fold in a short time. In 1875, King Alfonso XII granted him the title of city.

The mining area Liners - The Carolina would become the first producer of lead of the world. The first labour movements are emerging as a result of wage inequalities between workers and employers.

But in the 20th century, mining activity is beginning to decline to the point where all mines are closed. In parallel, a powerful industry, of which Santana Motor It's the flagship.
With the arrival of the 21st century and the end of Santana Motor, the activity of the city is focused on the services as one of its main economic axes.

Other information

There are many people born in the city of Linares who have had an outstanding career in their professional activity:

• Andrés Segovia, guitarist and composer.
• Raphael, singer.
• Sebastian Palomo Linares, bulldozer.
• Carmen Linares, flamenco singer
• Francisco Baños, plastic artist.
• Miguel Ángel Belinchón Bujes, Belin, plastic artist (grapher).