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Culture

Linares has a varied collection of buildings (churches, palaces, ancestral homes) of different styles and periods, from the simplicity of the Romanesque to the preciousness of the modernist buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries linked to its past of mining splendour.

The Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, with a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles, has a beautiful Plateresque altarpiece.

The town has not forgotten its past either, and good proof of this are the museums to be found here: the Archaeological Museum, which conserves the remains of previous civilisations that occupied these lands, and the Mining Landscape Interpretation Centre, where we can find samples of mining works, pieces and videos on the location of the mining heritage in the region. And with the statue of the Miner, the inhabitants want to pay tribute to the generations that laid the foundations of the city that today is Linares. 

The House-Museum of Andrés Segovia, or that of Raphael, remind us of illustrious people who carried the name of Linares all over the world.

Nature

As it is located in the foothills of the Sierra Morena, Linares has some very beautiful natural landscapes and enclaves.

The areas of greatest scenic value are to be found to the north of the municipality. The best example of this is the Natural Monument of "El Piélago". The spectacular route of the river Guarrizas along its upper course is complemented by the beauty of the Roman bridge of Vadollano, which forms part of the Via Augusta.

Linares has an extensive network of well-signposted short-distance trails that run through part of its natural and mining heritage, and which can be explored on foot, on horseback or by bicycle, adding an extra attraction to a visit to this area.

These paths are complemented by the "Vías Verdes" (greenways), whose route takes advantage of the old railway tracks.

The vegetation in the municipality of Linares is divided into three well-defined areas:

• The countryside, in which a large part of the surface area is given over to olive groves and dry cereals.

• The Dehesas, used for livestock farming, where the most important tree species is the holm oak.

• The Pastures, with little or no woodland, and which are used for livestock grazing or sowing grasses or fodder crops.

Alongside the rivers Guadalimar, Guadiel and Guazrrizas, we find the so-called riverside vegetation: ash trees, willows, white poplars...

Festivals and Events

Among the most deeply rooted festivals in the tradition of Linarejos, we have:

• Easter Week, declared a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest in Andalusia, a week with a mixture of festivity and veneration.

• Feria de San Agustín, together with Easter Week, is the most important festival in Linares. They take place between 27 August and 1 September. Among the most diverse activities, bullfights are also held in the bullring of Santa Margarita.

• Ibero-Roman festivities in Cástulo, in May. An extensive programme and a multitude of activities immerse the city of Linares and the Cástulo Archaeological Site in its Ibero-Roman past. Historical recreations of a Roman circus, camps, workshops, parades, combat tactics, gastronomy, guided tours and gladiator fights, among others, are the hallmark of this tourist-cultural event.

• Santa Bárbara, on 1st December. During these days, Linares wants to remember its mining past with different demonstrations of trades in the mine and other activities for all ages, including a massive hiking route through the mining district.

In addition to the above-mentioned activities, the May Crosses, Christmas, Carnival and the Voto festival are also celebrated next to the Ermita de Linarejos hermitage.

Gastronomy

Linares has made Tapeo (tapas) a delicious sign of identity and one of the city's main attractions. Taverns and bars have honed their ingenuity to make tapas into exquisite culinary miniatures that never fail to accompany a drink, free of charge. 

The gastronomy of Linar is closely linked to the gastronomy of the province: olive oil is the common denominator of its stews and salads, without forgetting the "aceitunas aliñadas" (seasoned olives) which are frequently served as an aperitif. Among the most traditional dishes are: gachas, migas, gazpacho, andrajos, pipirrana and roscas de anís.

There are also others with a clear mining ancestry, such as potatoes with cod, potatoes with paprika, "talega minera" and "remojón" based on a salad of oranges, cod, olives, spring onions and olive oil.

The menus of the restaurants in Linar de la Frontera combine tradition, variety and innovation, where they strive to distil the most intense flavours. Among their local creations, the characteristic Linarense sweet "chachepol", a delicious sponge cake soaked in syrup and brandy, stands out.

History

The history of Linares has always been closely linked to mining. The lead seams in its lands attracted different peoples and cultures to this enclave. It was an attraction for the Tartessians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Visigoths, Romans and Arabs. Archaeological remains of all of them have been found in the area.

The Iberian city of Cástulo was founded in the 6th century B.C. within the municipality, and later became the capital of Oretania (a vast territory that extended the territory of Linares to other areas of Ciudad Real and Albacete) with great mining and agricultural wealth and flourishing trade.

First the Carthaginians and later the Romans also exploited these mines for the extraction of lead and silver. To ensure control of the main mining sites, the Carthaginian general Hannibal took the Iberian princess Himilce (born in Castulo) as his wife, but without success, as the Carthaginians were defeated.

The Romans would enlarge this city with all kinds of privileges (such as the right to continue minting their own coinage), turning Castulo into a city with first class infrastructures such as thermal baths, cisterns and even a forum and an amphitheatre. The wealth of Castulo was such that chroniclers of the stature of Strabo, Polybius, Pliny the Elder and Titus Livy speak of it in their writings. With the wars, Castulo disappeared and the population took refuge in the watchtower of the mines, becoming dependent on Baeza. The present town owes its name to a place near Castulo, called Linarium.

Linares does not appear in the historical archives until the year 1155 during the reign of Alfonso VII, which at that time was a village that depended on Baeza. In the mid-16th century, thanks to agriculture and livestock farming, commercial activity and the population increased, which led Philip II to grant it the title of Villa.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, mining activity increased considerably and focused on the extraction of lead. By the 19th century, the town was considered one of the most important centres in the province of Jaén. With the arrival of new mining machinery and techniques, as well as the development of the railway as a means of transporting the ore, Linares reached its greatest progress.

The intense mining activity attracted emigrants to the new jobs generated by mining and in a short time the population increased sixfold. In 1875, King Alfonso XII granted it the title of city.

The mining area of Linares - La Carolina was to become the world's leading producer of lead. The first workers' movements arose as a result of the wage inequalities that appeared between workers and employers. However, in the 20th century, mining activity began to decline to the point that all the mines were closed.

At the same time, a powerful industry emerged, of which Santana Motor was the flagship.
With the arrival of the 21st century, and the end of Santana Motor, the city's activity focused on 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.
• Sebastián Palomo Linares, bullfighter.
• Carmen Linares, flamenco singer.
• Francisco Baños, plastic artist.
• Miguel Ángel Belinchón Bujes, "Belín", plastic artist (graffiti artist).