Andújar

MUNICIPIOS

Jaén Paraíso Interior

Municipality

Description

The city of Andújar is located at the foot of Sierra Morena, to the northwest of the province. Its municipal term is included in the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar, with half-mountain formations that contain a Mediterranean ecosystem, composed of masses of encinars, alcornoques, complaints, pineapples, oaks and bushes.

It is the most extensive and populated municipality of the region of La Campiña, on the banks of the Guadalquivir River, which divides the municipal term into two well-differentiated parts: one of Vega and countryside, to the south, and one of dehesas and Mediterranean forest in Sierra Morena, to the north.

Agriculture is very varied, with olive groves, although there are other crops such as cereals, legumes and cotton. It also has livestock and larger hunting that represent a significant economic income.

The city also stands out for a strong manufacturing presence: textile industries, concierges, ceramics... The construction activity, as well as small trade, occupy a significant number of people, although the latter, currently and due to the crisis, is resisting. In addition, the modernization and machining of the field makes it unable to absorb the group of unemployed.

Tourist Office

https://www.turismodeandujar.com/

Contact Details

953 504 959

Fax: 953 508 207

turismodeandujar@andujar.es

www.andujar.es

Useful Information

Tourist area: Sierra Morena / Sierras de Andújar and Despeñacolos
Distance to the capital (km): 42
Altitude over sea level (m): 212
Extension (km ²): 964.9
Number of inhabitants: 36,793
Gentillo: Andujareños
Postal code: 23740

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Culture

The city of Andújar continues to maintain a heritage set of great interest, for the quality of its monuments and for the diversity of artistic styles that can be appreciated.

We highlight some of them:

Church of Santa Maria la Mayor. The construction of the church Santa María la Mayor, of a basic plant, began in the 15th century and ended in the first quarter of the 17th century. Its pillars and vaults of the first stretch are Gothic and the rest of the sets of the second half of the 16th century. The plant is articulated in 3 ships of 4 sections each. Among his works of great value is the 16th century paving and two pictorial works, the Prayer in the Garden of the Greco Olives and the Immaculate of Giuseppe Cessari. It has 3 covers: Northern front, in the square of Santa Maria. Designed in the early 16th century, in purist style. South front, dedicated to San Pedro. It is from the second half of the 16th century, in the strictest purism. Foot cover. It belongs to the Herriian style, is characterized by its absence of ornate and the sobriety of its elements.
The chapel of the Christ of Agonyis connected to the church of Santa Maria. It is a Neogotic style, built between 1923 and 1925, by Rafael and Mª Elvira Pérez de Vargas (condes de la Quinteria). It is a private chapel conceived as a crypt of the counts. It has a single ship, organized in two sections, with nerve vaults, the header is decorated with five windows pointed with glass windows.
Church of San Miguel. It dates from the second half of the 15th century and is a Gothic temple, with a basic plant of three ships. The plant, wider than the sides, ends in polygonal header, while the sides are flat. The interior lacks its own luminosity by not having windows, one of the most characteristic elements. Of its covers, the one of the feet is of a plateresque style; the northern cover is in the transit between the Gothic and the Renaissance; the southern cover has a double conopial bow flanked by pinacles. The 16th century tower has undergone numerous reforms as it is damaged by the Lisbon earthquake.
Church of San Bartolomé.It is the first parish built to extramurus and later founded. In the initial project it is conceived as a three-ship gothic, articulated in five sections. From the different remodeling, there are signs: at the door of the sacristy the late Gothic (16th century) is observed, the primitive cross vaults are replaced by others of mannerist sensitivity. The tower, which is inconclusive, is from the 17th century and recalls that of San Miguel, is attributed to Francisco del Castillo, the Young. Of the three doors, the one that gives the runner of San Bartolomé is the most interesting. Its vanity integrates a bent bow pointed by another conopial with cardinals and flanked by pinacles.
Church of Santa Marina.Mosque in Muslim times and Christian temple since the village was taken by Fernando III, the Holy (1225). It is a temple of three ships articulated in four sections. Its main chapel was remodeled in the 17th century, with a square section covered with a half-orange vault on the breast, in which the arms shields of Pedro and Luis Pérez de Vargas Palomino, their patrons, are located. Its two covers are of great simplicity, being that of the feet, of baroque style, which presents a greater monumental. He ceased to be a parish in 1843 although he remained open to worship until the 1970s. It is currently used as a cultural space.
The Clock Tower.Mudéjar influence tower made in the time of Emperor Charles I (concluded on 20 August 1534). It was part of the royal prison and was conceived as a lookout to observe the village and the surrounding areas of the city. Head the square of Santa María, the heart of the medieval city. Its building is sober, based on alternating brick with stone armchairs. The almenas that kill the whole give it a strong tower air. Two elements stand out in this unique building: the Emperor's bicephalic shield and the beautiful silver-style watch that gives name to the tower. The towers of the church of Santa Maria, both the primitive and the modern, do not exceed the Clock tower in height, as a sign of the primacy of municipal civil power over religious power.
House of the Children of Don Gome.This single house of the Cárdenas and Valdivia is popularly known as "the Children of Don Gome," reference to the ten children who had the marriage and was built in the late 16th century. The Renaissance palace is built behind the Almohad wall and in the vicinity of the Sun gate. Torreada fachada built in late XVI and early XVII. Two elements of very different use make up the house of the Children of Don Gome, the house of the inhabitants and the cavalry. On the façade of the solariega house, built in a plane more advanced than that of the cavalry, stands out its portada- tower, built unlike the other elements of the whole in sandstone, in the second third of the 17th century, by Don Gome de Valdivia, Cárdenas and Guzmán and Dona Mayor Nicuesa, and that is in the Baroque style. The pillow cover is almost unnoticed by the exuberant decoration, two Indian-accent, repetitive heraldic, and a highlighted cornice, as more prominent elements. The Children's Palace of Don Gome is the venue of the courses of the University of Autumn. Inside is the Archaeological Museum Professor Sotomayor. The stables are preserved with part of the fish, a porticated courtyard and the winery. In the latter is the Casa del Alfarero, which includes the extensive and rich tradition of ceramics that has characterized this land.
Comedian house - town hall.The current town hall is located in the building that was built between 1620- 1631 for comedia house, which it maintained until 1680. In 1787, the Cabildo decided to move to it, as it had lost its old function. The fruit of this remodeling is its central body of neoclassical style and the beautiful staircase of "empire style." Three floors make up their beautiful façade: In the first one a portico and in the second one, a gallery as a lookout for the taurine celebrations of the time. The building is topped with an airy balustrada, articulated in pillars topped with pinacles. This facade has an Italian orientation and can be located within the most classical mannerism.
Roman bridge.Its construction dates back to the end of the second century and saves the Guadalquivir River. Built with sandstone armchairs of a seine or brown colour, it has fourteen eyes, of which the twelve on the right bank are of half-point arch and the other two scarves. Like the Merida bridge, it offers lightens or drains on pillars to facilitate the passage of water in the large rivals.
Basilica and Royal Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Head. Located in the heart of the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar, in the area known as the hill of the Cabezo, 32 km. north of the city of Andújar. The sanctuary is built between 1287 and 1304 and was reformed in the late 16th century. Since 1930 the trinitarians have served the cult in the sanctuary. The façade is made up of the door's vain, arco-sino balcony and two-body swordsman. The interior is a single ship covered with a barrel vault. The trinitarians community makes the enlargements of the two side buildings, leaving a harmonic set. In the very dependencies of the basilica is the Mariano Museum, where an important artistic, documentary and anthropological exhibition of the historical legacy has been developed through the centuries by devotion to the Virgin of the Head.
González Orea Museum of Plastic Arts.Located in the old convent of the Capuchino Mothers.

Nature

Andújar, head of the region of the countryside of Jaén, with almost 965 km ² of area is the municipality with the largest extension of the province. The city is the third most populated in the province, with approximately 37,000 inhabitants.

Its municipal term is divided by the Guadalquivir River, with the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park in Sierra Morena in the north and the Vega and countryside in the south.

The Vega del Guadalquivir.The territory of the Vega del Guadalquivir is characterized by its very flat landscapes of irrigation, with intensive crops (oranges, lemoneros and orchards). The olive industry, textiles, wood furniture, crafts and ceramics are other sources of economic dynamism, along with the hotel, which takes advantage of natural tourism and its strategic location, right on the motorway of Andalusia.
Natural Park of the Sierra de Andújar.It focuses important landscape and wildlife attractions. It extends through the neighbouring municipalities of Villanueva de la Reina, Baños de la Encina and Marmolejo, occupying an area of 74,774 hectares. Agriculture is very varied and dominated by the olive tree, with livestock and major hunting as the predominant agricultural activities. The natural park, in the form of an almost perfect equilateral triangle, is a sample of the typical landscape of Sierra Morena. A large number of emblematic species find here their refuge between the Mediterranean mountain and the dehesas of the heart of the park, the steep northern saws and the dense southern pine trees. The most characteristic species are the oak and the cork in adherent form, while in the higher altitudes, where the humidity is higher, we find the complaint. From the hydrography of the park we highlight the river Jandula, tributary of the Guadalquivir, with numerous streams that will lead to it and that form numerous pools and lagoons. In the end of Andújar we will find numerous sites, trails and routes that will discover the beauty of this term, like the Juncillo path.
Junctile Path.Suggestive and easy 5.7 km road that travels a very representative space of Sierra Morena and this natural park. On the road A-6178, about nine kilometres from the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head, you reach a crossing with signs to Valdelagrana and Las Tapas, which is where the path begins. In it there are the dehesas on almost flat grounds and Mediterranean mountain stains, both populated by numerous animal species, including various birds, easily visible, or mammals, such as deer, boars, foxes or garduñas, difficult to see but whose traces we will find with some ease. The Madrona and Quintana saws, on the horizon behind these plains, evoke the many legends that these depopulated lands have inspired throughout history.
Visit center Viñas de Peñallana. The visitor center is located on the 13th kilometer of the road A-6177 that links the shrine of the Virgin of the Head with the town of Andújar, at the entrance of the natural park, where the visitor can find a first approach to the different environments of the environment, walk through a recreated Mediterranean forest where to identify plant species and their aromas or discover numerous emblematic endangered species that find refuge in these saws; it is the case of the Iberian wolf, the imperial eagle or the Iberian lince, the most threatened feline on the planet.
Environmental Park Cercado del Ciprés.It is located in the town of Andújar (past the Hospital Alto Guadalquivir). The Cercado del Ciprés Environmental Park has an area of 11 hectares on which there is an artificial lake and a stream. This complex represents the ecosystems of the Mediterranean forest and the typical river vegetation. It also has different recreational areas such as a bike lane, an aviary, rustic huts, wooden kiosks, lookout, pedestrian trails. In the main building, there is an information point that offers guidance for the visit to the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park. Next to the Cercado del Ciprés Environmental Park is the only Interpretation Centre of the Honey of all of Andalusia.

Recreational areas El Encinarejo, La Recta, El Jabali. These are traditional areas of leisure and recreation on the road that reaches the shrine of the Virgin of the Head. They have banks, barbecues, tables and containers, so they represent an excellent option to spend an outdoor day in the family.

In El Encinarejo, the characteristic vegetation is that of the forests of riverside, strawberries, allies, sardines, thelves and tarayes, which serve as a refuge to the representative fauna of this humid area, such as royal herons, zampullines, water cocks and, if we are lucky, some otter can be observed. Following the river bank you can reach the foot of the small, lake-like Encinarejo swamp dam. From El Encinarejo you can make several hiking routes, for example, being the starting point of the so-called Encinarejo path.
The Recreative Area The Straight, 2.7 km, is located on the left side of the road, on the banks of the Jandula River. From there a path is left for which you have to ask for authorization 15 days before.
In the El Jabali Recreative AreaOn some rocks there's a granite boar. Through it passes GR-48, which comes from the Encinarejo and reaches the Sanctuary. In addition, the El Jabali trail, of 3.2 km, is started.

Parties and Events

There are numerous parties and events held in the city of Andújar throughout the year, including the following:

Romeria de la Virgen de la Cabeza. It is the most outstanding party and has its origin in the first half of the 13th century. It is celebrated in the week of the last Sunday of April:

On Thursday a flower offering is made to the Virgin of the Head in the City Hall square.
Friday is the entrance to the cofradies of all of Spain on the Roman bridge.
On Saturday, people ride up on carts and horses to the sanctuary of the Virgin.
On Sunday, with the sanctuary full of Liturgypsies, they all want to see the mother of Sierra Morena, to process through the reels.
After four hours walking through the streets, the Virgin returns to her shrimp, when the rosemary return to their places of origin to wait for the rosemary of next year. It is declared a National Tourist Interest and Cultural Interest Fair.

Holy Week. It is considered the big week of the town, celebrated with great recollection and religiosity since ancient times. It highlights the artistic-cultural value of the dominating images of the different cofradies and hermandades that carry out their processions on the streets. The Old Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the Brotherhood of the Borriquilla, with the highest splendor being reached on Holy Thursday with Our Father Jesus of Great Power.
Patron party in honor of San Euphrassio. It is held on May 15. This saint, a disciple of the Apostle James, has become relevant to the city since 1597, when a relic of the saint was brought to Andújar. Since then, he has been his patron and is dedicated to worship and parties in his honor every year.

In addition, these other parties are held: Festival of the Candelaria (2 February), carnival, Cruces de Mayo, Feast of the Divine Pastor (16 July) and Santiago Apostle (25 July).

The following events also take place:

Anducab. Since 2004 the Morfológico-Functional Anducab competition has been held, which has been consolidated as one of the five most important competitions in Spain, scoring for the competition in the International Horse Hall (SICAB) that is held annually in Seville. The main objective of this fair is to offer the exhibition and sale of everything related to the world of the horse.
Iron and forge competition. This is a meeting of horseshoes from all over Spain in which they come together to show their skills in this modality, making "on-site" plastic horseshoes.
Agricultural Fair of Andalusia. Organized by the Jaén Farmers' Association, it is held for three days in October. It includes machinery and utility companies, institutional government stands and different products, such as honey, real jelly, sweets, etc.
On the horse from the rock rocks. These are days of coexistence in which a pilgrimage is made on horseback to the sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head. It brings together hundreds of horsemen who with their horses and mules run along the "old road" through the Natural Park to the sanctuary of the Virgin. These days are true "girl romaneries" that they carry out during the year different rosemary collectives.
Flamenco. It is a flamenco fashion walkway that takes place outdoors in the market square, unique heritage environment. It is attended by more than 10,000 people for four days (Friday afternoon, Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning).
International Fair of Iberian Lince (FILYNX). The International Fair of Iberian Lince is a three-day tourism event for nature observation, with a special focus on Iberian lince, conservation tourism and ecotourism. Its first edition was in 2019.

Gastronomy

The gastronomy of Andújar is typical of the serrano villages. Everything revolves around a culinary jewel such as extra virgin olive oil, as well as the high variety of typical products of the earth. The hunting meat that provides us the natural environment of Andújar, attached to the vegetables of the rich land that irrigates the Guadalquivir River.

We can taste the following dishes:

Pipirrana: is a salad whose basic ingredients are onion, tomato, green pepper and cucumber. Sometimes it is added cooked egg, some kind of fish, meat priet or even sausages.
Andrajos: cooked in the broth of boiling minor game pieces with peppermint and a saffrito of vegetables and strips of flour made of jirones that take the name.
Ajoharina: A saffrito is made with tomato, onion, potato and eggplant. In the frying pan, dry red peppers are tasted, once toast is crushed in the mortar with cumins and salt. When everything is ready, water is added and at the end flour is to be weighed.
Mountain meat, preferably deer, which is cooked with potatoes and vegetables.
Flamenquin: which originated in Andújar. There is also a variant called flarosquin, or what is the same, flamenco with circular form.

In pastries we highlight: Holy Week panets, fried rosches, sigh and entangled.

History

Andújar is in a privileged situation because it is a crossroads of commercial routes and roads for the displacement of populations, that would explain the penetration of artistic and cultural influences from different backgrounds. The proximity of the Guadalquivir River will be an incentive to the settlements of the populations. The oldest remains found date from the Paleolithic, but it is in the Neolithic and first part of the Bronze Age that the population of the area is intensified, for its fertile land for the development of agriculture and mining in Sierra Morena. The first people to settle would be the Oretans, the Iberians who founded the ancient Isturgi in the place that today occupies the pedany of Los Villares de Andújar.

Everything indicates that it was a flourishing city during the Roman domain, linked to the production and marketing of the high-imperial ceramic (I-II centuries). At the end of Roman rule, the population moved to a nearby place, the current Andújar, losing the name of Isturgi with the arrival of the island.In the year 711, after the battle of Guadalete, the entire southern area of the peninsula would become al-Ándalus. Moving the population from Los Villares to the current Andújar.

In 1225, the city is conquered by Fernando III, the Holythe Christian troops of the orders of Santiago and Calatrava to settle in the city. The Muslim population leaves the cities of Andújar, Martos and Baeza, the first Christian inhabitants being settled.King Henry IV, in 1467, gives him the title of city. This would begin with a period of population growth and an increase in agricultural land, reaching 13,000 by the end of the 16th century. The population is mainly made up of farmers and farmers.

In 1808 he will be occupied by French troops, where General Dupont established his headquarters. From here he would send his troops to Bailén, a battle in which he would be defeated. During the Spanish civil war, Andújar was left on the Republican side, which meant that he was bombed by the Franco troops, causing death and resentment on both sides.

Today, the city of Andújar continues to have a part of its population occupied in the agricultural sector, it also has modern industries, and the tourism sector is making way to make known its rich artistic and natural heritage, which makes it able to face its future with optimism.