The Province of Guadalajara ( , , ) is a province of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha in Spain. It has a population of 280,225 in an area of across its 288 municipalities.

Celtiberians and Romans

The Celtiberians occupied the territory during the late Iron Age between the 6th and 3rd centuries B.C. in Sigüenza, Atienza, and Termancia in the north and further south around Molina. In addition to raising livestock and breeding horses, they created many fortified towns and villages as well as castles. Between 143 and 133 B.C., the Romans initiated their battles to conquer Spain which continued until 94 B.C. They brought agriculture, mining, and commerce to the region, facilitating communications with roads and bridges. The important Roman city was Segontia (Sigüenza), although they built a town wall around Luzaga and public buildings.

Modern age and Renaissance

thumb|left|upright=0.6|[[Pedro González de Mendoza, the Cardinal Mendoza.]]

The modern age began with the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon whose marriage in Valladolid in 1469 united the crowns of Castile and Aragón. They centralized the authority which had developed in the church, the military and the nobility ostensibly to earn income for fighting the infidels by reselling the territories they had gained. In the 16th century, this practice was reinforced by Charles I and Philip II. In Guadalajara, this was particularly the case with areas that had belonged to the military orders of Calatrava and Pastrana. The Mendozas who succeeded in acquiring substantial territories built a fortified palace in Pastrana and extended their influence over Sayatón, Escopete and Albalate.

Recent history

The military facilities continued to provide Guadalajara with financial relief during the first 30 years of the 20th century. The population increased slightly, while further improvements resulted from the influence of the wealthy landowner and politician Count of Romanones who was the representative for Guadalajara from 1886 to 1936. After fighting on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, the province was given little attention by the successive governments of Francisco Franco until the late 1950s when plans for moving industrial development out of Madrid began to favour Guadalajara and the Henares corridor. While new industries and improved communications brought prosperity to Guadalajara, Torrejón, Alcalá, Azuqueca and Yunquera de Henares, it also caused drastic decreases in population in rural areas. Eleven firefighters died after a blowup. The fire was caused by hikers barbecuing.

Geography

right|230px|Relief

The Province of Guadalajara is located in eastern-central Spain, the northeast of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, covering an area of , 3.42% of the area of Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Madrid, Segovia, Soria, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Guadalajara, where nearly 35% of the province's population lives. There are 288 municipalities in Guadalajara, of which more than three-quarters are villages with populations less than 200. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula.

Guadalajara is a mountainous region, the eastern side of the province is in the Sistema Ibérico area, while the Sistema Central rises in the western part. The Sistema Ibérico occupies the northeastern part, with the Sierras de Somosierra, Ayllón, Sierra del Ocejón, Alto Rey, Bodera Barahona, and Radona mountains in the vicinity. The mountains are mainly limestone, eroded by the gorges of the rivers, such as the Henares (with a basin area of 3,735 square kilometres), and Jarama (with a basin area of 782 square kilometres) rivers.

The Tagus (Tajo), one of Spain's main rivers, is a major river of the eastern part of the province, forming a basin with an area of 4,686 square kilometres, part of the wider Madrid basin.

Climate

thumb|right|Snowy pinewoods in the Alto Rey mountains

The province, given its wide and varied geographical features, has a range of different weather conditions, although generally it may be classified as a typical Mediterranean Continental climate of the Central Plateau. Long, dry and hot summers, with equally long and harsh winters give way to milder weather conditions in spring and later in autumn. The climatic diversity produces a range of vegetation and ecosystems, and trees such as oaks, juniper, pine, beech, etc. can all be found in the province. The seasonal distribution of rainfall is influenced by the relief, the most rainfall occurring in the mountainous areas of the Sistema Ibérico with between 700 and 900 mm per year, and in the headwaters of the Jarama and Sorbe rivers in the Sierra de Ayllon, with more than 800 mm. The Henares and Tajuña valleys, and the northern area of moorland in Sigüenza have less than 600 mm annually on average, and in some areas such as the Molina moorlands, bordering the provinces of Zaragoza and Teruel, rainfall may be below 400 mm.

Subdivisions

The province contains the comarcas of La Alcarria, La Campiña, La Serranía and Señorío de Molina-Alto Tajo.

Demographics

As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 57,693, equal to 20.6% of the total population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities are Romanians (9,863), Moroccans (7,584), Colombians (6,925), Peruvians (5,327) and Venezuelans (4,346). With foundations dating back to the 5th century, Sigüenza Castle was extended by the Moors and retaken for the Christians by Bernard of Agen in 1123. In the late 18th century, Bishop Juan Díaz de la Guerra changed the appearance of the fortress into that of an episcopal palace but during the War of Spanish Independence it was taken by the French who seriously damaged it. In the 1830s, it was devastated by fire and had to be abandoned. After being fully restored, the castle was opened as a Parador luxury hotel in 1976. Decorated with banners and suits of armour, the huge lounge is the castle's original dining room.

The Castle of Molina de Aragón is located on a hill commanding the surrounding valley, and is formed by an external line of walls with four gates and six towers of which four are currently in good condition. Originally, the line of towers included a village. The castle originated as a Moorish fortress (10th-11th century), built over a pre-existing Celtiberian castle. The fortress was used as residence of the lords of the taifa of Molina. El Cid resided here when he was exiled from Castile. In 1129 it was conquered from the Moors by Alfonso I of Aragon.

The impressive Torija Castle was built in the 11th century by the Knights Templar. Constructed of Alcarria limestone, the rectangular structure has three round towers and a cylindrical keep. In 1445, it was taken by the Navarran captain Juan de Puelles and was subsequently owned by Cardinal Pedro González de Mendoza (1428–1495). In the 19th century, it was occupied by the French under General Hugo, the father of Victor Hugo, until it was taken and destroyed by El Empecinado. Its restoration was completed in 1962.

Jadraque Castle overlooking the River Henares, sometimes known as the Castle of El Cid, has four round towers and one rectangular tower. Today's perfectly proportioned palatial structure was built by Juan Guas in the 15th century but it stands on the site of a fortress used for centuries by the Moors. The outer fabric has been substantially restored but the interior is still in a state of ruin.

References

  • Official site