This was the first time we had visited the town and it took a few days before we became more familiar with some of the sights in Calahorra. Even so we only scratched the surface. But the lesson here was to keep walking, with a map, and along a different route every time, and on every outing you learn something new.
A brief history1
The are around Calahorra has been inhabited for thousands of years. But it was the arrival of the Romans in the 3rd century AD which ‘put Calahorra on the map’, so to speak. after that it was a city shaped by the Arabs, Jews, and the Spaniards themselves. Today it is a city of c.24,000 inhabitants, the Capital of the Lower Rioja, and prosperous due to farming and industrial development. Agriculture is mainly fruit and vegetables which are irrigated, and the canning industry is strong.
The Parador in Calahorra
It was easy to find the Parador in Calahorra and we could park we park immediately outside the hotel. When it was time to leave it proved equally easy to drive out of the town. The hotel was comfortable and the staff were helpful; the only problem was a 5′ double bed – for two people. It is known as a ‘matrimonial bed’ in Spain….
The old town is quite small and from the hotel it was easy to walk round and explore the different areas. As we walked around we became increasingly aware of the passage of time, of the fact that we were walking in a site which had been inhabited over many centuries. And as we learned more our appreciation of what we were seeing deepened over the days we spent in Calahorra.
The Arabs in Calahorra
We had visited some of the churches in Calahorra but the town also had a Roman history (post to come), an Arab past, and a strong Jewish community.
The Arabs controlled the town from c.700 for roughly 300 years. It would have been a walled enclosure and it is suggested that the Portillo de la Rosa is all that remains from those times.
The Portillo de la Rosa
The entry into the town was over a Roman bridge and through the Gate of San Miguel. In 1045 King Garcia Sanchez III of Pamplona took the city from the Arabs.
Today the Muslim quarter is around the Monastery of San Jose (!) and it seemed to us that it was in poorer condition than the new part of the town to the north of the Parador. We also saw rubbish bins over flowing, an unusual sight in Spain. The Mosque is opposite the Monastery and children were being marched to classes by male relatives on the day we walked here. It felt somewhat uncomfortable to walk here with a camera.
The muslim Quarter in Calahorra
The Jews in Calahorra
A Jewish community started growing in Calahorra from the beginning of the 1200s and by the end of the century they represented c.15% of the population. However, they were starting to leave the region in the 1300s because of difficulties. Then in 1492 Isabella and Ferdinand, the Reys Catolicos, issued the Alhambra Decree which required the Jews to convert to Christianity or leave the kingdom. The Synagogue in Calahorra was changed to a church and later the Monastery of San Sebastián.
Today old Jewish quarter doesn’t seem to have a separate identity; it is just a series of narrow streets in the old town.
Sights
There are always little delights! This bakery had some wonderful looking confections; just look at the prices at the cafe board on the Paeo del Mercadal – and think of English price; the caryatids were on a house on the Calle Mayor, as was the fancy frontage; and we chatted to the lady whose balcony planting was so cheerful!
There were many of these narrow, dark streets leading out of the town (perhaps former gateways?) with Views of the countryside beyond.
Cidacos Park
The Cidacos Park is named after the river, the same river which we followed on the road from Soria to Calahorra. It lies at the foot of the hill and is a very pleasant area in which to walk, play, have picnics…
The Via Verde del Cidacos is a walk of c30 kms from Calahorra to Arnedillo. It follows the track of a narrow-gauge railway which closed in the 1960s. I wonder how rewarding this path is because it seems to follow the road… However, the path is documented, and here.
Views in the park
The days walking around Calahorra were gently rewarding and it was an enjoyable stay, apart from the narrow bed!
- History of Calahorra: https://calahorra.es/nuestra-ciudad/conoce-calahorra/historia/ ↩︎