Huesca

▪ Spain

      city, capital of Huesca provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Aragon, northeastern Spain. It lies northeast of Zaragoza, in the region known as Hoya de Huesca, which is dominated by the Guara Mountains to the north and is watered by the Flumen River. The city originated as Ileosca, capital of the Vescitan, an ancient Iberian tribe; as Osca (Urbs Victrix), it was the site of an important Roman mint. It later fell to the Visigoths and Moors and was recaptured by Peter I of Aragon in 1096. It served as the capital of Aragon until 1118. A university, founded there in 1354 by Peter IV, was closed in the 19th century.

      Huesca has many notable buildings. The Church of San Pedro el Viejo, begun about 1134 and completed in the 13th century, is the burial place of the kings Ramiro II and Alfonso I (the Battler) of Aragon. Huesca Cathedral, begun in the late 13th century on the site of a pagan temple and of a later mosque, was completed in 1515. Other notable old buildings include the town hall in the former Convent of St. Francis (pre-13th century) and the episcopal palace, built in the Mudéjar (Christian-Islamic) style. The College of Santiago, founded in 1534, houses the provincial archives and museum of fine arts. The Royal Palace (Palacio Real), ancient residence of the kings of Aragon and former fortress of the Moorish walis (rulers), was reconstructed in 1845 to hold the university and later given to the Institute of Intermediate Education. The Church of San Miguel was founded in 1110 by Alfonso I; near it is the only tower still standing of the 99 that formed the city's defense works, some of whose walls also remain.

      Huesca is known for livestock farming. There is little industry except for local handicrafts and the manufacture of agricultural machinery. Public administration, general services, and, to a certain extent, tourism contribute to the city's economic activity. Pop. (2006 est.) 48,890.

▪ province, Spain

 provincia (province) in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Aragon, northeastern Spain. It is bordered by France to the north, Lleida province to the east, and Zaragoza province to the south and west. In the north Huesca province includes the highest point in the Pyrenees, Aneto Peak (11,169 feet [3,404 metres]). Above 8,000 feet (2,440 metres) there is alpine vegetation, giving way at lower elevations to fir and pine and then to beech, chestnut, and oak. This isolated, sparsely settled region provides summer pasturage for livestock. Ordesa and Mount Perdido National Park, on the border with France, has magnificent mountain scenery and woodland; the area, including adjacent portions of France, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. The mountains and valleys of the Pyrenean foothills lead into the irrigated fertile southern plains of the Cinca, Flumen, and Ebro river valleys, where an agricultural economy predominates, producing grain (barley, rice, and corn [maize]) as well as alfalfa (lucerne), peaches, and pears. Pig raising is also important.

      The provincial capital, Huesca city, has limited industry. The cities of Monzón and Sabiñánigo have chemical and metallurgical plants. Hydropower for the Barcelona grid, mainly from the Cinca river system, is significant. The energy resources of the province were enlarged by the discovery in 1979 of natural gas at Sabiñánigo. The service sector has grown in importance. Area 6,037 square miles (15,636 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 220,107.

Vicente Rodriguez

 

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