Oviedo

Oviedo, the capital of the history-rich "Principado de Asturias" in the North of Spain has been twinned with Bochum since 1980. The city is also twinned with Clermont-Ferrand in France and with several towns in South America, including the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Oviedo covers an area of 184 square kilometres, is 231 metres above sea level, and has a population of c. 190,000. The city is surrounded by mountains, but is just 28 km from the Cantabrian coast and the Atlantic ocean. The town's history reaches back to the 8th century when in the year 761 a Benedictine monk founded a monastery here. Fruela I, fourth king of Asturia, built a palace and a church nearby. Alfonso II, who acceded to the throne in 792, moved the royal court to Oviedo and made the still young town the capital of his kingdom; Oviedo retained this prominent status until the beginning of the 10th century.

Throughout Medieval Europe, the city was well-known as a stopping place for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. It is thanks to this long history that Oviedo's city centre today represents the architecture of a whole millennium. The Cathedral, for instance, is among the best examples of late Gothic Spanish architecture; the Santa Leocadia crypt and the "Camera Santa", the Holy Chamber, are much older than the Cathedral itself and form a small pre-Romanesque unit in which treasures from the beginnings of the Asturian Kingdom are kept.

The historic "old town" is surrounded by modern industrial sites and new suburbs. Oviedo is located in the centre of Spain's largest coal-mining areas, the "Cuenca Central Asturiana". Apart from mining, the steel industry is the second pillar of the Asturian economy. Much of the population is still employed in these two industries, although as elsewhere in Europe a structural change is under way.

The provincial capital Oviedo is already a highly important service and administration centre and is the seat of the Asturian regional government. But the city is not only the geographical and political centre of the province; it is also the cultural hub, a fact that is attributable not least to the university which was founded in 1534. Today, almost 30,000 students are enrolled in the various faculties, and more than 1,200 teachers and c. 600 administrative staff are employed at the university.

Oviedo is also home to the Institute for Asturian Studies and a number of museums. Throughout the year, congresses, exhibitions and orchestral concerts are held in the city. The main venue for these is the "Campoamor" theatre. The high point in Oviedo's cultural and social calendar is the San Mateo Festival, a light-hearted and colourful "spectacle" of opera, rock, pop, sporting events, bull-fighting, and a big parade through the "old town". The people of Oviedo relax and unwind in the city's park "Campo de San Francisco", which covers an area of 60,000 square metres. A good place for walking is Monte Naranco, a soaring mountain which is a ten-minute bus ride away.

Half way up this mountain are two of the most significant monuments of pre-Romanesque art in Asturia, the churches "Santa Maria del Naranco" and "San Miguel de Lillo"; they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The attractive location between mountains and ocean, the frank and hospitable character of the people, and a rich historical and cultural tradition make Asturia and its capital Oviedo a fascinating place to visit at any time of the year.

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