Haro, La Rioja

For other uses, see Haro (disambiguation).
Haro

Seal
Haro

Location of Haro within La Rioja

Coordinates: 42°35′N 2°51′W / 42.583°N 2.850°W / 42.583; -2.850
Country Spain
Autonomous community La Rioja
Comarca Rioja Alta
Government
  Mayor Laura Rivado Casas (PSOE)
Area
  Total 40.53 km2 (15.65 sq mi)
Elevation 479 m (1,572 ft)
Population (2014)
  Total 11,536
  Density 280/km2 (740/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CET (UTC+2)
Website http://www.haro.org

Haro is a town and municipality in the northwest of La Rioja province in northern Spain. It is known for its fine red wine and every year the Haro Wine Festival is held where locals hold a wine battle.

It has an important architectural heritage, including the main entrance of the Santo Tomás Church, the work of Felipe Vigarny, numerous palaces, and the old town, which was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1975.

Apart from its role as home to many of the great bodegas in La Rioja, one of Haro's other claims to fame is that it was the first town in Spain to have electric street lighting.

History

There are several theories about the founding of Haro, though the most realistic theory is that of Domingo Hergueta, who argued that before the town, there was a lighthouse near the village of Cerro de la Mota which illuminated the mouth of the Ebro river. The town received the name of the lighthouse (faro), and in Castilian Spanish evolved into the name 'Haro'.

During the Roman rule of Hispania, a fort called Castrum Bibilium was built in the cliffs of Bibilio.

The first mention of Haro dates back to the year 1040, in a document of king García Sánchez III of Navarre"el de Nájera".

Alfonso VI of León and Castile entrusted the tenencia to Diego López I de Haro after the death of count García Ordóñez and the first of the lords of Biscay to attach the name of this town to his patronymic was Diego's son, Lope Díaz I de Haro.

Notable people

Symbols

Heraldry and Vexillology

The shield of Haro is made in the center of a castle with battlements on gules, Mazon and doors and windows. On both sides of it, large lions rampant. The shield is covered on top by a ducal crown and the bottom with the hem of the Golden Fleece

The flag consists of the shield of the city in the center, and a red burgundy background typical of the regions of Castile.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haro.

Coordinates: 42°35′N 2°51′W / 42.583°N 2.850°W / 42.583; -2.850

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.