General information
The city of Badajoz is the most populated city of Extremadura, it has over 149,000 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of Badajoz. It has a continental Mediterranean climate, which means that the winters are smooth, with temperatures between 3 and 13°C, and extremely hot summers, with temperatures that can reach 45°C (the record temperature)
The economy is based on the services sector and attracts many Portuguese customers, thanks to the proximity of Badajoz to the Portuguese border.
Every year the Festival Ibérico de Cine (Iberian Movie Festival), a festival for short films, is held in Badajoz, attracting directors from all over Spain.
The carnival of Badajoz is one of the most famous of Spain and attracts more people every year.
History
Prehistoric remains have indicated that in this age there were already people living here, but foundation of the city took place in 875 by order of Ibn Marwan, an outcast of mixed origins (Christian/Arab) who was expelled from Sevilla but who was allowed to build a new city. The city flourished in a short period and became the most important city that was founded by Spanish Arabs. It was independent several times, but mostly the city belonged to the Taifa of Badajoz, which extended across a large part of Portugal and all of Extremadura.
The reconquest arrived in 1230 when King Alfonso IX defeated the Arabs.
The city suffered from a period of decay that was caused by depopulation, but because the city was an important border outpost it received financial help and recovered. In 1580 King Felipe II left from Badajoz with his army in order to conquer Portugal. Without war the city flourished again between 1580 and 1640. During the Portuguese war for Restoration and the Spanish war for Succession the city was attacked numerous times, therefore we hardly find any buildings from this era.
In the 19th century the city suffered from the War for Independence and was taken by the French and later by the English, and was looted by both of them. Near the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century the city grew again, the centre developed and new neighbourhoods were constructed outside the city walls, but disaster struck again when during the Civil War Franco’s troops invaded the city. After the war the city grew until the 1960s when large migrations to other parts of Spain took place. The primary economic activities moved away from the primary sector to the tertiary sector. Nowadays Badajoz is the economical centre of Extremadura.
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