Córdoba, Spain: Difference between revisions

For other uses, see Córdoba (disambiguation).

Córdoba
Municipality
View of the Roman bridge and the city of Córdoba
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Córdoba
Judicial district	Córdoba
Founded	8th century BC (Pre-Roman settlement), 169 BC (Roman colony)
Government
• Type	Mayor-council government
• Body	Ayuntamiento de Córdoba
• Mayor	Andrés Ocaña (IU)
Area
• Total	1,255.24 km2 (484.65 sq mi)
Elevation	120 m (390 ft)
Population  (2008)
• Total	325,453
• Density	260/km2 (670/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Cordobés/sa, cordobense, cortubí, patriciense
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	14001–14014
Official language(s)	Spanish
Website	Official website

Córdoba (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkorðoβa]; also Cordova) is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times. Also in the Middle Ages it was capital of an Islamic caliphate.

Historic Centre of Córdoba

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv
Reference	313
Inscription	1984 (8th Session)
Extensions	1994

The old town contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Corduba, the capital of Hispania Ulterior during the Roman Republic and capital of Hispania Baetica during the Roman Empire; and Qurṭuba (قرطبة) the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba, governed almost all of the Iberian peninsula.

It has been estimated that in the 10th century and beginning of the 11th century, Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, during these centuries became the intellectual center of Europe. Today is a moderately-sized modern city, its population in 2008 was 325,453.

History

The first trace of animal presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy. The first historical mention of a settlement dates, however, to the Carthaginian expansion across the Guadalquivir, when the general Amilcar Barca baptized it Kartuba, from Kart-Juba, meaning "the City of Juba", the latter being a Numidian commander who had died in a battle nearby. Córdoba was conquered by the Romans in 206 BC. In 169 the Roman consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus founded a Latin colony alongside the pre-existing Iberian settlement. Between 143 and 141 BC the town was besieged by Viriatus. A Roman Forum is known to have existed in the city in 113 BC.

At the time of Julius Caesar, Córdoba was the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior Baetica. Great Roman philosophers such as Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, orators such as Seneca the Elder and poets such as Lucan came from Roman Cordoba. Later, it occupied an important place in the Provincia Hispaniae of the Byzantine Empire (552–572) and under the Visigoths, who conquered it in the late 6th century.

Córdoba was captured in 711 by a Muslim army. In 716 it became a provincial capital, subordinate to the Caliphate of Damascus; in Arabic it was known as قرطبة (Qurṭuba). In May 766, it was chosen as the capital of the independent Muslim emirate of al-Andalus, later a Caliphate itself. During the caliphate apogee (1000 AD), Córdoba had a population of roughly 500,000 inhabitants, though estimates range between 350,000 and 1,000,000. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Córdoba was one of the most advanced cities in the world as well as a great cultural, political, financial and economic centre. The Great Mosque of Córdoba dates back to this time; under caliph Al-Hakam II Córdoba had 3,000 mosques, splendid palaces and 300 public baths, and received what was then the largest library in the world, housing from 400,000 to 1,000,000 volumes.

Reinhardt Dozy wrote:,
"The fame of Córdoba penetrated even distant Germany: the Saxon nun Hroswitha, famous in the last half of the 10th century for its Latin poems and dramas, called it the Jewel of the World."

After the fall of the caliphate (1031), Córdoba became the capital of a Republican independent taifa. This short-lived state was conquered by Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, lord of Seville, in 1070. In turn, the latter was overthrown by the Almoravids, who were later replaced by the Almohads.

During the latter's domination the city declined, the role of the capital of Muslim al-Andalus having been given to Seville. On 29 June 1236, after a siege of several months, it was captured by King Ferdinand III of Castile, during the Spanish Reconquista. The city was divided into 14 colaciones, and numerous new church buildings were added.

The city declined especially after Renaissance times. In the 18th century it was reduced to just 20,000 inhabitants. The population and economy started to increase only in the early 20th century.

With the most extensive historical heritages in the world declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO (on 17 December 1984), the city also features a number of modern areas, including the districts of Zoco and the railway station district, Plan RENFE.

The regional government (the Junta de Andalucía) has for some time been studying the creation of a Córdoba Metropolitan Area that would comprise, in addition to the capital itself, the towns of Villafranca, Obejo, La Carlota, Villaharta, Villaviciosa, Almodóvar del Río and Guadalcázar. The combined population of such an area would be around 351,000.

Geography

The city is located on the banks of the Guadalquivir river, and its easy access to the mining resources of the Sierra Morena (coal, lead, zinc) satisfies the population’s needs.

The city is located in a depression of the valley of the Guadalquivir. In the north is the Sierra Morena, which defines the borders of the municipal area.

Córdoba is one of the few cities in the world that has a near-exact antipodal city – Hamilton, New Zealand.

Climate

Summers, with increased daily thermal oscillations, have the highest maximum temperatures in Europe, exceeding 40 °C occasionally. Local minimum summer temperature is 27 °C, the highest in Spain and Europe.

Córdoba has a Mediterranean climate with Atlantic coastal influences. Winters are mild with isolated frosts. Precipitation is concentrated in the coldest months; this is due to the Atlantic coastal influence. Precipitation is generated by storms from the west that occur most frequently from December through February. This Atlantic characteristic then gives way to a hot summer with significant drought more typical of Mediterranean climates.

Annual rain surpasses 500 mm, although there is a recognized inter-annual irregularity. In agreement with the Köppen climate classification, the local climate can be described as Csa.

Registered maximum temperatures at the Córdoba Airport (located at 6 km of the city) are 46.6° (23rd, July 1995) and 46.2° (1st, August 2003). The minimum temperature is −8.2° (28 January 2005).

Climate data for Córdoba
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	14.7 (58.5)	16.9 (62.4)	20.5 (68.9)	22.1 (71.8)	26.2 (79.2)	31.6 (88.9)	36.2 (97.2)	35.9 (96.6)	31.7 (89.1)	25.0 (77.0)	18.9 (66.0)	15.3 (59.5)	24.6 (76.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	9.2 (48.6)	10.9 (51.6)	13.5 (56.3)	15.4 (59.7)	19.0 (66.2)	23.5 (74.3)	27.2 (81.0)	27.2 (81.0)	24.0 (75.2)	18.5 (65.3)	13.2 (55.8)	10.2 (50.4)	17.6 (63.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	3.7 (38.7)	4.9 (40.8)	6.4 (43.5)	8.6 (47.5)	11.8 (53.2)	15.5 (59.9)	18.1 (64.6)	18.5 (65.3)	16.2 (61.2)	12.1 (53.8)	7.6 (45.7)	5.2 (41.4)	10.7 (51.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64 (2.5)	53 (2.1)	40 (1.6)	61 (2.4)	34 (1.3)	17 (0.7)	3 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	24 (0.9)	62 (2.4)	85 (3.3)	89 (3.5)	536 (21.1)
Average precipitation days	7	6	5	8	5	2	1	1	2	6	6	8	56
Mean monthly sunshine hours	168	172	212	212	271	312	352	328	241	208	176	148	2,800
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología

• 
  Albolafia mill, one of the eleven Mills of Guadalquivir, in Córdoba.
• 
  Archaeological site of Cercadilla, where is the Palace of Maximian.
• 
  Roman temple of Córdoba.
• 
  Part of the Archaeological site of Medina Azahara
• 
  Puerta de Almodóvar.
• 
  Western wall of the Sinagogue of Córdoba.
• 
  Palace of the Mercy.

Main sights

Historic architecture

Roman Mausoleum in the Paseo de la Victoria.

Interior of the Great Mosque of Córdoba.

Calleja de las flores – Great Mosque of Córdoba in the background.

Córdoba, ancient city, has the second largest Old town in Europe, the largest urban area in the world declared World Heritage by UNESCO. It is precisely there where coalesces much of the historic buildings of the city. It should be noted the most important building and symbol of the city, the Great Mosque of Córdoba and current cathedral, alongside the magnificent Roman bridge, are the best known facet of the city. From the Roman era can be found, besides the bridge, the Roman Temple, the Roman Theatre, Roman Mausoleum, the Colonial Forum, the Forum Adiectum, the Roman Amphitheater and, the remains of the Palace of the Emperor Maximian in the Archaeological site of Cercadilla, among others.

Near the mosque-cathedral is located the old Jewish quarter consists of many irregular streets, such as Calleja de las Flores and Calleja del Pañuelo, in which it can visit the Synagogue and the Sephardic House. In the extreme southwest of the Old Town is the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a former property of kings and the seat of the Inquisition, and adjacent to it are the Royal Stables breeding place of the Andalusian horse. Near the stables are located, along the walls, the ancient Baths Caliphate. In the south of the Old town and east of the great mosque, located in the Plaza del Potro, is the Posada del Potro mentioned in literary works such as Don Quixote and La Feria de los Discretos. Both the plaza as the inn gets its name from the fountain in the center of the plaza, which represents a foal. Not far from this plaza is the Arco del Portillo.

Along the banks of the Guadalquivir are the Mills of the Guadalquivir, Muslim era buildings that took advantage of the current force to grind the flour such as the Albolafia mill, the Alegría mill, the Carbonell mill, the Casillas mill, the Enmedio mill, the Lope García mill, the Martos mill, the Pápalo mill, the San Antonio mill, the San Lorenzo mill, the San Rafael mill.

Surrounding the large Old town is situated the old Roman walls, which preserves some canvases; the Puerta de Almodóvar, the Puerta de Sevilla and Puerta del Puente, who are the only three gates that remain from the thirteen who had the city, some towers like the Malmuerta Tower, Belén Tower and the Gate Corner's Tower, and the fortress of the Calahorra Tower and the Donceles Tower.

Scattered across the Old town are palace buildings are such as the Palace of Viana, Palace of the Mercy, Palace of Orive, Palace of the Aguayos, Palace of the Moon, Palace of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia, Palace of the Marquis of the Carpio and Palace of the Marquis de Benamejí among others.

On the outskirts of the city lies the Archaeological site of the city of Medina Azahara which is next to the Alhambra in Granada the top of the Spanish-Muslim architecture.

Other sights are:

• Cuesta del Bailío
• From the Caliphate times is preserved the Minaret of San Juan, from an ancient mosque.

Fernandine churches

Iglesia de Santa Marina de Aguas Santas.

The Fernandine churches are 12, and are those Christians churches that were sent to built in Córdoba (many were transformation of mosques) by Ferdinand III of Castile after the reconquest of the city in the 12th century. The mission of each of these churches was twofold. On the one hand, being spiritual centers of the city, functioning as churches, and second, being the administrative center of the city of Córdoba, with each of the churches, headers of neighborhoods in which it divided the city since the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Some of those that remain are:

• Iglesia de San Nicolás de la Villa. Located on the street Concepción.
• Iglesia de San Nicolás de la Ajerquía.
• Iglesia de San Miguel. Located on the Plaza de San Miguel.
• Iglesia de San Juan y todos los Santos. Located on the street Lope de Hoces.
• Iglesia de Santa Marina de Aguas Santas. Located on the Plaza de Santa Marina.
• Iglesia de San Agustín. Located on the Plaza de San Agustín.
• Iglesia de San Andrés. Located on the street Realejo.
• Iglesia de San Lorenzo. Located on the Plaza de San Lorenzo.
• Iglesia de Santiago. Located on the street Agustín Moreno.
• Iglesia de San Pedro. Located on the Plaza de San Pedro.
• Iglesia de La Magdalena. Located on the avenue Ronda de Andujar.
• Iglesia de San Pablo. With main entrance on Capitulares and side entrance on street San Pablo. Part of San Pablo's Square, which has a large garden, now a park, which observed several palaces and mansions, among it the Palacio de Orive (also called Palacio de los Villalones), why which the garden is also known as Orive Garden. In the garden were discovered in the 1990's the ruins of ancient Roman Circus.

Other religious monuments

• Iglesia de San Hipólito. In it are buried Fernando IV the Summoned and Alfonso XI the Implacable, kings of Castile and Leon.
• Iglesia de San Pablo
• Iglesia de San Agustín

  

  Main facade of the Iglesia de San Hipólito.

• Iglesia de San Francisco
• Monastery of San Jerónimo
• Iglesia de Santa María de Trassierra
• Iglesia de San Salvador y Santo Domingo de Silos
• Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Linares
• Tower of Santo Domingo de Silos
• Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Fuensanta
• Chapel of San Bartolomé
• Iglesia del Juramento de San Rafael
• Hermitage del Socorro

Sculptures and memorials

Scattered throughout the city are ten statues of Archangel Raphael, protector and custodian of the city. These are called Triumphs of Saint Raphael and are located in famous landmarks such as the Roman Bridge, the Puerta del Puente and the Plaza del Potro.

In the western part of the Historic Centre are the statue to Seneca (near the Puerta de Almodóvar), the Statue of Averroes (next to the Puerta de la Luna), and Maimonides (in the plaza de Tiberiades) in honor to these three great Cordobese philosophers. Further south, near the Puerta de Sevilla, are the sculpture to the poet Ibn Zaydun and the sculpture of the writer and poet Ibn Hazm and, inside the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos the monument to the Catholic Monarchs and Christopher Columbus.

• 
  Triumph of Saint Raphael in Triumph Square.
• 
  Statue to Seneca.
• 
  Statue to Maimonides.
• 
  Statue to Averroes.

There are also several sculptures placed in many plazas of the Old Town. In the central Plaza de las Tendillas is the equestrian statue of the Gran Capitán, in the Plaza de Capuchinos is the Cristo de los Faroles, in Plaza de la Trinidad is the statue of Luis de Góngora, in the Plaza del Cardenal Salazar is the bust of Al-Gafequi, in the Plaza de Capuchinas is the statue to the bishop Osio, in Plaza del Conde de Priego contemplate the monument to Manolete and the Campo Santo de los Mártires is a statue to Al-Hakam II and the monument to the lovers.

In the Jardines de la Agricultura can see the monument to the painter Julio Romero de Torres, a bust by sculptor Mateo Inurria, the bust of the poet Julio Aumente and the sculpture dedicated to the gardener Aniceto García Roldán who was killed in the park. Further south, in the Gardens of the Duke of Rivas, is a statue of the writer and poet Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas made by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure.

• 
  Equestrian statue to the Gran Capitán.
• 
  The Cristo de los faroles.
• 
  Memorial monument to Julio Romero de Torres.
• 
  Hombre Río.

In the Guadalquivir river, near San Rafael Bridge is found the known as the Island of the sculptures. It is a long shaped artificial island on which it were a dozen stone sculptures made during the International Sculpture Symposium. Upstream of the river near the Miraflores bridge, is the Hombre Río, an original sculpture that appears to be a swimmer looking to the sky and whose orientation varies by stream.

Gardens, parks and natural environments

Parque de Miraflores. In the background the sculpture Salam.

Paseo de Córdoba.

Fuente de los Jardines de Colón.

Gardens of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos.

• Jardines de la Victoria: Within the gardens there are two newly renovated facilities, this is the old Caseta del Círculo de la Amistad, today Caseta Victoria, and the Kiosko de la música as well as a small modernism fountain of the beginning of 20th century. In the north, called the Jardines of Duque de Rivas in honor of the celebrated Cordobese writer and politician, features a pergola of neoclassical style, designed by the architect Carlos Sáenz de Santamaría, used as an exhibition hall and a café bar.

• Jardines de la Agricultura: Located between the Jardines de la Victoria and the Paseo de Córdoba, many trails that cut through radially converge within each round squares which has a fountain or pond. One is the duck pond, pond that in the center is an island has a small building in which these animals live and why such gardens are popularly known as Parque de Los Patos. Scattered throughout the garden are numerous sculptures such as the sculpture in memory of Julio Romero de Torres, the sculpture to the composer Julio Aumente and the bust of Mateo Inurria. In the north is a rose gardenin form of laberynth.

• Parque de Miraflores: Located on the south bank of the river Guadalquivir. It was designed by the architect Juan Cuenca Montilla as a series of terraces that from the top down to the river. Among other points of interest as the Salam and Miraflores Bridge and a sculpture by Agustín Ibarrola.

• Parque Cruz Conde: Located southwest of the city is an open park and barrier-free park of the english gardens style. There is a jogging circuit and the Theatre of la Axerquía.

• Paseo de Cordoba: Located on the underground train tracks, is a long tour of several kilometers in length with more than 434,000 m2. The tour has numerous fountains that supply the absence of large forests that are not possible by the structure of the surface. The most prominent are six fountains formed by a portico of falling water as a waterfall to a pond with four graded levels. Near its western end is a large area equipped with dozens of suppliers that flow off the land and, without any architectural barrier, allowing pedestrians to walk between them looking for the refreshment of the water. Integrated into the tour remains a pond of water decatation of the Roman era, and the building of the old train station of RENFE, now converted into offices of Canal Sur.

• Jardines Juan Carlos I: Located in the Ciudad Jardín neighborhood, this is a fortress which occupies an area of about 12,500 square meters.

• Jardines del Conde de Vallellano: Located on both sides of the avenue of the same name. Offers a host of shrubs and trees such as the oleander, the tree of Jupiter, the casuarina, the cedar, the Japanese plum, the spine of Jerusalem, the eucalyptus, the ash, the magnolia, the mimosa, the palm excelsa, the paradise, the sycamore, the Washingtonia and the cassava. On its right is a large L-shaped pond with a capacity of 3000 m3 in whose waters reflects the building of the image of the central government representatives. Are noteworthy archaeological remains embedded in the gardens among which it must mention a Roman cistern of the second half of the 1st century BC.

• Parque de la Asomadilla: With 27 hectares is the second largest park in Andalusia. The park recreates a Mediterranean forest vegetation, such as hawthorn, pomegranate, hackberry, oak, olive, tamarisk, cypress, elms, pines, oaks and carob trees among others.

• Balcón del Guadalquivir:

• Jardines de Colón:

• Sotos de la Albolafia: Declared Natural monument by the Andalusian Autonomous Government, is located in a stretch of the Guadalquivir river from the Roman Bridge and the San Rafael Bridge, with an area of 21.36 hectares. Host a large variety of birds and is an important point of migration for many birds.

• Parque periurbano Los Villares:

Public Architecture

Bridges

Córdoba now has seven bridges (one of which is under construction).

The Tower of Calahorra to one side of the Roman Bridge

• Roman Bridge: Bridge over the Guadalquivir River as it passes through Córdoba, linking the area of Campo de la Verdad with Barrio de la Catedral. It was the only bridge that the city had for twenty centuries, until the construction of the San Rafael Bridge in the mid-20th century. On 9 January 2008 the most remodeling was made to the Puente Romano has had in its history. Built in the early 1st century DC., during the period of Roman rule in Cordoba, on the Guadalquivir river (probably replacing a more primitive of wood) has a length of about 331 meters and consists of 16 arches, although originally had 17. It was an important entry point to the city from the south of the Iberian peninsula as the only point to cross the river without using any type of boat. Probably the Via Augusta that stretched from Rome to Cádiz going for him. On one side of the bridge is the Tower of Calahorra and the other is the Puerta del Puente. Throughout its history it has undergone several reconstructions, especially one in the Caliphate, one after the Reconquista and other early 20th century.

The restoration of 2008 had some controversy because of the ambition of the project it wanted to return to the bridge look as similar as possible at the original. For this purpose, cleared the starlings, original stones were discovered, the cobblestone was replaced by smooth granite floor and restored a existing shrine dedicated to St. Acisclus and St. Victoria. Also recovered the original level of the north end of the bridge, flush with the Puerta del Puente and Paseo de la Ribera.

• San Rafael Bridge: The Bridge of San Rafael consists of eight arches of 25 m span and a length between abutments of 217 meters. The width is 18.5 feet between parapets, divided into 12 meters of cobblestone for four circulations and two tiled concrete sidewalks. This bridge was inaugurated on 29 April 1953 by the General Antonio Cruz Conde Franco being mayor of the city. This bridge was the second bridge had Córdoba after the Puente Romano joining the Avenue Corregidor with Plaza de Andalucía. In January 2004, it disappear the plaques that had the bridge that read: "His Excellency the Head of State and Generalissimo of all the Armies, Francisco Franco Bahamonde, opened this bridge of the Guadalquivir on 29 April 1953", which were in each of the entrances of the bridge, each in its own direction.
• Andalusia Bridge: This bridge is located on the river Guadalquivir in Córdoba. This bridge is part of the round west of Cordoba, formed in the part of the river by a suspension bridge.
• Puente de Miraflores (Córdoba): Known as "the rusty bridge." This bridge links the Street San Fernando and Ronda de Isasa with the Miraflores peninsula. It was designed by Herrero, Suárez and Casado and inaugurated on 2 May 2003. At first, in 1989, had considered the proposal of the architect-engineer Santiago Calatrava, that would looks like the Lusitania Bridge of Mérida, but was eventually discarded because of is potential impact on the artistic whole of the historic, because with its height could cover the view of the Great Mosque.
• Autovía del Sur Bridge: Located in Córdoba in the Guadalquivir River, is a bridge that forms the South highway and the round southeast of Córdoba.
• Abbas Ibn Firmas Bridge: Located in Córdoba in the Guadalquivir River, this bridge is under construction and is part of the future variant west of Córdoba.
• Puente del Arenal: Located in Córdoba in the Guadalquivir River, which connects Avenue Campo de la Verdad with the Recinto Ferial (fairground) of Cordoba.
• There are also other bridges as it cross the railroad tracks and joins the Avenue Arroyo del Moro and Avenue del Gran Capitán or the Roman Bridge of Alcolea, located between the suburbs of Alcolea and Los Ángeles.

Main avenues

Puerta del Puente on the Triumph Square (Plaza del Triunfo)

• Avenida del Aeropuerto: This street runs from the roundabout of the Poniente round to the Avenue Conde de Vallellano. This avenue measured 1.9 km
• Avenida del Campo de la Verdad: This avenue runs from the Plaza de Santa Teresa to the street Compositor Rafael Castro. This avenue measures 0.8 km
• Avenida de Campo Madre de Dios y Libia: An avenue subsumed under two names. It goes from the Paseo de la Ribera to the East Ring Road. This avenue is about 2.5 km
• Avenida del Conde de Vallellano y Corregidor: It is an avenue subsumed under two names. It goes from the 5-star Hotel AC to the San Rafael Brigde. This avenue is about 0.9 km
• Paseo de la Victoria: This avenue runs from the end of Avenue del Conde de Vallellano to the Avenue Gran Capitan. This avenue is about 0.6 km approx.
• Avenida de Cervantes: This avenue runs from Tejares Round to Avenue America. This avenue is about 0.3 km approximately.
• Avenida del Gran Capitán: This avenue runs from the Church of San Nicolás to the Avenue del Brillante. This avenue is about 1.1 km approx.
• Avenida de los Mozárabes: This street goes from America to the Tejares round. This avenue is about 0.3 km approximately.
• Avenida de Ronda de los Tejares: This avenue runs from the Paseo de la Victoria to the Plaza de Colón. This avenue is about 0.5 km approximately.
• Avenida República Argentina: This avenue runs from the Avenue de los Mozábares to the hotel AC Córdoba. This avenue is about 0.6 km approx.
• Avenida de Medina Azahara: This street runs from the end of Gran Vía Parque to República de Argentina. This avenue is about 0.7 km
• Avenida Gran Vía Parque: This street runs from the Plaza del Poeta Ibn Zaydun to the Avenue Aeropuerto. This avenue is about 0.8 km
• Avenida Arroyo del Moro: This street runs from the Plaza del Poeta Ibn Zaydun to the glorieta Amadora. This avenue is about 0.9 km
• Avenida de Menéndez Pidal: This avenue runs from West round to Avenue del Corregidor. This avenue is about 1.5 km
• Avenida de America: This avenue runs from the Plaza of the Poet Ibn Zaydun to the llanos del Pretorio. This avenue is about 1.4 km
• Avenida de Trassierra: This street runs from West round to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. This avenue is about 1.6 km
• Avenida de los Piconeros: This street runs from the llanos del Pretorio to the Avenue de la Igualdad. This avenue is about 0.8 km
• Avenida de al-Nasir: This avenue runs from the glorieta de Almogavares to the llanos del Pretorio. This avenue is about 0.7 km
• Avenida de la Libertad: This street runs from al-Nasir avenue to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. This avenue is about 0.7 km
• Avenida de Vía Augusta: This street runs from the Plaza de la Tres Culturas to the Islas Cies. This avenue is about 0.9 km
• Avenida del Brillante: This street runs from the foot of the mountains to the plains of the llanos del Pretorio. This avenue is about 3.4 km
• Avenida de Carlos III: This avenue runs from Avenue Agrupación Córdoba to the Carrefour shopping center. This avenue is about 1.3 km
• Avenida de Cádiz: This avenue runs from the Plaza de Santa Teresa to the circle of the Torrecilla. This avenue is about 3.0 km
• Avenida de Granada: This street runs from the Plaza de Andalucía to the A-4. This avenue measured 1.0 km

-These are some of the most important avenues of Córdoba, are approximate measurements.

Politics and government

Former Royal Hospital San Sebastián, now Congress hall of Córdoba.

Local administration

Currently the mayor of Cordoba is Andrés Ocaña, United Left, since the 8 May 2009 after replacing Rosa Aguilar because she left the party.

The City Council of Córdoba is divided into different areas: the Presidency, Security, Mobility, Equality and Participation; the Planning, Housing, Infrastructure and Environment; the Economy, Trade, Employment and Management; the Social; the Cultural Services and Tourism. The council holds regular plenary session once a month, but often held extraordinary plenary session to discuss issues and problems affecting the city.

The Governing Board, chaired by the mayor, currently consists of 5 councillors of IU, 2 councilors of PSOE and other 3 members not elected. The municipal council consists of 29 members: 14 of PP, 11 of IU and 4 of PSOE.

List of mayors since the democratic elections of 1979

Legislature	Name	Party
1979-1983	Julio Anguita	PCE
1983-1987	Julio Anguita (until february 1, 1986) Herminio Trigo	PCE(IU)
1987-1991	Herminio Trigo	IU
1991-1995	Herminio Trigo	IU
	Manuel Pérez Pérez	IU
1995-1999	Rafael Merino	PP
1999-2003	Rosa Aguilar	IU
2003-2007	Rosa Aguilar	IU
2007-2011	Rosa Aguilar (until april 23, 2009) Andrés Ocaña	IU

Admiistrative division

Since July 2008, the city is divided into 10 administrative districts, coordinated by the Municipal district boards, which in turn are subdivided into neighbourhoods

District	District	Location
Centro	Poniente-Sur
Levante	Sur
Noroeste	Sureste
Norte-Sierra	Periurbano Este-Campiña
Poniente-Norte	Periurbano Oeste-Sierra

Museums

• Archeological and Ethnological Museum of Córdoba.
• Julio Romero de Torres Museum.
• Museum of Fine Arts.
• Dioceses Museum.
• Baths of the Fortress Califal.
• Botanical Museum of Cordova.
• Three Cultures Museum.
• Bullfighting Museum.
• Molino de Martos Hydraulic Museum.

Theatres

• Gran Teatro de Córdoba.
• Teatro Axerquía.

May celebrations

Tourism is especially intense in Córdoba during May because of the weather and as this month hosts three very popular festivals.

The May Crosses Festival takes place at the beginning of the month. During three or four days, crosses of around 3 meters of height are placed in many squares and streets and decorated with flowers and a contest is held to choose the most beautiful one. Usually there is regional food and music near the crosses.

The Patios Festival is celebrated during the second and third week of the month. Many houses of the historic center open their private patios to the public and compete in a contest. Both the architectonic value and the floral decorations are taken into consideration to choose the winners. It is usually very difficult and expensive to find accommodation in the city during the festival.

Córdoba's Fair takes place at the ending of the month and is similar to the better known Seville Fair with some differences, mainly that the Seville one is private, while the Cordoba one is not.

Notable people

Patio de los naranjos of the Great Mosque.

Cordova was the birthplace of five famous philosophers and religious scholars:

• In Roman times the Stoic philosopher Seneca,
• In classical Islamic times
  • The Islamic scholar ibn Hazm, a major Muslim theologian and legal jurist,
  • The Islamic scholar ibn Rushd or Averroes, one of Islam's most famous and eminent scholars and philosophers,
  • Imam Abu 'Abdullah al-Qurtubi, a leading jurist of the Maliki madhab, and
  • The rabbi and Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.

Córdoba was also the birthplace of

• The Roman poet Lucan,
• The medieval Spanish poet Juan de Mena, and
• The Renaissance poet Luis de Góngora, who lived most of his life and wrote all his most important works but one in Córdoba.

In addition some scholars have linked to Córdoba

• The Renaissance philosopher Abraham Cohen de Herrera and
• The prominent Jewish mystic Moses ben Jacob Cordovero

Both of these were evidently descended from families which lived in Córdoba before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain.

More recently, several flamenco artists were born here as well, including

• Vicente Amigo
• Joaquín Cortés
• Fosforito
• Paco Peña
• Juan Serrano (Flamenco)

Also recently

• Fernando Tejero, actor

Transport

The city is connected by high speed trains to the main Spanish cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Málaga and Zaragoza. More than 20 trains per day connect the downtown area, in 54 minutes, with Málaga María Zambrano station, which provides interchange capability to destinations along the Costa del Sol, including Málaga Airport.

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain

Córdoba is twinned with:

• Córdoba, Argentina (1969)
• A Coruña, Spain (1976)
• Córdoba, Mexico (1980)
• Fez, Morocco (1982)
• Smara, Western Sahara(1987)
• La Habana Vieja, Cuba, Cuba (2000)
• Damascus, Syria (2001)
• Nurenberg, Germany (2010)
• León, Spain (2010)
• Manchester, UK
• Bethlehem, Palestine Territory

External links

• Official website of the city council. Template:Es icon
• Córdoba Mosque and Roman Bridge – The second largest mosque and a Roman Bridge with 17 arches Córdoba, Roman City(Spain)-
• Tourism and Monuments in Córdoba Template:En icon
• Córdoba travel information Template:En icon
• Template:Es icon Natural Monument Sotos de la Albolafia
• Córdoba: The City that Changed the World by The Guardian