Extremadura (South-western Spain)

by LAURA SÁNCHEZ MARTÍN
Place name – Extremadura (South-western of Spain)

There are several hypotheses on the origins of the name of Extremadura:
The name Extremadura derives from the Latin Extrema Dorii ('End of the Duero river,' or rather 'on the other end' of Duero’s, referring to its position in the south of this river), with which it were designated the lands situated in the south of the Duero river basin (and its tributaries).
However, today it has much more acceptance the thesis that the word Extremadura was used, in general, during the Reconquest to name the lands situated in the "extremes", the border of the Christian kingdoms of the north (in particular, of the kingdoms of Leon and Castile) with Al-Andalus. Thus, Extremadura is the name given to the lands of the frontier of Castile around the present province of Soria (we should remember that its shield says Soria pure head of Estremadura): it would be about the Castilian Extremadura. This place name is also given to the 'extreme' territories, further away and on the front line of the defence against the Islamic enemy during the Reconquest of the Kingdom of Leon, who initially would occupy much of the present province of Caceres, to extend toward the south after the conquest of the “kingdom of taifa” of Badajoz: it would be about then, in the strict sense, the Leonese Extremadura.
It should not be confused with the older Portuguese province of Estremadura, although the etymological origin is the same.

Nowadays, Extremadura is colloquially known by the Extremaduran population as extrema y dura (“extreme and hard”). They think that it is a place where you can enjoy extreme atmospheric conditions (above all in summer when it has been reached up to 113ºF) and also many amazing feelings in its unbelievable and striking landscapes.

WORK CONSULTED:
“Extremadura”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Mar 2012. Web. 9 Mar 2012.                        

Plaza de los Bandos

by Ángel Pérez Martín

During the 15th Century in a southern European town named Salamanca, an unexpected and horrifying incident occurred involving two major aristocratic families.
Many of the inhabitants were divided into two separate camps, the “bando de San Benito” on the one side and on the other the “bando de Santo Tomé”. It opposed noble families quarrelling over the supremacy in the city.
After a peek of tension between the two sides, a barbaric act took place in the centre of the city; the males of the Monroy family, members of the first cited band, were assassinated by the men of the other camp.
In reaction to this awful crime, the patriarch’s wife wanted to avenge the lost of her loved ones and planned an equally cruel response to the latter. In order to do that, she dressed up as a man to hurt physically and therefore psychologically her enemies. Her aim was to save her family’s honor and thus killed each murderer of her lost ones.
The Monroy family resided in the nowadays known as the “Plaza de los Bandos” which owes its name to the confrontation.

City of Carcassonne, France

 

María Alonso Ramajo

Carcassonne is situated in the south of France in the Languedoc-Roussillon’s region. There are two cities there; the old and medieval town and another more recent on the other side of the river. We will focus on the medieval town, the most intriguing.
Carcassonne is considered as one of the most interesting cities in the south of France, especially attractive due to its medieval fortified town, la Cité, which is considered as cultural heritage byUnesco, since 1997.

The city became important since romans fortified the hill, approximately by the year 100 a.C. and turned it into IulaCarcaso’s administrative center, which was later called Carcasum and Carcasso. In the 5th century the Visigothic Kingdom occupied the city and resisted repeated Franks’ attempts, on the other hand, the Arabs were more successful in 724, but were driven out in 759 by Pepin the Short.
Such was the deterioration of the fortified town that the French State thought seriously about it and suggested to demolish the walls. But there was a commotion and a campaign was instigated to preserve the city as a historic monument. The architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc carried out the renovation.
 As for the settlement, it has its massive defences encircling the castle and the surrounding buildings, the streets and the Gothic cathedral. The fortifications, consisting of two lines of walls and a castle and 53 towers, extend over a total length of 3 km. If we pay attention to the style, the masonry is in a characteristic late Roman one.
Every 14th of July, National Day in France, there are fireworks simulating a big fire in the city.