.jpg/300px-Mérida._Mayor_square._Badajoz._Extremadura._Spain_(4923902587).jpg) | ||
| Merida | ||
| region | Extremadura | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 59.548 (2020) | |
| height | 217 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Merida is a city in the province Badajoz. It is located on Via de la Plata and the Rio Guadiana.
background
Emperor Augustus founded Mérida in 25 BC. And called the city Emerita Augusta. It served as a residence for deserving Roman war veterans from the Spanish campaigns. The city became the capital of the Lusitania Province. The water supply was a prerequisite for Emerita Augusta's growth. The aqueduct brought fresh water from the Cornalvo reservoir. Its dam is 2000 years old. Under the reign of Emperor Diocletian, from 240 to 313, Emerita Augusta reached its peak. The Vandals tried several times to conquer Emerita Augusta, which the Visigoths succeeded in 457, who made the city the capital of their kingdom. The Visigoths ruled the Iberian Peninsula in the 6th and 7th centuries from Mérida. The Moors conquered the city in 713 and built the Alcázar in 835 under Abd ar-Rah-man II. Mérida initially remained a bishopric. In 1119 it was moved to Santiago de Compostela. In 1228 the Catholic King Alfonso IX recaptured Mérida. The city passed into the possession of the Knightly Order of Alcántara. In 1933 the summer theater was resumed in the Teatro Romano. In 1993 UNESCO named Mérida World Heritage.
getting there
By plane
- Badajoz, the provincial city has an airport, the IBERIA of Barcelona approaches. From Germany you would have to fly to Barcelona and change there to Badajoz.
- About 200 km away Seville is served by Austrian Airlines.
By train
By bus
In the street
Of Seville Mérida can be reached via the A-66 (Seville - Cáceres) motorway. The Autovia is now completely passable between Seville and Mérida.
mobility
You can visit all the sights on one tour.
Tourist Attractions
Churches, temples
- Concatedral de Santa Maria de la Asunción, in Plaza España. The co-cathedral de Santa Maria de la Asunción was built between the 17th and 18th centuries on the remains of a Roman-Visigothic church from the 13th century. The cathedral has three naves.
- Templo de Diana. The Diana Temple was a large structure of which remains have been preserved. The temple has a rectangular plan and six pillars at the front. The capitals are Corinthian. The Temple of Diana was never used to worship the goddess of the hunt. Instead, they paid homage to the god-like emperor Augustus. The temple was built between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In the 16th century the Casa de los Milagros (House of Miracles) in the middle of the temple.
Castles, chateaux and palaces
- Alcazaba Árabe. The Moorish castle on the banks of the Rio Guadiana has a long history. There are remains from Roman, Visigothic and Moorish times. The Moorish King Abd ar-Rahman II built the Alcazaba in its present form from granite blocks in the 9th century. After the reconquest, it became the property of the Order of Jacob, who added towers and buildings and made a monastery out of them. The floor plan of the castle is almost a square 550 x 550 m, the outer walls are 2.70 m thick and 10 m high. There were 25 towers. The main entrance used to be at the Roman bridge. You entered the city through one of the four gates or the castle through a gate. Today the entrance is from the side facing away from the river. There is a Roman cistern in the armory Aljibe or Torre de Communicaciones (Communication Tower) obtained. It was fed with water via the aqueducts. Two flights of stairs lead down to the cistern. They went down on one and up on the other with the filled water jugs. The castle was able to withstand long sieges because of the large water supply. The tower housed a mezquita, a vestibule and defensive facilities on three floors. From the defensive wall near the river you have a beautiful view of the Roman bridge. The cloister, the nave, the fountain and the fortress walls are worth seeing. The entrance ticket to the Teatros Romano is also valid here.
Buildings
The sights are from 16.9. until 30.6. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. From 1.7.-15.9. they are accessible from 9: 30-19: 15. Entrance fees of € 10 (retirees € 6) apply to the amphitheater, Roman theater, Alcazaba, Circo Romano and other ancient sites. At the entrance there is a map with a description of a recommended tour.
- Roman Theater. Roman theater, in 15 or 16 BC Inaugurated. It is one of the best preserved examples of Augustinian architecture. The semicircular, rising auditorium holds around 6,000 spectators. The big stage is framed by tall columns. The acoustics are very good. Behind the stage are an imperial chapel and Roman baths. Classical festivals take place in the Teatro Romao every summer.
- Anfiteatro de Mérida. The amphitheater was built in 8 BC. Inaugurated. It offered 15,000-20,000 spectators. Gladiator fights and fights with wild animals took place here. The amphitheater is next to the Teatro Romano. What remains is a very well-preserved ruin. The lower spectator tiers have been preserved. The top two were removed (quarry). The shape of the arena is elliptical.
- Arco de Trajano. The Arch of Trajan is 15 m high and well preserved. It was built from granite ashlar stones. It is not known for sure whether Trajan had it built.
- Puente Romano. The Roman bridge over the Rio Guadiana stands on a shallow part of the river and uses an island in the middle of the river.Originally there were two arch groups and a connecting wooden beam construction. The wooden structure was destroyed in a flood in 1603. They were replaced by a stone arch. The bridge is 792 m long, making it one of the longest surviving Roman bridges. It connected the Roman provinces of Betica (Andalusia) with Olisipio (Portugal). The bridge is still used today as a pedestrian bridge.
- Acueducto de los Milagros. The Los Milagros aqueduct was built from bricks, small blocks, quarry stone masonry and natural rocks and adapts to the terrain. In the Albarregas Valley, the aqueduct is 25 m high and transported fresh water from the Cornalvo reservoir over 5 km into the city. The arches over the Albarrega River are well preserved.
- Circo Maximo. The Circus Maximus outside the city walls was the largest arena in Mérida with an audience of 30,000. The racecourse was probably built in the 1st century AD. Horse racing with two and four-in-hand horses (bigas and quadrigas) was very popular with the Romans. The track was 400 m long and 100 m wide. Only remnants are left.
Museums
- Museo Nacional de Arte Romano de Mérida, near the Teatro Romano and the Anfiteatro. National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida. The building was designed by Rafael Moneo and inaugurated in 1986. It houses numerous Roman finds from the theater and a Roman house. You can see tombstones, ceramics and glass, coins, sculptures, mosaics and paintings. The museum is very worth seeing.Open: March 15 - November 30, Tue - Sat 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. In the rest of the period from December 1 to February 28, Tue - Sat 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., 4 p.m. - 6 p.m., Sun public holidays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., closed on Mondays.Price: Admission free.
- Museo de Arte Visigótico, at the Convento de Santa Clara. Visigothic Museum. The former archaeological museum shows an interesting collection of Visigoth art, such as B. Pilasters, columns, tombstones, etc.
Streets and squares
- Plaza de España. With the Ayuntamiento and the co-cathedral.
Parks
- Parque Natural de Cornalvo, in the vicinity of Mérida on the reservoir of the same name and the Alberrega river. The park is framed by the two mountain ranges Sierra Bermeja and Sierra del Moro.
activities
- golf. On the course of the Club de Golf de Mérida Don Tello.
shop
kitchen
- Restaurante de Parador Via de la Plata, Plaza de la Constitución.
nightlife
accommodation
- Parador Via de la Plata ****, at the Plaza de la Constitución. Very nice hotel in a historical building with a nice inner courtyard.
security
health
Practical advice
All sights can be reached on foot.
- Tourist information, Plaza de España.
- Post (correo), Plaza de la Constitución.
trips
To Cáceres it is not far. The beautiful Renaissance city is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
literature
Web links
http://www.merida.es - Mérida official website
