Lucena, Córdoba

Lucena is a medium-sized town in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. With 42 754 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2013) is the second largest city in the province of Córdoba.

Lucena is one of the most dynamic economic centers of southern Spain, in particular by its booming furniture industry. Here also stands since 2004 - with a height of 27 meters - the world's largest chair.

The main agricultural products of the region, in addition to olives and olive oil in particular, the strong, sherry -like white wines of the production region DO Montilla- Moriles.

A certain historical fame of the city by a battle at its gates in 1483, a few years before the completion of the reconquest by the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I.. Since 1479 in open conflict with the Catholic kings, Boabdil tried last remaining Moorish rulers of the Peninsula, in 1483 taking the time lying on the frontier to the already reconquered by the Christians areas Lucena town. During this battle he was taken prisoner, held captive morale in the castle fortress Castillo del and only released on payment of 12,000 gold pieces. Less than ten years later, with the surrender of the city of Granada in 1492 by Emir Boabdil to the Catholic Monarchs, the Reconquista was completed. Lucena was famous in al -Andalus as a purely of Jews inhabited city, said appreciation of the medieval historiographers so hardly likely to correspond to the truth. For the Jews, Lucena was considered the pearl of Sefarad.

Above the town, on the summit of the Sierra de Aras, there is a small chapel, Ermita Virgen de Araceli, the patron saint of Lucena and the Andalusian fields.