Ucero

Ucero is a municipality ( municipio ) with 71 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2013) in the Spanish province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile -Leon. The place was as a cultural ( Bien de Interès Cultural ) recognized in the category Conjunto histórico - artístico.

Location

Ucero is located on the Río Lobos at the south end of the rugged mountain landscape of the Parque natural del Cañón del Río Lobos at an altitude of about 970 meters above sea level. inst. , the nearest large town, El Burgo de Osma, is about 16 km ( driving distance ) away to the south. The provincial capital Soria is approximately 65 km ( driving distance ) to the east. Also worth seeing are the listed building towns of San Esteban de Gormaz (27 kilometers south-west ) and Berlanga de Duero (40 kilometers south-east ).

Demographics

In the 19th century Ucero always had between 150 and 300 inhabitants. Due to the mechanization of agriculture and the resulting lower demand for labor, the population has been declining since the mid-20th century.

Economy

The small town was and is influenced to a large extent on agriculture; are grown mainly wheat and barley. Since the mid-20th century, tourism (hiking and apartments ) plays an important role as a source of income for the community.

History

In the caves and overhangs the wild and rugged mountain landscape in northern Ucero traces of human presence found in prehistoric times. The first mention of the name, Ucero ' is found in a document dating from 1157; a castle ( castillo ) is - was built in the 13th century - according to current knowledge. A certain Juan González de Ucero took on the part of King Alfonso VIII participated in the victorious battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212) and was honored for his services to the basic rule ( señorio ) about the place rewarded. The presence of the Templars is busy at this time, but it is unclear what the possession of the order of knighthood in 1312 dissolved by Pope Clement V had in this area. In 1302, in any case bought by the then Bishop of Osma the place along with 13 neighboring villages or hamlets ( Aldeas ). The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century.

Attractions

• The set up in 1985, Parque natural del Cañón del Río Lobos is an important nature reserve in which both birds ( vultures, hawks, eagles and hawks and hawk ) and small mammals ( nutria ) and amphibians ( lizards, frogs) but also snakes and fish ( trout, barbel ) live.

• Built entirely of largely unprocessed quarry stone castle (Castillo de Ucero ) is located about 500 meters east in a valley. She was surrounded by a moat ( foso ) and could only be entered via a drawbridge. Your most distinctive part is the keep ( torre de homenaje ), in the top-level probably was a chapel, whose four-piece - aufruhendes on consoles - ribbed vault has an Agnus Dei in the capstone get to this day. The various intermediate levels of the tower consisted of simple beam structures made of wooden boards with requirements and could only be reached by ladders. A window is designed as a twin window ( ajimez ) and constructed of precisely hewn dressed stone. Several gargoyles show monstrous figures that resemble their high-quality design of church buildings. In the immediate vicinity of the castle are the ruins of a hermitage ( Nuestra Senora de la Villavieja ), of which, however, only few remains have survived.

Twin window ( ajimez )

Torre de Homenaje (inside)

Konsolfigur

• In the canyon of the Río Lobos about four kilometers north of the town is built in the 13th century from the exact hewn stone material, hermitage ' ( Ermita San Bartolomé ), whose unadorned façade is modeled on a rock wall. One of two buttresses framed, richly structured and bow slightly sharpened, but otherwise rather unadorned Archivolts portal is located on the south side; also run two console Friese. Immediately to the right of which is followed by a transept, whose extraordinary five-part each of a pentagram (see also Drudenfuß ) include - a medieval rather rare decor element which may refer to the Knights Templar, who owned land and a Commandery in this area. The mere presence of a transept makes use of the structure is extremely unlikely as a hermit church. The semicircle of the apse is divided by four pilasters into three fields, in each of which a window is cut. The nave and vaulted from a conical buoy interior houses several interesting capitals.

Portal

Rose window with Pentagram

Capital with heads and diamonds