Laguardia, Álava

Laguardia remparts

Kirk o Laguardia

Laguardia (Basque: Guardia) is a toun an municipality locatit in the province o Álava, in the north o Spain. It haes a population o 1500 inhabitants, but in the past it haed 2500.

The steid o a 10t-hunderyear castle, o which twa touers remain, the present veelage haes medieval waws datin back tae the 15t hunderyear surroondin the hooses an auld cobblestaned streets.

The veelage haes mony tunnels dug oot o the rock, uised for storage o the local Rioja wine, some o which can be visitit.

It is the hametoun o the Spainyie fabulist Félix María de Samaniego (1745–1801).

Locatit in the sooth o Alava, la Rioja Alavesa is clearly boondit bi the Cantabrie muntain range (Sierra de Cantabria) tae the north; frae here its land slope gently dounwairds as far as the Ebro river, whaur its sooth boondar is.

Laguardia itsel is boondit bi the muntains o Cantabria tae the north an bi the left bank o the Ebro tae the sooth. The San Ginés river splits the destricts o Elvillar an Laguardia in the east, an it is boondit bi Navaridas tae the wast.

Páganos, El Campillar an Laserna are veelages athin the jurisdiction o Laguardia

These geographic nuances provide this aurie wi its pairticular landscapes an climate, which hae clearly made a mark baith in its history an in the veelagers' character.

History

In the place namit "La Hoya" (a few metres north o the toun centre) thare is a important protohistoric archaeological site — a pre-Roman Celtiberian dounset that covers a period o mair nor 1000 years, frae 12t hunderyear BCE tae 2nt hunderyear CE.

In 1164, the veelage got its toun chairter durin the reign o King Sancho VI "the Wise" o Navarre. Durin the middle ages, Laguardia wis the main mercat o Navarre's Sonsierra.

Freemit airtins

• LAGUARDIA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (in Spaingie)