Canfranc

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Canfranc

Canfranc is a municipality in the Aragón Valley of north-eastern Spain consisting of two towns.

name of the village is from Campus Franci, literally the field of foreigners.

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Encyclopedia

Canfranc is a municipality in the Aragón Valley of north-eastern Spain consisting of two towns.

Political Information

comarca of Jacetania (capital at Jaca
Jaca

Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca . Jaca, a ford on the Arag?n River at the crossing of two great early medieval routes, one from Pau, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques to Zaragoza, was the fortified city out of which the County of Aragon and Kingdom of Aragon develop...
)
province of Huesca
Huesca (province)

Huesca is a provinces of Spain of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Frances of Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyr?n?es....
autonomous community of Aragón
Aragon

Aragon is an autonomous communities of Spain of Spain. Located in northeastern Spain, the region comprises three provinces of Spain from north to south: Huesca , Zaragoza , and Teruel ....

Canfranc (Pueblo)

The name of the village is from Campus Franci, literally the field of foreigners. It was originally a small market village, as well as providing pilgrims on the Arles route

Way of St. James (route descriptions)

The Way of St. James extends from all corners of Europe, and even North Africa, on its way to Santiago de Compostela and Cape Finisterre.The local authorities try to restore many of the ancient routes, even those used in a limited period, in the interest of tourism....
of the Way of St. James their first respite after the difficult crossing of the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are a mountain range in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. They separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extend for about from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea ....
over the pass of Somport

Somport

Somport is a mountain pass in the central Pyrenees on the border of France and Spain. The pass, whose name is derived from the Latin Summus portus, was one of the most popular routes for crossing the mountains for soldiers, merchants, and Way of St....
.

It was founded between 1080–90 by Sancho Ramírez, King of Aragón. Canfranc was also a command post, protecting the borders and controlling taxes, which were donated to the Cathedral of Jaca

Jaca

Jaca is a city of northeastern Spain near the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca . Jaca, a ford on the Arag?n River at the crossing of two great early medieval routes, one from Pau, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques to Zaragoza, was the fortified city out of which the County of Aragon and Kingdom of Aragon develop...
.

On 29 October 1288, the treaty of Canfranc mediated by Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , popularly known as Longshanks, the English Justinian, and the Hammer of the Scots , was a House of Plantagenet King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the same to Scotland....
was signed here, providing for the release of Charles II of Naples

Charles II of Naples

Charles II, known as "the Lame" , was List of monarchs of Naples and Sicily, titular Kings of Jerusalem, and Prince of Salerno....
from his imprisonment by Peter III of Aragon

Peter III of Aragon

Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Kingdom of Valencia and of Majorca , and Sovereign Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Kingdom of Sicily and became King of Sicily in 1282....
.

The village, which lies in the valley of the Aragón River

Aragón River

The River Arag?n or R?o Arag?n is one of the left-hand tributaries of the river Ebro. It starts at Ast?n , passes through Jaca and Sang?esa , and joins the Ebro at Milagro , near Tudela....
covers an area of 71,6 km² and is situated at an altitude of 1040 m. The remains to be seen include a Romanesque pilgrim's bridge and two churches of interest: Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (12th-16th c) with four Baroque retablo

Retablo

A retablo is painting typically done on a wood carving. This is a different meaning from the original one in Spanish, which still applies in Spain, and is equivalent to retable in English....
s, and la Trinidad (16th century). The town was obliterated by fire in 1617 and again in 1944, after which the villagers for the most part moved to nearby Canfranc Estación. The current population is 77.

Canfranc Estación

This small village (altitude 1190 m.) was largely created due to the inauguration of a railroad crossing the Pyrenees on 18 July 1928. The trains continued running until an international train accident destroyed the bridge at nearby L'Estanguet and severed the link on March 27, 1970. Canfranc Estación is most well known due to the rumours of "German gold" arriving here during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
(see external link below). Also, British espionage smuggled information and people from Vichy France to the consulate in San Sebastián through Canfranc since the nearer Irún

Irun

Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country Autonomous Community, Spain. Nowadays it is widely accepted by the historic researcher community that Irun is the ancient Vascones Roman town of Oiasso on account of the vestiges disclosed lately in the historic nucleus of Irun, whi...
bordered with occupied France. The train station is the highlight of the village and was used during the filming of Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago (1965 film)

Doctor Zhivago is a 1965 in film Cinema of the United States epic film or drama film-romance film-war film directed by David Lean and loosely based on the famous Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak....
. There has been talk for some time of reopening international train traffic between France and Spain, but until that time the area is profiting from its nearness to the ski resorts of Candanchú

Candanchú

Candanch? is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees . The name of the area is a corruption of "Camp d'Anjou" as this was originally the site of a military camp of the French Angevin dynasty....
and Astún

Astún

Ast?n is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees . The source of the Aragon River is in the resort....
. The current population is 454.

The tunnel is being used for the Laboratorio subterráneo de Canfranc (Canfranc underground laboratory).

Principal Festivities

Canfranc-Pueblo celebrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Assumption of Mary

The Roman Catholic Church teaches as Dogma that the Mary , "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." This means that Mary was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united....
(its Patron saint) on the 15th August, while Canfranc Estación holds festivities on the anniversary of the inauguration of its train station, the 18th July.

External links

(in English)
(Spanish only)
(English)
(Spanish only)
Travel experience in 1970 (in English)
The Estanguet bridge accident (in French)