Hervás is a Spanish town in the north of the province of Cáceres

Cáceres (province)

The province of Cáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....

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It had 3,839 inhabitants in 2005. It's 120 km from Cáceres

Cáceres, Spain

Cáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....

 and 90 km far from Salamanca

Salamanca

Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...

. It's the capital of the Valle de Ambroz comarca

Comarca

A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...

 in the Ambroz River valley. It has a soft continental climate

Continental climate

Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...

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History

In 12th century, the Knights Templar

Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...

 built Santihervás hermitage under the patronage of the Christian martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. By this hermitage the town started to grow during 13th and 14th centuries

From its foundation on it belonged to the lordship of Béjar

Béjar

Béjar is a town and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It lies had a population of 15,016 .-History:...

 in the Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile

Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...

: it passed to Cáceres jurisdiction on the 30 November 1833.

La Judería

Lots of Jewish families started to settle from 15th century on, they even maintained their rituals some years after 1492. The Jewish quarter

Jewish quarter (diaspora)

In the Jewish Diaspora, a Jewish quarter is the area of a city traditionally inhabited by Jews. Jewish quarters, like the Jewish ghettos in Europe, were often the outgrowths of segregated ghettos instituted by the surrounding Christian authorities. A Yiddish term for a Jewish quarter or...

 (Judería) has been maintained and it's one of the tourist lures of the town.

Economy

The textile industry was very important from 18th century to 19th century. After that, the chestnut

Chestnut

Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...

 wood industry, handicrafts and tourism have been the pillar of Hervás' economy.

Remarkable buildings

• La Enfermería de los Religiosos Franciscanos (Franciscan
  Franciscan
  Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
  
   Sickbay), 18th century, current town hall.
• El Convento de los Religiosos Trinitarios (Trinitarian
  Trinitarian Order
  The Order of the Holy Trinity is a Catholic religious order that was founded in the area of Cerfroid, some 80 km northeast of Paris, at the end of the twelfth century. The founder was St. John de Matha, whose feast day is celebrated on 17 December...
  
   Convent), current Junta de Extremadura
  Junta de Extremadura
  The Junta de Extremadura is the collegial body that performs the functions of the Government of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. Also, in accordance with the general guidelines of the President, establishes policy and directs the administration of the Autonomous Region exercises the...
  
   Hospedería (chain of four stars hotels run by regional government).
• Pérez Comendador Museum, 18th century.
• La Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María (Saint Mary's Parish Church).