The mountain ranges and the valleys of the Pyrenees are unquestionably the largest and best tourism resources in Aragón. In Huesca, this great resource is represented by huge swathes of forest on mountain slopes that can reach up to 3,000 metres in height. This makes it an ideal situation for skiing and a huge range of adventure sports and other activities that are connected to mountain tourism.
Especially interesting are the areas related to the National Park of Ordesa, ths Natural Park of Guara and Posets-Maladeta and the Argonese part of the Camino de Santiago, which enters Spain through the Mountain Pass of Somport, leads down to Canfrac and arrives at the valled of the River Aragón until Jaca, a place of special significance as it is home to the first romanic cathedral of Spain. From here is leads on to join with the route from Roncesvalles and the Puente la Reina de Jaca.
Historically this region is rich in tales and legend. After the downfall of the Roman Empire, the Arabs entered Spain close to modern day Gibraltar. Powered by religious zeal they charged through the Iberian Peninsula like a knife through butter; no-one was safe and nowhere was sacrosanct. The Arabs appeared unstoppable. This was until they reached the border with France where Charlemagne, King of the Franks and soon-to-be Holy Roman Emperor, managed to detain them in the Pyrenees and later defeated them definitively, stopping their northward expansion, in Poitiers.
Later, In 778 Charlemagne was invited by a group of Arab leaders in Spain to attack Abd al-Rahman I, ruler of Cordova. Charlemagne obliged, but was forced to retreat after only getting to Zaragoza. During his march back through the Pyrenees his forces were set upon by Basques. Among the many that died was Roland from Breton, killed in Roncesvalles. His memory has been preserved in the Chanson de Roland, an important epic poem during the Middle Ages.
Aragón was never really taken under the total control of Muslim forces and it was from here that the Christian Kingdoms organised the retaking of the Peninsula, the so-called Reconquista. It wasn’t until nearly 800 years later that this process was finished and it’s passage through time is vividly marked around the countryside by the many monuments, amongst which the most important date from the romanic, including castles, hermitages, churches and fortified towers.
An excellent motorway links Huesca with the capital of the Autonomous region, Zaragoza con Huesca and the interior roads are generally in good condition although, when you get into the mountains, they can get a bit hairy! The Somport tunnel that connects Hesca with France has ensured a huge increase in Traffic volume as communications have improved.
Huresca has traditionally been an agricultural community. But in recent decades this practice has declined substantially. Nowadays much of the population that once lived in the country has migrated to the towns and cities although now, with the increase in mountain tourism, there is a trend the other way.
Huesca capital is a town with around 48,000 inhabitants and it’s here that the political and administrative institutions for the province are located.
Jaca is one of the principal towns of the Pyrenees and possesses excellent communications. It also has an important artistic and cultural heritage.
More information and images:
http://www.huescaturismo.com/
http://www.jorgetutor.com/
http://www.redaragon.com/
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