Talavera de la Reina

Talavera de la Reina
Municipality
Clockwise from top: Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Prado, albarrana tower, general view from the North, San Prudencio, Colegial Church of Saint Mary the Great
Flag Coat of arms
Talavera de la Reina Location in Spain
Coordinates: 39°57′30″N 4°49′58″W / 39.95833°N 4.83278°W / 39.95833; -4.83278Coordinates: 39°57′30″N 4°49′58″W / 39.95833°N 4.83278°W / 39.95833; -4.83278
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Castile-La Mancha
Province	Toledo
Comarca	Tierras de Talavera
Judicial district	Talavera de la Reina
Government
• Alcalde	Jaime Ramos (2014-today) (PP)
Area
• Total	185.83 km2 (71.75 sq mi)
Elevation	373 m (1,224 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	88,856
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Talaveranos
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	45600
Climate	BSk
Official language(s)	Spanish
Website	www.talavera.org

Talavera de la Reina is a city and municipality in the western part of the province of Toledo, which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, Spain. It is the second-largest population center in Castile–La Mancha. Its population of 83,793 makes it larger than the city of Toledo, although the latter remains the provincial capital.

The city is settled along the river Tagus (Tajo in Spanish) at a broad bank. There are two islands in the center of the city called Isla Grande and Chamelo Island. The city is surrounded by two ranges of mountains, in the north the Sierra de San Vicente, and in the south Montes de Toledo.

The city is divided in two by the river Tagus. The northern part is the larger and more populated; both parts are connected by three bridges, one of them built in the Middle Ages.

Talavera has a transition climate between the harsher continentalized mediterranean climate of the central table land and the mild-winter mediterranean climate of nearby Extremadura; Summers are hot and extremely dry and winters are moderately mild cool. Overall the climate is slightly warmer than Madrid. The area is very fertile with Mediterranean forests, elms, olive trees and corks.

The city is internationally known for its ceramics, which Philip II of Spain used as tiled revetments in many of his works, such as the monastery of El Escorial. The nickname of Talavera de la Reina is 'The City of Pottery' (La Ciudad de la Cerámica, in Spanish). Mexico's famous Talavera pottery was named after the city.

There are remnants of prehistoric cultures in the area. The village was founded by the Celts as a ford of the Tagus. The first mention of the city (with the name Aebura) occurs in Livy's description of a battle between the Romans and the Carpetanoi, a Celtiberian tribe. After the Roman conquest of Hispania, it was known as Caesarobriga, one of many Celtic toponyms preserved in Roman Hispania, with a name connoting "fortified" that was extended to many non-fortified rowns: "Caesarburg". Caesarobriga served as an important center for agriculture and ceramics in the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE During the Visigothic period, Talavera reverted to a variant of its Celtiberian name: Elbora or Ebora. Its modern name is derived from Talabayra, the Muslim rendering of this Visigothic name. The city was conquered by Muslim forces in 713 and conquered by Christian forces under Alfonso VI of Castile in 1083.