La Alberca

La Alberca is a municipality in the province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, Spain. It is the capital of Sierra de Francia Comarca.

In 2003, the population of La Alberca was 1105, and the area 60.73 km². Its altitude is 1048 metres above sea level.

The Carmelite convent of Batuecas Desert, established by Thomas á Jesu is located five kilometres away, but the route there from the town is 12 km.

Due to the relatively long presence of the Arab civilization in the region, the name, La Alberca may have come from the Arabic word "berka" meaning a lake, combined with the Arabic article "al".

People have been living in the area of La Alberca since before the arrival of the Romans, as evinced by the pre-Roman castro which sits beneath a part of town. Few remnents from the [Visigoth] era remain, however it is thought that materials were reused to build the present Majadas Old Chapel.

In the 13th century the town of La Alberca was a clerk of the crown, being one of the few places in the Sierra de France that belonged to Miranda County.

According to legend, in 1465 the women of the town defeated Portuguese troops, and, in this victory, claimed the Portuguese flag, which is still preserved today in the village. The victory is celebrated on the second day of Easter.

In the 15th century, John II of Castile brought the town under the domain of the House of Alba who later gained control of part of the Sierra de France with the help of Ferdinand. These demains were grouped under one jurisdiction based in the town of Granadilla Caceres.

It was written of La Alberca in around 1600: "It has only a parish church and a chapel near the village of San Sebastian and two chapels, one of Our Lady of Majadas Old and one from San Pedro and two shrines .... "

However La Alberca managed to maintain some autonomy from Granadilla, coming to have their own ordinances in 1515.

In 1940 the town became a National Historic Landmark, facilitating urban conservation. Since 2000, the Valley of Las Batuecas in La Alberca has been a declared Historic Site. The valley is where the Batuecas River joins the River Ladrillar.

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Wikipedia