The history of Navarrete (La Rioja)



The history of Navarrete has been marked by being a crossroads, a borderland, and a land that perfects great works, such as vineyards and clay.


The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the remains found, including an open-air flint site in the Dehesa de Navarrete.


During the Roman conquest, the road that linked Asturica Augusta with Tarraco in the 1st century B.C. passed through here.


A century later, in the 10th century, it is believed that King Sancho Garces II founded a small settlement here belonging to the Kingdom of Pamplona, although there is no absolute certainty about it.


In 1195, King Alfonso VIII of Castile wanted to strengthen his domains against the Kingdom of Navarre and promoted the place of Navarrete by granting it the charter of a Castilian town.


He created a community called Villas del Campo which includes the lands of Fuenmayor, Medrano, Daroca de Rioja, Sotes, and Hornos de Moncalvillo.


Its location on the Camino de Santiago developed it during the 12th century, when the Pilgrims' Hospital of San Juan de Acre was built.


In 1369, King Henry II of Castile donated the town to the nobleman Juan Ramirez de Arellano, but in 1380, King Juan I granted it to Diego Gomez Manrique de Lara, the grand mayor of Castile and the king's chief butler.


Although it may have been previously fortified, it is believed that it is at this moment when the castle is built on top of the Tedeon hill and a wall with 7 gates and its own moat (like an outer protection ditch).


In the 16th century, it loses its defensive character and the city grows to its current layout of the historic center.


In 1790, Navarrete was one of the municipalities that founded the Royal Economic Society of La Rioja, which was one of the societies of friends of the country founded in the Enlightenment era.


Over time, the town grows and develops from its famous wine industry, an innovative and renowned pottery craft, and a stopover on the Jacobean route.


The urban ensemble is declared a Cultural Heritage Site and Artistic Historic Site.

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