|
Vejer de la Frontera is a picturesque medieval town that crowns a solitary limestone headland 190 meters above sea level.
There are numerous breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside to be had in almost any direction and the town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and attractive towns not only in Andalucia, but also in Spain, and in fact in 1978 it won the first prize in the national competition of beautiful towns.
It has all the features: white walls, brown-red roofs, narrow cobbled streets, Moorish Castle, panoramic views out over fertile land & bull breeding pastures even to the sea at Barbate, and an ability to celebrate feast days, notable even for Andalucía.
Some local festivals are the Carnival in February-March, "Semana Santa" (Easter parade), "El Toro embolao" (bull-run on Easter Sunday) and the Fair, which is one of the earliest in Andalucia.
Although it was captured from the Moors over 700 years ago, it has not lost any of its Arab features.
In fact up until not very long ago the women of Vejer wore rather strange costumes, reminiscent more of Middle Eastern dress than the traditional European garb. These costumes called “Cobijadas de Vejer de La Frontera” were long dark robes that covered the women from head to feet.
Nowadays Vejer is twinned with the traditional Moroccan Andalusí town of Chef-Chauen.
The town is a magical place to explore, its network of narrow cobbled sloping streets meandering through a charming jumble of secret corners, hidden patios and delightful houses around and about the walls of the fortress.
In some places you can still see the fortress walls that were carefully constructed by the Muslims in the eleventh century, and some of these streets are so steep they have handrails to help you along your way.
The Jewish quarter was located on one side of the ramparts, near the Paseo de las Cobijadas, and is one the best conserved nowadays.
The tourist office is located in the library/archives office in the Palace of the Marquess of Tamarón. Here you can obtain a map of the town and other useful local information.
All the houses in the town are whitewashed and most date back to Moorish times. Everywhere you look you will see this Moorish influence.
There are many local artisan shops in the town, all offering a wide selection of hand-made goods at realistic prices.
Look for the inner courtyards decorated with pot plants that explode in colour in spring and summer.
|
|
It is possible to trace the history of Vejer back to the centuries before Christ and possibly even further to the time of the Phoenicians.
Vejer most probably already existed during the rule of the Carthaginians (roughly 400 BC) although obviously nowhere near the present size. The name of the town presumably originates from that time.
It is likely that the Carthaginians called the river Barbate “Wadi-Baka” – after the city of Baka that dominated its delta. During the course of time the word “Baka” gradually seems to have been transformed in to the name “Vejer”.
There is no doubt however, that the town owes its early origin to its strong strategic position above the river Barbate, which provided the town with good natural defences and easy access to the sea by river.
Visible relics from the the time of Roman rule (in 216 BC Cornelius Scipio conquered Cádiz during the Punic wars) include the street at the northern slope of the hill on which Vejer is situated, the arch at the end of the Corredera and parts of the Iglesia Parroquial (the main church). The Teutonic migration of people into Spain finally ended Roman rule here.
In 711 AD the then leader of the Moors, Tariq, inflicted a resounding defeat on the Visigoths and their leader Don Rodrigo at the Battle of La Janda close to Vejer, which as a result stayed in Moorish hands for over 500 years. It was under Muslim domination in the following centuries that the old town developed its essential characteristics: castle, fortification and layout of the streets and houses.
At the beginning of the 13th century the first Christian troops appeared in the area around Vejer, but it was not until 1248 that they finally conquered the town itself under the leadership of King Ferdinand III (the Saint).
In the following decades the occupation of the town changed hands several times between Moors and Christians. As explained on the Conil page, it is from that period the appendix “de la Frontera” stems, referring to the frontier between Moorish and Christian occupied Spain. Guzmán el Bueno defended Vejer against the last Moorish attack in 1291.
The following year Guzmán set out to defend Tarifa, which was under continuous Moorish attack. He refused to surrender the fortress to the Moors, even when the besiegers captured his son and threatened to kill him at the foot of the castle walls if the Christian resistance continued. Guzmán, according to the records, threw down his dagger from the battlements commanding his son’s captors to use his blade to kill his own son.
In 1293 Guzmán became the first mayor of Vejer. Later, the whole town was “given” to him by Fernando IV as a reward for his services to the crown along with the fishing rights to the whole coast from Tarifa to Ayamonte.
On 21 October 1805 the British Navy under the command of Admiral Nelson destroyed the unified French and Spanish fleet at Cape Trafalgar. The roar of cannon fire could be heard as far as Vejer.
In 1811, Napoleon’s troops occupied Vejer. Violent incursions by anarchists at the beginning of the Spanish civil war in 1936 revived the demand for land reform. As a result of these incidents two dozen Moroccan soldiers from General Franco´s army occupied the city & 5 inhabitants lost their lives.
|
|
.jpg)
El Palmar forms part of the Municipio (municipality) of Vejer and is in fact Vejer´s beach. El Palmar consists of little more than that: the fabulous beach, a couple of tarmac roads, dirt tracks, holiday homes and a few restaurants and bars. Unfortunately there are plans for a large hotel to be built here shortly, and the area is under considerable pressure from developers and property speculators, although one hopes the local council will have learnt from the serious errors on other Costas.
It is precisely this lack of development that makes it such an attractive place to spend a holiday. Although the beach at El Palmar can get very crowded on July weekends and in August, by walking a short distance one can always find areas with little human traffic.
The main stretch of beach is frequented by young local surfers and others from further afield. The beach at El Palmar is well-known in surfing circles and national competitions are often held here. Of course when the wind blows it transforms into a prime windsurfing or kitesurfing site.
There are several excellent local restaurants (see Restaurant Guide under Food & Drink) and in July and August there are also several "chiringuitos" (beach bars) erected on the main stretches of beach (see photo above).
|
|
.jpg)
A typical sunset at El Palmar - Rio Conilete
|
|
|
|
|
Bolonia
