Talavera de la Reina is a city and municipality in the western part of the province of Toledo. It is the second-largest nucleus of population in Castile–La Mancha and the largest in the province: its population of 89,000 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.
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.
In 1975 Franco died, and democracy came to Spain. Talavera’s first democratic mayor tried to create the province of Talavera, but the idea was not successful. The next mayor, Pablo Tello from the Socialist Party, made large projects such as the Alameda Park. In 1989 a feeling of marginalization enveloped the city, and a group of people called “Nosotros Talavera” (We Talavera) started fighting for the creation of a University Campus and other projects for the city. The University started classes in 1994.
[responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The 2016 UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, will be the 15th edition of the UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of...
