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LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY |
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town of Samaniego is situated in the region
of Rioja Alavesa, in the foothills of the
Sierra de Toloño. |
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It lies next to
the A-124, which runs east to west across the Rioja
Alavesa. Its other roads are the A-3214, which goes
to Villabuena, Elciego and the A-68 motorway and
the A-2124 which leads to Vitoria-Gasteiz, via the
Herrera mountain pass.
The historical centre of Samaniego lies upon land
that slopes gently towards the south, with two escarpments
to the east and west.
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HISTORIC EVOLUTION AND URBAN STRUCTURE |
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 HISTORY |
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The history
of Samaniego begins in the Middle Ages, during
the wars between Castile and Navarre. Of the
fortified advance guard of the kingdom of
Navarre, there remains the round tower that
is built on to the parochial church.
It began to thrive from the 16th century onwards.
In 1668 it obtained the title of town, becoming
independent of Laguardia. It maintained its
level of prosperity throughout this and the
following centuries, when the finest buildings
of the town were constructed. The buildings
on either side of the old thoroughfare (Calle
Constitución) are from this period,
as are those of the area of El Olmo.
The first expansion, at the beginnings of
the 19th century; took place in the area of
El Ochavo and in the Calle del Cristo.
In recent years, there has been further growth
due to the construction of housing for holiday
makers.
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| STRUCTURE
AND URBAN GROWTH |
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The historical
centre of Samaniego is divided into two neighbourhoods,
known as El Olmo and La Constitución.
They grew up around the Calles Sor Felicias
and Constitución respectively. These
streets follow the path of the roads to Elciego
and Laguardia.
The later expansion, this time outside of
the historical centre, took place at the beginning
of the 19th century towards the north, in
the areas of El Ochavo and El Cristo.
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| TYPES
OF BUILDING |
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There are
two clearly distinguishable types of traditional
building in Samaniego:
A common type of building, connected with
farm work, mainly seen in the area of El Olmo.
A nobler type of building, erected during
the 16th to 18th centuries, which is found
on the Calle Constitución, although
there are also examples on the Calle Sor Felicias.
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| OUTSTANDING
FEATURES |
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There are
two basic elements:
The Church of La Asunción, a renaissance
church from the 16th century which incorporates
one of the medieval fortress towers into its
construction. A second, higher, tower, with
a polygonal ground plan acts as the bell tower.
The church has a rectangular ground plan and
has a single nave.
The Mansion, or Palacio de Samaniego dates
from the 18th century. It is a detached mansion
house with a hipped roof and richly decorated
main façade. After a long period of
neglect, it has recently been restored and
fitted out as a hotel.
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