Hellín is a city and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
located in the
province of Albacete
Albacete ( es, Provincia de Albacete, ) is a province of central Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. As of 2012, Albacete had a population of 402,837 people. Its capital city, also called Albacete, is ...
,
Castilla–La Mancha
Castilla–La Mancha (, , ), or Castile La Mancha, is an autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo, it was created in 1982. The government headquarters are in Toledo, and ...
.
The municipality spans across a total area of 781.66 km
2.
As of 1 January 2020, it has a population of 30,200,
which makes it the second largest municipality in the province. It belongs to the
''comarca'' of
Campos de Hellín.
History
There is an archaeological site at
Tolmo de Minateda hill near Hellín, with phases of
Iberian,
Roman and
Visigoth occupation. There are archaeological evidences suggesting that the Minateda site may have stood at some point at the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
side of the
''limes''. A tentative identification with the ''Iyih'' mentioned in the
Pact of Theodemir has been also proposed. Minateda was thus probably known as ''Madinat Iyyuh'' during the Islamic period. The Arabic name of Hellín was however ''Falyān'', which eventually evolved into 'Felín', and then 'Hellín'.
The importance of the
Sulfur-rich mining district in the south of the municipality led to the creation of a
mining community
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry.
Historic mining communities
Australia
* Ballarat, Victoria
* Bendig ...
in the area (Las Minas), that became a leading producer of sulfur in southwestern Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Railway arrived to the town in 1864, with the opening of the
Chinchilla–Hellín stretch on 18 January and the Hellín– stretch on 8 October.
Hellín was granted the title of city (''ciudad'') in 1898.
Esparto
Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spart ...
cultivation increased in the first decades of the 20th century, peaking in importance during the
Autarky
Autarky is the characteristic of self-sufficiency, usually applied to societies, communities, states, and their economic systems.
Autarky as an ideal or method has been embraced by a wide range of political ideologies and movements, especiall ...
period of the
Francoist dictatorship, with the expansion of
irrigated crops.
Culture
Main celebrations, such as the processions and the traditional ''tamborada'' (drumming), declared of international tourist interest, occur during the
Holy Week
Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...
(in Spanish, ''Semana Santa'').
Main sights
*
Church of la Asunción
Notable people
*
Ginés de Boluda, composer
*
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, biochemist & pharmacologist
*
Josico, footballer
*
Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells Oliván (; ; born 9 February 1942) is a Spanish sociologist. He is well known for his authorship of a trilogy of works, entitled The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. He is a scholar of the information society, co ...
, sociologist
Twinned cities
*
Paysandú
Paysandú () is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the Argentina–Uruguay border, border with Argentina. It lies northwest of Montevideo via Rout ...
, Uruguay
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
*
*
*
*
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External links
*
Official websiteWeb oficial de Turismo de Hellín
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellin
Municipalities of the Province of Albacete