Vejer de la Frontera is a Spanish hilltop town 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 ...

in the province of

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

, on the right bank of the river Barbate. The town of Vejer de la Frontera occupies a low hill overlooking the

Straits of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medit ...

and surrounded by orchards and orange groves. It contains several ancient churches and convents, and the architecture of many of its houses recalls the period of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

rule, which lasted from 711 until the town was captured by

Saint Ferdinand of Castile Ferdinand III ( es, Fernando, link=no; 1199/120130 May 1252), called the Saint (''el Santo''), was King of Castile from 1217 and King of León from 1230 as well as King of Galicia from 1231. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela o ...

in 1248. Agriculture and fruit-farming are the chief industries; fighting bulls are also bred in the neighborhood and a

running of the bulls A running of the bulls ( es, encierro, from the verb ''encerrar'', 'to corral, to enclose'; oc, abrivado, literally 'haste, momentum'; ca, correbous, 'run-bulls') is an event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls, typicall ...

is held annually.

Demographics

Festivities

Vejer Rally: It is the most important sporting event in the town, it is a test of the Andalusian Mountain Championship with more than 35 editions. Carnaval: Traditional Cadiz-style

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

with chirigotas and comparsas and a wider range of costumes. It is held one week after the

Carnival of Cádiz The Carnival of Cádiz () is one of the best-known carnivals in Spain. Its main characteristic is humor. Through sarcasm, mockery and irony, the main groups and the people of the street "purge" the most pressing problems of today. The whole city p ...

. Holy Week: A sober and intimate

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 ...

held in the alleys of Vejer. There are three brotherhoods: The Brotherhood of the Cristo de la Oliva which performs procession on Holy Wednesday, the Brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, which parades on Holy Thursdays and the Brotherhood of the Soledad which performs its procession on Holy Friday. The latter two are accompanied by Saetas. Spring Carnival: Main festivity of the town with various casetas and attractions. Verbena de San Juan: The strawmen Juanillos and Juanillos are burned, taking the shape of important personalities during the year. The festivity also includes the

fire bull A ''toro de fuego'' ("fire bull") is a festive activity in Spain, where a metal frame resembling a bull, with fireworks attached to it, is set alight, and then the person carrying the frame runs around town at night as if chasing people in the st ...

. Velada de Nuestra Señora de la Oliva: Romeria where the patron saint of the town is taken to her sanctuary.

Sister cities

Ostuni Ostuni ( nap, label= Barese, Ostune; scn, label=Salentino, Stune) is a city and ''comune'', located about 8 km from the coast, in the province of Brindisi, region of Apulia, Italy. The town has a population of about 32,000 during the winter ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Chefchaouen Chefchaouen ( ar, شفشاون, Shafshāwan, ), also known as Chaouen (), is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blu ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

Chaouen está hermanada con Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz), que a su vez estuvo bajo el dominio musulmán durante cinco siglos. *

Amboise Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home of the French royal court. Geography Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about away f ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Gallery

Vista de Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, España, 2015-12-09, DD 20.JPG, General view. Vista de Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, España, 2015-12-09, DD 13.JPG, View of the mill. Plaza de España, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, España, 2015-12-09, DD 03.JPG, Main square. Callejeando por Vejer (32398207983).jpg, Street in Vejer. Véjer de la Frontera Conjunt històric 2.jpg, Church of Divino Salvador. Ayuntamiento de Vejer (32830690160).jpg, Town Hall. Vejerdsc02022.jpg, Mayorazgo Tower. Statue of a veiled woman, Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain, 2007-04-01.jpg, Statue of a veiled woman in Vejer

References

External links

Visitor information about the town and area, multilingual

Tourist information site

Information for English speaking visitors
Costa de la Luz Municipalities of the Province of Cádiz {{Andalusia-geo-stub