Siero is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of the
autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of
Asturias
Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
, in northern
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. With a population of 52,194 as of 2023,
Siero is the fourth most populous
municipality in Asturias. It has a total of 29
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
, with the largest being
Lugones; its capital parish is
La Pola Siero. It is located centrally within Asturias, and the northernmost point of Siero is about 10 km from Asturias' largest city,
Gijón, and the shores of the
Cantabrian Sea.
Geography
Siero's two main rivers, which run throughout much of the municipality, are the
Nora and Noreña. Geographically,
meadowlands make up a majority of the area within Siero. Like many other areas near the coast in Asturias, Siero tends to have a very temperate climate.
It also
enclaves the municipality of
Noreña.
History
The area now known as Siero has been inhabited by humans since the
Paleolithic period, especially near the current parishes of Argüelles, Lugones, and
Samartindianes. The
Roman conquest of Iberia extended to the municipality, as evidenced by the numerous
Roman bridges left over from that period.
Siero would not be referenced in writing until 905, when
Alfonso III granted the church of San Martín de Siero to the
Oviedo Cathedral. Other churches in the municipality were also donated to the Oviedo Cathedral throughout that century. There are also records of
hospitals and
leprosariums being constructed in the area 12th and 13th centuries; some of those continued operating until roughly the 18th century. On 14 August 1270,
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Alfonso X granted the area its
municipal charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...
, giving the area official recognition. Eighty years later, the region was split following the death of
Alfonso XI, with
Pedro I controlling Samartindianes and the rest of the region subject to
Enrique II of Trastámara. Following Enrique II's ascent to the
throne of Castile, he exempted Siero from taxes due to its inhabitants' support during the
Castilian Civil War.
In the early 19th century, Siero was invaded multiple times by the
French during the
Napoleonic Wars
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Napoleonic Wars
, partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
, image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg
, caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, until the French withdrew from Asturias in 1812.
Throughout 20th century, due to the growth of the
coal mining industry in the region, Siero became one of the fastest growing municipalities in Asturias, more than doubling its population from the beginning of the century to the end. In modern times, the
tertiary sector has become Siero's largest, with
construction
Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...
and
dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...
still remaining relevant.
Siero currently consists of the following 29 parishes:
Politics
References
External links
*
Concejo de Siero
{{authority control
Municipalities in Asturias
*