Ocaña, Spain

Ocaña, a town and municipality of central Spain, in the province of Toledo. It is located on the extreme north of the tableland known as the Mesa de Ocaña, and has a station on the railway from Aranjuez to Cuenca.

Ocaña
Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms
Ocaña
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 39°57′25″N 3°29′48″W
Country Spain
Autonomous community Castile-La Mancha
ProvinceToledo
ComarcaMesa de Ocaña
Judicial districtNumero 1
Government
 • MayorRemedios Gordo Hernández
Area
 • Total147.9 km2 (57.1 sq mi)
Elevation
730 m (2,400 ft)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total11,067
 • Density75/km2 (190/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Ocañenses
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
45300
WebsiteOfficial website
Busto de Isabella of Spain in Ocaña.
Typical house building "la Mancha" style in Ocaña, in "chalk white" and "añil" blue.

Toponymy

The term Ocaña seems to have the base word olca- that originates from the Celtiberian 'fertile ground, meadow', and could have evolved into: Olcania > Ocania < Ocaña.[2] There are other theories, like the one by Nieto Ballester,[3] who states that Ocaña is a pre-Roman term, maybe Indo-European, but not Celtic. On the other hand, Menéndez Pidal[4] quotes the name of Ocaña to support his thesis of the Ligurian substratum in the Iberian Peninsula.

Geography

This town is located on the north side of the plain known as Mesa de Ocaña, where you can find many towns of the region. It is close to other towns and cities as Aranjuez in the northeast, Ontígola in the north, Noblejas in the east, Villatobas in the southeast, Dosbarrios, Cabañas de Yepes and Huerta de Valdecarábanos in the south and Yepes and Ciruelos in the west.

History

The town is surrounded by ruined walls which contain the remains of an old castle. Ocaña is the Vicus Cuminarius of the Romans. The Battle of Ocaña was fought near here, on 19 November 1809; the Spanish under Juan Carlos de Aréizaga were routed by the French under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Soult.

Main sights
  • Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, in Renaissance style
  • Convent of St. Dominic, in Renaissance style (1535–1605)
  • Fuente Grande ("Great Spring"), built in the 16th century
  • Fuente Vieja ("Old Spring"), probably of Roman origins
  • Parish church of Santa María de la Asunción, built over a 12th-century mosque
  • Parish church of St. John the Baptist (13th century)
  • Convent of the Carmelites (16th century)
  • Palacio de los Cárdenas (16th century)
  • Rollo de Justicia (15th century)

Transportation

Ocaña is a major hub in the Spanish motorway network. The autovías A-4 and A-40 and toll roads R-4 and AP-36 all intersect each other at Ocaña. In addition, the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail line passes by Ocaña, but does not have a station there.

References
  1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. García Sánchez, Jairo Javier (2004). Toponimia mayor de la provincia de Toledo (zonas central y oriental). Toledo, Instituto provincial de investigaciones y estudios toledanos. pág. 262, ISBN 84-95432-05-6.
  3. NIETO BALLESTER, Emilio (1997). Breve diccionario de topónimos españoles. Madrid, Alianza Editorial. pág. 259, ISBN 84-206-9487-8.
  4. MENÉNDEZ PIDAL, Ramón (2005). Toponimia perrománica hispana. Editorial Gredos, S. A. págs. 172 y 173, ISBN 978-84-249-0121-9.
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