Pamplona
Pamplona, a city in northern Spain, is located in the Cuenca de Pamplona valley in the middle of the country's Navarre region. Pamplona's central position, in between the mountains of the north and the Ebro valley, commercially links the different areas of the region. The city is the site of the San Fermín festival featuring the running of the bulls, made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his novel The Sun Also Rises. Many tourists visit the ancient Basque city for the nine-day custom, which began many years ago when young people would run amongst the bulls that were being transported from corrals to the bullring for fighting. The event is held in early July.
Fast Facts
- Country: Spain
- Mayor: Yolanda Barcina Angulo
- Language spoken: Spanish
- Population: 195,769
- Currency: Euro (EUR)
- Country code: ES
- Area code: 48
- Time zone: GMT/UTC + 01:00 hour
History
Roman general Pompey, who served in the war against Sertorius, is considered the founder of Pamplona because he made his camp there in the winter of 74-75 BC. During the eighth century, the Moors and the Franks controlled the city. In 778, Charlemagne destroyed the city walls after his expedition to Zaragoza, Spain, failed. Over time, Pamplona served a key role in the military defense of the Pyrenees. The city grew culturally and economically, but could not expand beyond its walled borders until 1915 when the army allowed for three of the city walls to be destroyed and lifted a building ban in the city.
Running of the Bulls
The city is known for the annual running of the bulls custom during the San Fermín festival. The bulls run from the corral at Santo Domingo, where they are kept for the night, to the bullring where they will fight. The approximately half-mile run takes about three minutes.
Categories
