Cáceres is a provincial capital in the Autonomous Region of Extremadura, known for its extensive grazed cork and holm oak groves called 'dehesas', where pigs have been kept for centuries and whose 'Iberian' ham (Jamón Ibérico) is one of the most important products of Spanish agriculture. A historic military and trade road, the 'Vía de la Plata' (Silver Road), connected Seville with Astorga via Cáceres and was already completely paved in the 1st century AD. Since the Middle Ages, La Plata has also been used as a pilgrimage route; it is part of the network of the Camino de Santiago, whose common destination is the city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Cáceres dates back to the Roman fortress of Castra Caecilia, founded in 79 BC. In the 6th century, large parts of the city were destroyed by the invading Visigoths and only later rebuilt by the Moors. In 1139, the city was temporarily conquered in the course of the Reconquista (reconquest [from Arab rule]), but it was not until 1229 that it was finally captured for the Kingdom of León. In the 15th century, Isabella I of Castile ordered the demolition of all the towers of the houses whose owners had not supported her in the succession dispute with Joan of Castile. As a result, Cáceres was badly affected; only two palaces remained unscathed. This is why Cáceres is still called the "decapitated capital". The old town of Cáceres has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The coin shows part of the south-eastern outskirts of the Plaza Mayor (main square), the traditional meeting place of the cacereños, with the stairway leading up to the star arch gate 'Arco de la Estrella', built by the Baroque architect Manuel de Lara y Churriguera (≈1690-1755). At the top left, you can see the top of the Bujaco Tower, bastion of the Knights of the Order of Santiago. |
