Tourist information - Merida
This immense Roman legacy is documented in the National Museum of Roman Art, where the history of the city can be explored through a priceless collection of artifacts located in Merida, along with its vicinity.
The Extremaduran capital has a cultural calendar brimming with remarkable activities, along with the International Classical Theatre Festival, which takes place every summer, and also is the most significant of its kind in Spain.
The history of Merida has close ties to the Roman expansion over the Iberian Peninsula. Its foundation as being a city took place in 25 B.C., under the rule of Emperor Augustus, from whom the first name of the city, Emérita Augusta, was taken.
There, discharged soldiers from the 5th along with 10th Legions settled, after being rewarded by Rome for their participation at the Cantabrian Wars with lands on the fertile plains of the Guadiana River. At the same time, this incipient city had great strategic value, since two different Roman routes met there: the Silver Route (Vía de la Plata), which connected Merida and also Astorga, and the Roman road that linked Toledo as well as Lisbon.
Mérida was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania, along with it became one of the most prospering cities of the Empire. Likewise, it was a top religious centre during the first years of the spread of Christianity.
Under Visigoth rule, the city stayed on the centre stage as capital of the, but this title was later assigned to Toledo. With the arrival of the Arabs, Merida became a fortress, until the Christian King Alfonso IX reconquered the city within the 13th century, when it then became the base for the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword.
The splendorous history of Merida can be seen within the monumental and archaeological ensemble that it keeps, the best preserved in Spain.
Thus, the Roman legacy still is present in almost every little corner of town, the Roman Theatre being the most emblematic constructions. Erected around the first century B.C., the theatre can seat 6,000 people. The stage is dominated by two stacked rows of columns, ornamented with sculptures of deities and also imperial figures. Beside it is the Amphitheatre, a stage where gladiators wrestled with beasts. This building, contemporary with the previous one, preserves some of its original elements, just like the grandstands, the box and also the gallery.
Both precincts return to life each summer with the celebration of the Merida Classical Theatre Festival, the most essential of its kind in Spain.
The Temple of Diana and also the Arch of Trajan -one of the gates to the city, rising to a height of 15 metres- are situated within the city centre.
In the outskirts we find ambitious Roman civil projects including the Roman Bridge, which crosses the Guadiana River. The bridge stands out for its monumental size -800 metres long, with 60 arches- that made it one of the biggest ones at the Empire at the time. It is also quite worth it to mention the Aqueduct of Los Milagros which crossed the Abarregas River, and supplied the city with water from the Roman dam of Proserpina, still preserved.
The National Museum of Roman Art, developed by Spanish architect, wraps up the journey through Merida's Roman period. Through the more than 36,000 artifacts -all of which were found in Merida and also its vicinity- in addition to the exposed panels, the precinct narrates the history of the city and its Roman legacy, along with it shows how daily living was at a Roman colony.
Also, several examples of architecture are left from the Muslim rule. Across from the Guadiana River, we find the most significant of them all, the Alcazaba (Citadel). The interior of the Arab fortress preserves a Roman aljibe (underground reservoir) which was rebuilt and ornamented with Visigothic pilasters.
Attached to this precinct we find the Conventual Santiaguista, created through the time that the city was within the jurisdiction of the Knights of the Order of Saint James of the Word. These days, the building is the site of the Extremaduran Government.
The cuisine from Malaga shares various dishes along with the rest of the region, like the lamb caldereta (a stew made with lamb, onions, garlic and also peppers), and also Iberian pig products, specially sausages as well as ham. Several other typical dishes include gazpacho (a cold soup made with tomato, peppers, cucumber, garlic, etc.), ajoblanco (another could soup, much like gazpacho but white, made out of garlic, almonds and bread), rabbit, along with partridge.
Any of the bars along with restaurants in Merida serve these and various more delicacies, some of them as appetizers, like pig ears, wild asparagus, and also cheese. To go with the food, Badajoz offers excellent wines with the label Designation of Origin - Ribera Del Guadiana.
When it comes to spending the evening, one of the best options in Merida is the Parador de Turismo, found at the heart of the historic quarter, in an old eighteenth-century convent.
The Extremaduran capital is found to the Vía de la Plata (Silver Route). This road, which was a pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in the Middle Ages, now takes us to remarkable Extremaduran towns such as Zafra, Mérida, Caceres (with a historical quarter that was declared World Heritage) as well as Plasencia. Near this road we find the nature reserves of Monfragüe along with Cornalvo, with Nature Centres where one can obtain details about the best trails to follow to explore the parks.
Other exciting towns are also found within the vicinity of Merida. To the south we have Alange, with a Roman bath, along with Almendralejo, the capital of the fertile farming region of the Land of Barros. To the east, we find Medellín, the birthplace of the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés, where the remains of an Arab castle are preserved; Don Benito, where we can visit the Ethnographic Museum, among the most major ones in Extremadura; along with Villanueva de la Serena, with remarkable establishments such as the church of Asunción along with the Town Hall.
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