Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Photos by Wim Wenders and partner in Madrid

The exhibition includes scenes from many of the famous director's movies and his wife's work as his photography director.

How restaurant service in Spain has evolved

Gwendolyn Alston wonders if good and personalised service in Spanish restaurants is a thing of the past.

Spain starts exhuming grave of poet Garcia Lorca

Any bones found in the mass grave in Alfaca will be sent for analysis to enable families to identify their ancestors.

Visiting a Spanish dentist

Blogger Chris Showers experienced a cultural shock upon his first visit to an outspoken and talkative Spanish dentist.

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Leisure Travel & Tourism Visit Navarre for a dose of nature and history

14/08/2008Visit Navarre for a dose of nature and history

Navarre is known for its untouched landscape but few will know of its glorious past in the middle ages.

MADRID - The region of Navarre offers some of the finest nature tourism in Spain, and after all the madness of the Running of the Bulls, one might easily be tempted to run off into the forest for some peace and quiet.

Henry IVFortunately, there is plenty of forest to go round. Most of Navarre's 10,400 square kilometers of territory is dominated by the Pyrenees, and mountaineering remains one of the more popular sports around here - in May, Pamplona mourned the death of Iñaki Ochoa, a local climber who died in the Himalayas.

Another unique feature of the region is that publicly owned forest land represents over 40 percent of total surface area, a much higher figure than elsewhere in Spain - and perhaps a reason why so much of it remains pristine.

Navarre is different from other regions in many other ways, including some of its laws. Navarre was a kingdom for one millennium, from 841 to 1841, when its fueros, or charter of laws, began to adapt to Spanish legislation.

During the Middle Ages, the kingdom extended into other parts of Spain and as far north as the southern French regions formerly known as Gascony and Occitanie. The 16th-century French king, Henry IV, was a Huguenot who married the Catholic Marguerite de Valois in an attempt to end the religious wars in France.

Major monuments from that era still remain.

The magnificent Castillo de Javier. Photo by Jule_BerlinCastillo de Javier, southeast of Pamplona, is a fortified castle that was the birthplace of Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th-century missionary who co-founded the Jesuit order. The castle, complete with towers, dungeons, loopholes and battlements, dates back to the 10th century but was refurbished in 2005.

0 reactions to this article

Inside Expatica
Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Before you head out to explore the new city, make sure your paperwork's all done by referring to our guide.

Job hunting in Spain

Job hunting in Spain

Looking for a job just got harder with the global recession. Here’s a guide to make things a tad easier.

How to open a bank account in Spain

How to open a bank account in Spain

Expatica's guide to opening a bank account in Spain.

Spain country factbook

Spain country factbook

This in-depth profile of Spain includes geography, people, government, economy and transnational issues.