Lopera
Lopera, the westernmost town in the province, is located about 53 km from the capital of Jaén, in the lower Guadalquivir countryside.
This municipality of rolling hills, typical of the olive-growing countryside, has a rich monumental heritage where the Castle stands out, built by the Order of Calatrava and declared a Historical Monument.
Get to know Lopera through the eyes of Miguel Hernández, visit the space dedicated to the poet and take the opportunity to delve into the epic battle of Lopera, one of the most important confrontations of the Civil War in Andalusia and whose knowledge would strongly influence the work of the town’s poet.
The battle took place between December 27 and 29, 1936 and although the poet did not take part in it -as he did not arrive in Jaén until March 2 of the following year-, as commissioner in the propaganda camp “Altavoz del Frente Sur ”, he had direct knowledge of such a bloody event, where hundreds of members of both the Francoist and Republican sides died, the latter, led by the XIV International Brigade, the so-called“ Marseillaise ”, made up mainly of English and French.
In the International Brigade, where about a hundred combatants died, the presence of two distinguished British writers, John Cornford and Ralph Fox, stood out, who, infused with a strong romance idealism, volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
Lopera has dedicated to revaluing the patrimony of the warlike conflict on the Andújar front, where the dividing line between the Francoist and Republican sides was located.Thus, the town pays homage to the war with historical re-enactments of the battle, museum exhibitions and recovering vestiges from the war.
Through them we can follow Miguel Hernández’s footsteps and discover Lopera in a unique way.
https://www.dipujaen.es/miguelhernandez
https://admin.dipujaen.es/municipios/Lopera/
Trenches
You can find numerous traces of the Spanish Civil War throughout the municipal area of Lopera, since the dividing line between the Francoist and Republican sides was located in the surroundings of the town, popularly known as the Andújar front. You can visit two important machine gun nests next to the Puente del Arroyo Salado, in the area of Las Esperillas, popularly known as “trenches”, which are made up of reinforced concrete blocks, interlocking iron and small pieces of stone. These formidable machine gun nests belonged to the national side and were used as guard posts. The truth is that…
The garden of the English poets
The Francoist army conquered Lopera on Christmas Day of 1936 without being prevented by the blasting of the bridge over the Salado stream by the Republicans. In the following three days, troops of the Republican XIV International Brigade under General Walter tried to recover the population without success. During the attacks and counterattacks, the British company of the La Marsellesa battalion, reached the first houses of the town, but was forced to retreat. The Republicans suffered about three hundred dead and more than twice as many wounded. A considerable number of casualties, the knowledge of which greatly affected our Oriolan…
Lopera Castle
The Castle of Lopera is one of the best examples of a castle built by the Order of Calatrava in the province of Jaén. This imposing fortress, which stands out within the old town, has a pentagonal floor plan with five towers and two donjons. This configuration makes it exceptional. It preserves the original walled perimeter, which gives it greater historical and patrimonial value. This castle belongs to the Route of the Castles and the Battles of Jaén. After its recent restoration, the castle now has a fantastic Interpretation Center, whose rooms are dedicated to the Order of Calatrava, to…
Monument to Miguel Hernández
Lopera pays tribute to Miguel Hernández through a monument in the form of a large mosaic with the poem “Aceituneros de Jaén”(Olive Gatherers of Jaen), which today has become the official anthem of the province of Jaén. In the same square there is a plaque in homage to the XIV International Brigade, in memory and recognition of the people of Lopera for their sacrifice. .
Casa de la tercia , collection of the battle of Lopera
Casa de la Tercia was the Granary of the town of Lopera, destined to store cereals for loaning to neighbors in times of scarcity. This is of historical interest because Cervantes was in Lopera, between February 22 and 25, 1592, collecting cereal for the Invincible Armada. The building was also used as a cellar for the excellent wines of the area. The town is known as “little Jerez”. Today Casa de la Tercia literary has been given a cultural use. On the ground floor of the Casa de la Tercia there is an exhibition of 54 photographs of the Spanish…