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The Cathedral Church, XII-XVI Centuries Oviedo is the capital of the Principality of Asturias. Among its tourist attractions we can mention its Old Quarters, with the Cathedral and its Holy Chamber, the Campoamor Theatre, venue of many cultural events: opera, music festivals, film cycles, exhibitions, apart from the Prince of Asturias Awards, and the Prince Philip Auditorium, among others. Of the outstanding monumental heritage, we can mention Santa María del Naranco, San Miguel de Lillo and San Julián de los Prados declared monuments of World Heritage. The birth of Oviedo was documented in 761, when Presbyter Máximo and his uncle, Abbot Fromestano, and a group of serfs settle on a hill known as Oveto and built a basilica dedicated to Saint Vincent. Twenty years later, Presbyter Montano and 25 more monks, founded the monastery of Saint Vincent on the site where the old building remains, today, dedicated to the Archaeological Museum of Asturias. In those days, King Fruela I founded the first church dedicated to the Saviour and a palace. The so-called Chaste King, Alfonso II provided the city with several churches and a palace, some defensive constructions and an aqueduct. He also established his court there and founded a bishopric. After the death of Alfonso III in 910, the court moved to León, but Oviedo remained a bishopric. These were years of religious fervour and, fuelled by the pilgrimage movement, a bourgeois class developed which promoted commerce, crafts and the market, basic elements for the development of a town that was also surrounded by a wall. During the Middle Ages, the pilgrimages to San Salvador continued to be the driving force of life in Oviedo, especially in the month of September with the jubilee and forgiveness ceremonies. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries several social, cultural and religious initiatives had to find space for their development outside the city walls: the convent of Santo Domingo (1518), the University building (1608), the town hall... The 19th century brings to mind the uprising against the French in 1808. These were events of a political nature that did not affect town development in Oviedo. Other events did affect this development: the designation of the city as the capital of the province of Asturias; the seizure of church lands, which freed a large amount of land that had been in the hands of the church and monasteries; the establishment of the Arms Factory and other manufacturing industries. Then, it became necessary to overcome the limitations that the wall implied. The great expansion came when the Castile and Galicia roads were connected. The building of Uría Street to join the city to the train station caused the controversial felling of the ancient oak tree, El Carbayón, the name of which has been adopted to refer to people from Oviedo. In the 20th century, Oviedo reflected the social tensions that affected the mining and industrial areas. It experienced the October Revolution of 1934 and was besieged for 15 months during the Civil War. After the War, the city centre became more densely populated and new labour neighbourhoods sprung up. Over the last decade many of its streets in the old quarters have been pedestrianised and several squares have been reorganised. This operation has also included the installation of streetlamps, benches, flowerpots... as well as many fountains and sculptures. The latest project has been the construction of an overpass over the railway lines, the Losa, and the merger of the RENFE (Train) and FEVE (Narrow gauge railway) stations.
Surface: 26 square km Altitude: 231 m Num. inhabitants: 210000 Webs: City Council: www.ayto-oviedo.es For everything you could wish to know about Asturias and Oviedo click here: http://www.infoasturias.com/
2. What one Should Recommend To See in Oviedo It depends on the time you have to spare. If your stay is short, you should at least go for a walk around the old part of the town, which includes San Vicente's Monastery (S:VIII), the Cathedral of the Saviour SS VII-XV) and the Holy Chamber (S: VIII). Oviedo is a monumental town due not only to its churches but also to its numerous palaces. The streets and squares around the old part of the town have been made pedestrian and serve as open air art galleries thanks to the presence of sculptures by various modern artists and styles. Among the museums in Oviedo we must mention the Archaeological Museum, San Vincent St. and the Fine Arts Museum, Sta Anna Street, in this museum you will find wonderful paintings by medieval Spanish and Flemish painters and a good collection of the big masters: Velazquez, Murillo, El Greco, Goya y Picasso. Some of the palaces also contain works of art well worth visiting. The University of Oviedo was founded in 1674 and it started its activities on the 21st of September, 1608 It was created thanks to the work of Don Fernando de Valdés, Archbishop of Seville, General Inquisitor and President of the Council of Castille. There are also plenty of examples of Pre-romanesque architecture well worth a visit, such as Santa María del Naranco (a royal hunting pavilion later converted in Parish Church, San Miguel de Lillo, and San Julián de los Prados, which is the biggest pre-romanesque temple in Spain, and it is covered by paintings extraordinarily similar to those of Pompeii. The Foncalada (Fuencalada) fountain is the only Christian civil monument from the Early Middle Ages still preserved in Spain.
The climate in Oviedo is mild Atlantic. In August the temperature is about 22º C. Although the rain usually stays away this month, it is advisable to bring with you some light rain clothes.
By plane Oviedo Airport is only 30 minutes away from the town. There is public transportation from the airport, both taxis (about 20 € and buses (about 8 €), or, if you wish, you can also rent a car. Domestic flights fly from Madrid and Barcelona, although there are connections with the rest of national airports. There are also some direct flights from London (Standstead) and Paris (Charles de Gaulle). The companies which offer flights to Asturias are, among others: Iberia (www.iberia.es), Spanair (www.spanair.com) and Air Europa (www.air-europa.com). By car From Madrid: You need to take the N-VI until Benavente, then the N-630 to León and once there, take the A-66 motorway up to Oviedo. From Irún: Take the A8 motorway, directly to Oviedo. From Barcelona: Follow the A-68 to Burgos and from there to Bilbao (take the A-68) o León (take the A-66). By bus You can get to Oviedo from most Spanish capitals by bus with ALSA (www.alsa.es); in Madrid they depart from the Estación Sur, which is connected to Barajas airport by underground (www.metromadrid.es). By train RENFE (www.renfe.es) from almost everywhere in Spain.
The Congress will be held at the Auditorio y Palacio de Congresos Príncipe Felipe, (http://www.palaciocongresos-oviedo.com/) Plaza de la Gesta 1, Oviedo and in the nearby University Buildings “Facultad de Ciencias”, Calvo Sotelo St. and “Facultad de Geología”, Jesús Arias de Velasco St. (see map).
6. Collection of the Congress’ Documents and Registration upon Arrival As a registered participant you can collect the Congress’ Documents at the Congress Secretariat, Auditorio, Plaza de la Gesta 1 the 6th of August from 17.00 to 20.00, the 7th of August from 8.30 to 19.00 and every other day from 9.00 to 18.00 (closing day excepted). In the same place you can register upon arrival.
Asturias and in special Oviedo, is a continuous celebration of food and drink. Around the Congress’ site you will find plenty of restaurants offering the special of the day (only during lunch time) ‑starter, main dish and dessert, plus drinks (wine, bier, water…your choice) for 7-10€. I recommend you to pay a visit to Gascona Street, just next door of the Cathedral. You will find there also the Special’s of the Day (only for lunch, remember) and, in addition to that, you can also enjoy different kinds of Atlantic fish, shelfish, different kinds of meat (both veal and beef) and cheese. You will find in Asturias lots of different kinds of cheese that both in quantity and quality as in variety have nothing to envy to the national pride of our neigbourghs the French. Enjoy our cheeses with cider poured before you by an expert waiter. Or with good wine; you will find also plenty of them. Of course there are also a lot of quality restaurants in town for you to be delighted with this region food prepared a la “novelle cuisine” style. And do not leave Oviedo without trying “Fabada” a fabulous stew made with white haricots, sausages, pork shoulder, black pudding, and so on. In other parts of the world this dish is called “cassoulet”. I promise you will taste here the best cassoulet in the world. Finish your meal with rice pudding or “frixuelos”, called in other parts of the world “crepes”. Enjoy your meal!!!
If you are a citizen of the European Union you should bring with you the form provided by your health authorities in order to be treated in Spain at no cost in the case you could need medical assistance. Please, make inquiries before your national Health Service prior to start your journey. If you are a citizen form outside the European Community it is advisable to subscribe a private health assurance covering the days of the Congress. You should know that the Congress could not be held responsible for any medical emergency of a registered participant if he do not have the corresponding documents from his home country Health Service or the adequate private Health insurance. Most pharmacies are open from 10.00 AM to 22.00 PM. However, a good set of them are open all the day round. For any emergence please dial 112, the single number for emergencies in the Principality of Asturias.
Universidad de Oviedo: http://web.uniovi.es Oviedo: http://www.ayto-oviedo.es/ Asturias: http://www.asturnor.com/
The best information at: www.infoasturias.com
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