Puente Genil () is a Spanish municipality in the province of Córdoba, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated about 45 miles (70 km) from the provincial capital, Córdoba. It has a population of around 30,000.
Geography The municipality largely features a gentle relief, interrupted by the Sierra del Castillo, Sierra Gorda, and Sierra del Niño hill ranges. At 511 metres above sea level, Peñarrubia (in Sierra del Castillo) is the highest point in the municipality. The river Genil crosses the municipality from southeast to northwest. The urban development straddles the river, with the neighborhood of Miragenil standing on the opposite bank relative to the bulk of housing.
History The municipal limits attest to Roman occupation in the site of (to the NE of the current housing), including a balneum from the Julio-Claudian period and a villa from the Low Roman Empire. The area belonged to the Conventus Iuridicus Astigitanus.
Both Pontón de Don Gonzalo ( ) and were 13th-century Christian establishments. Pontón de Don Gonzalo was first mentioned in a 1262 document, as it was gifted to a Portuguese ricohombre. Population of Pontón boomed in the 16th century, specially in its first half, and the construction of a stone bridge began in 1561.
The current municipality of Puente Genil was formed upon the merging of La Puente de Don Gonzalo with Miragenil in 1834. Puente Genil underwent an important industrialisation process in the late 19th century, standing out in the food industry in relation to membrillo confection.
Description The town is an agricultural centre, also known for its Semana Santa celebration, contracted in the local vernacular to "mananta".
Transport Puente Genil is served by Puente Genil-Herrera railway station, around 4 km from the town centre on the AVE high-speed rail line from Madrid to Málaga.
See also List of municipalities in Córdoba
References
Bibliography
External links