Belchite
Municipality in Aragon, Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belchite (Aragonese: Belchit) is a municipality and town in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite comarca (administrative region) and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo.
Belchite
Belchit | |
|---|---|
The modern town | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Belchite Location in Spain | |
| Coordinates: 41°18′23″N 0°45′15″W | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Aragon |
| Province | Zaragoza |
| Comarca | Campo de Belchite |
| Judicial district | Zaragoza |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Angeles Ortiz Álvarez (PSOE) |
| Area | |
• Total | 273.7 km2 (105.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 1,495 |
| • Density | 5.462/km2 (14.15/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Belchitanos |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 50130 |
| Dialing code | 976 |
| Climate | BSk |
In 1122, Alfonso the Battler founded the Confraternity of Belchite to defend the frontier between the Christian kingdoms and al-Andalus. On 15 June 1809, during the Peninsular War French and Spanish forces fought in the Battle of María near the town. Between 24 August and 7 September 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, loyalist Spanish Republican forces fought Francisco Franco's rebel forces in the Battle of Belchite in and around the town. After 1939, a new town was built near the ruins of the old one, which remains a ghost town as a memorial to the war.
The ruins of the old village have been used as a filming location in films including Terry Gilliam's 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.[citation needed]
