Belchite
Municipality in Aragon, Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belchite 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 | |
|---|---|
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.
During the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, Jews from Belchite joined the Aragonese convoys departing via the port of Sagunto, with Motis Dolader estimating 9–12 émigrés from the town.[2]
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]
