Ourense, rumors have it, was
name by the Romans “La cuidad del oro” (Auriense)(Gold City)
because ofgold found in the river called “Rio Miño.”
The valley of Ourense already had native habitants living there
during the castreña times(colonies
were found in
Castro de Oira, San Tomé and Valdegola and also habitants were
believed to be found close to As Burgas.)
The
name of this city also has its Latin roots. For example aquae
urente («aguas abrasadoras»), (burning waters) or it’s
Germanic translation:
warm see
(«lago caliente»), (hot Lake). Las Burgas means pila or basin which
reaches temperatures between 60 and 100º Celsius. Apart from the
thermal water fountains, there are also other locations within the
city that departs thermal water.
Ourense was ahead of its time during the Roman age. For example, the
strategically placed
bridge that was built over the Rio Miño. Still to this day, its
pillars are the originals that were constructed by the Romans.
Throughout the years the bridge was reinforced several times making
it more durable. Having this bridge built, converted Ourense into an
important commercial nucleus for its residence from the medieval
times and helped guild them through the XX century. The construction
of the national highway Villacastín–Vigo in the year 1860 and the
construction of a railway, added to the development of the city. In
addition to the development of urban zones, there was a new bridge
constructed along with bordering neighborhoods The
original nucleus of the city was built in the area around the las
Burgas on the left shores of the Miño River. The population that
settled on the right shores of the river were heavily populated
after the construction of the new train station at the end of the
XIX century. Until the middle of the XX century it belonged to
another
municipality. The “Puente
Canedo”(Canedo bridge) was taken in by the
municipality of Ourense.
In the beginning of the XIX century Ourense was a small city mainly
populated by craftsman and religious enthusiast that worshipped the
Cardinal
Quevedo who formed part of the Cortes de Cádiz. When Ourense was
designated capitol of the province, this inspired a new class of
bureaucratic until the arrival of the railway from
Vigo, which helped consolidate this new class. “La Burguesa”
primarily formed by castellan immigrants like those from
las Cuevas, Pérez, Romero, Villanueva dominated the
political and economical panorama well into the XX century.
The
development of the city had a lot to do with the construction of the
railway and freeway from
Villacastín–Vigo. They helped
give the city an eminently commercial and administrative character.After
the Civil War a strong immigration surge coming from the province
generated a major population increase and growth of the construction
sector. Important references from this time were the merger of the
municipality of Canedo Bridge located in the North section of the
Miño River, and the ending of the Madrid-Zamora-Ourense-Vigo
railroad that sprouted new districts.
At
the moment Ourense is an important communications center where the
Rías
Bajas and the Freeway of Santiago come together with four state
highways, as well as four train routes. The train station
“Ourense–Empalme”, located in the area called “Puente” (bridge)
district.
It is the most important area in Galicia,
intersecting all the railway communications – as well as travelers
and merchandise of the northwest peninsula.
Presently in Ourense it is the administrative and economic backbone
of the province and has a strong commercial sector. Its economy is
based on the sector of services promoting and supporting the
industrial ground establishment of the new generation therefore
creating new employment.
Ourense is the third largest city in Galicia (107,000 habitants)
