Olvera

Olvera is a village in the province of Cadiz. It is part of the regional area of Cadiz Mountains and it belongs to the administrative area of Arcos de la Frontera. In 1877 Alfonso XII gives it the category of city. It is the door of the White villages root (Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos), as it is located in the northwest of the Cadiz valley and shares borders with the provinces of Seville and Malaga. The population in 2012 was of 8.494 citizens, with an area of 194 square kilometres and a population density of 44,1/km². It is located 643 metres above the sea level and 130 kilometres from the province capital, Cadiz.

The majority of its land is agricultural areas dedicated to the olive tree growth, integrated in the Spanish Olive Tree Regions Association and part of the organisation since 1996. Its superb production of olive oil has certified Olvera, and other villages, as Cadiz protected guarantee of origin and quality. Another economic activity is the industry, obtaining since 1990 the price ‘Arco Iris del Cooperativismo’ that the Junta of Andalusia awards.

The Via Verde (rail trail for tourist use) of the valley goes through the municipal area of Olvera, the only one declared as Tourist Interest in Andalusia and believed to be the best one in Europe during 2005 and 2009. In the area we can find the natural reserve of Peñon de Zaframagón, relevant because it is the biggest Spanish breeding sites of Griffon Vulture and one of the biggest in Europe.

Village with Islamic origins that was conquest by Alfonso XI in 1327 and incorporated to the Castile kingdom. The Christian repopulation took place through a “Carta-Puebla” (document reporting the foundation of the town and granting the special privileges to it). During the independence war, Olvera became a French detachment.

The locality has been declared of historic-artistic interest since 1983, with several civil and religious monuments of great artistic and architectonic value. It also has some declared Fiestas of Tourist Interest like Semana Santa or Quasimodo´s Monday, the oldest procession in Cadiz.