Don Benito
Municipality
Parish church of San Juan
Parish church of San Juan
Flag of Don Benito
Flag
Don Benito is located in Extremadura
Don Benito
Don Benito
Location in Extremadura
Coordinates: 38°57′16.3″N 5°51′42.2″W / 38.954528°N 5.861722°W / 38.954528; -5.861722
Country Spain
Autonomous Community Extremadura
ProvinceBadajoz
ComarcaLas Vegas Altas
Founded15th century
Government
 • MayorJose Luis Quintana Álvarez (PSOE-Extremadura)
Area
 • Total5,616 km2 (2,168 sq mi)
Elevation
280 m (920 ft)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total37,010
 • Density6.6/km2 (17/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST (GMT +2))
Postal code
06400
Area code+34 (Spain) + 924 (Badajoz)
WebsiteOfficial website
Ave María Amphitheatre
Las Albercas Park

Don Benito (Spanish pronunciation: [dom beˈnito]) is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, near the left bank of the Guadiana river. According to the 2014 census,[2] the municipality has a population of 37,011.

History

Don Benito dates from the 15th century, when it was founded by refugees from Don Llorente, who deserted their own town due to the danger of floods from the Guadiana.[3]

See also: Battle of Medellín

On 28 March 1809, the 9 km separating Don Benito from Medellín was the site of a major French victory against Spanish troops during the Peninsular War.

By 2021, the municipal government of Don Benito worked alongside that of Villanueva de la Serena to fuse the two neighbouring municipalities into a single one, paving the way for a 2022 non-binding consultation.[4] On 8 November 2021, the Council of Ministers sanctioned the celebration of the consultation,[5] to be held on 20 February 2022. Both municipalities approved the merging, in the case of Don Benito by a whisker (a 66.2% of yes votes relative to the 66.0% threshold set in advance).[6]

Geography

Don Benito has 37,048 inhabitants, and is part of an urban area with Villanueva de la Serena (26,071 inhabitants) 5 km away.

The municipality is composed by the town of Don Benito and seven villages:

Settlement Population (2012)
Don Benito 32,783
Conquista del Guadiana 133
Gargáligas 549
Hernán Cortés 921
Ruecas 718
El Torviscal 549
Valdehornillos 664
Vivares 731

Demographics

Transport

The town is served by a railway station on the Ciudad Real-Badajoz railway, part of an international line that links Madrid with Lisbon. It has been interested, along with the nearby Villanueva de la Serena, by a project of a tramway, not yet finalized.[7][8] The town is also the southern terminus of the EXA2 motorway from Miajadas.

Famous residents

Twin towns

References

  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)
  3. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Don Beníto". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 411.
  4. ^ "Villanueva de la Serena y Don Benito trabajan en la fusión de ambas municipios, que someterán a consulta popular en 2022". Europa Press. 15 September 2021.
  5. ^ Domeque, Estrella. "El Consejo de Ministros aprueba la consulta popular sobre la unión de Don Benito y Villanueva de la Serena". Hoy.
  6. ^ Viejo, Manuel (20 February 2022). "Villanueva de la Serena y Don Benito aprueban su fusión al límite". El País.
  7. ^ (in Spanish) "The circular tramway Don Benito-Villanueva in the future". El Periódico Extremadura, 29-9-2007
  8. ^ (in Spanish) "The project of the Don Benito-Villanueva tramway will be taken by the regional board". Hoy, 12-2-2008

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Don Benito.


Municipalities in the province of Badajoz
Authority control databases
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