Pozoblanco

Pozoblanco
Pozoblanco
Municipality
	Coat of arms
	Location of Pozoblanco in the province of Córdoba.
	Pozoblanco Location in Spain
	Coordinates: 38°23′N 4°51′W / 38.383°N 4.850°W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Córdoba
Comarca	Los Pedroches
Judicial district	Pozoblanco
Government
• Alcalde	Pablo Carrillo
Area
• Total	329.92 km2 (127.38 sq mi)
Elevation	654 m (2,146 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	17,796
• Density	54/km2 (140/sq mi)
Demonym	Tarugos or Pozoalbenses
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	14400
Official language(s)	Spanish
Website	Official website

Pozoblanco is a town in the province of Córdoba, southern Spain, in the north-central part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located near the headwaters of the Guadamatillas and of other small sub-tributaries of the Guadiana, in the lowlands of Los Pedroches, which lie between the Sierra de la Alcildia on the north and the Sierra Morena on the south. It was the birthplace of the novelist Rafael Peñas Cruz.

History

Pozoblanco, like other nearby towns such as Villanueva de Córdoba, likely originated in the mid 14th century when residents of nearby Pedroche fled from the bubonic plague. Alternatively, Pozoblanco may have begun as a small outpost that developed over time as residents of Pedroche were forced to pasture their livestock farther and farther from the town. Another possibility is that Pozoblanco was founded by a Jewish community, perhaps after being expelled from Pedroche.

The first settlements were in the area known today as “Pozo Viejo.” According to tradition, the town grew up around a well that had turned white from the excrement of chickens, hence the name Pozoblanco, meaning “white well.” The well and chicken may also be seen on the town coat of arms.

Pozoblanco depended administratively on Pedroche until it obtained the title of Villa around 1478. In the medieval era, the history of Pozoblanco is tied to that of the so-called “Seven Villas of the Pedroches” (Pedroche, Torremilano, Torrecampo, Pozoblanco, Villanueva de Córdoba, Alcaracejos and Añora). This community was broken up in 1836 and the communal lands were redistributed among the towns. Pozoblanco received the title of city from King Alfonso XIII on April 22, 1923.

Pozoblanco remained loyal to the Republic throughout the Spanish Civil War. The battle of Pozoblanco took place in March 1937, when the forces of General Queipo de Llano attempted to conquer the town; however, the troops of the Spanish Republican Army under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Joaquín Pérez Salas defeated the Nationalist forces and held the town. In late March 1939 Pozoblanco was conquered by the armies of the Francoist faction.