Fregenal de la Sierra

Fregenal de la Sierra (originally Frexnal or Frexenal) is a municipality and town in Spain, located in the Province of Badajoz, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is situated in the northwestern quadrant of Sierra Morena, at an elevation of approximately 572 meters above sea level.

Due to its geographical position, the town occupies a historically significant crossroads. Its founding is tied to a conflict between the Council of Seville, which received the territory through a Royal Privilege from Alfonso X in 1253, and the knights of the Order of the Temple, who are credited with constructing the Castle of Fregenal, donated to the order in 1283 by the same monarch. From 1312, the town of Frexenal was reintegrated into the territories of the Kingdom of Seville, while also forming part of the Diocese of Badajoz. In 1833, after 585 years, the Royal Decree of 30 November abolished the Kingdom of Seville, creating the modern provinces of Seville, Huelva, and Cádiz, and incorporating Fregenal into the Province of Badajoz.

On 5 February 1873, Amadeo I of Spain granted Fregenal the honorary title of city, at the proposal of the Minister of the Interior, Manuel Ruiz Zorrilla, in agreement with the Council of Ministers. Given its rich heritage, as evidenced by its historical and artistic ensemble declared a Cultural Interest Asset in 1991, the archaeological site of Nertobriga Concordia Iulia similarly designated in 2013, the designation in 2020 of the menhirs of the Ardila River basin, and the Chile Nitrate billboard located near its train station in 2023, as well as the inclusion in 2023 of the Medieval hermitage of San Miguel de los Fresnos in the Inventory of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Extremadura, it is regarded as one of the most significant emerging cultural and tourist destinations in the Province of Badajoz.

Reflecting its popular traditions, a blend of Baetic, Andalusian, and Extremaduran folklore, Fregenal is a major cultural hub in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Notable among the heritage of the Frexnenses is the Dance and Festival of the Virgin of Health, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in the category of Intangible Heritage in 2017 by the Government of Extremadura. This folklore, combined with works created in honor of the town's patroness, Virgin of Los Remedios, is preserved by cultural institutions such as the Coral Frexnense or the Los Jateros Folk Group, which showcase them annually alongside traditions from around the world at the International Sierra Festival, declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 2018.

Among its most illustrious figures are Benito Arias Montano, a humanist, Hebraist, biologist, and polyglot writer who participated in the Council of Trent, contributed to the compilation of the Plantin Polyglot, and was responsible for cataloging and organizing the works in the Library of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, one of the largest in Christendom; Juan Bravo Murillo, President of the Council of Ministers during the reign of Isabella II of Spain, who served in various moderate governments, oversaw the construction of the Canal de Isabel II, introduced the metric system in Spain, approved the Canary Islands Free Ports Law, and reformed and established the foundations of the Spanish treasury; Rodrigo Sánchez-Arjona y Sánchez-Arjona, who established the first rural private telephone line in Spain, between his home in Fregenal and a property called Las Mimbres; and Eugenio Hermoso, a painter of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, who won the Medal of Honor at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1948 with his paintings Altar and Las Siembras, considered one of the most important painters of Extremadura.