Plasencia

Plasencia (Spanish: [plaˈsenθja] ^ⓘ) is a city and municipality in Spain, located in the northern part of the province of Cáceres in the autonomous community of Extremadura. The municipality does not form part of any municipal association with surrounding towns and geographically borders municipalities from six municipal associations: Valle del Jerte, La Vera, Monfragüe and its surroundings, Valle del Alagón, Ambroz Valley, and Trasierra - Tierras de Granadilla. Physically, the city is situated at the gateway to the Valle del Jerte, although administratively it does not belong to it, as the four major population centers in Extremadura (Badajoz, Cáceres, Mérida, and Plasencia) are not part of any comarca or municipal association.

The municipal territory of Plasencia covers an area of 217.94 km² and includes the city of Plasencia as well as the minor local entities of San Gil and Pradochano. The municipality has a population of 39,829 inhabitants, making it the second most populous in the province of Cáceres and the fourth in Extremadura. The city is the episcopal see of its own diocese and the capital of the judicial district no. 4 of the province. As the most populous city in northern Extremadura, it is home to various services of the General State Administration and the Government of Extremadura, serving both its residents and those of numerous neighboring municipalities.

It was founded as a city by King Alfonso VIII of Castile in 1186. Its establishment was driven by military strategy considerations during the Reconquista, as the city was located just a few kilometers from the Castilian borders with the Kingdom of León to the west and the Muslim territories to the south. The border with León was marked in this area by the Vía de la Plata, an important Roman road now used as a hiking route. Until the 19th century, it was the capital of the Sexmo of Plasencia, a community of villages that covered a quarter of the current province of Cáceres. Despite not exceeding twenty thousand inhabitants until the 1960 census, significant events occurred in the city, such as the marriage of Joanna la Beltraneja during the Castilian War of Succession and the initiative to purchase a vote in the Cortes of Castile, which led to the creation of the Province of Extremadura in 1653.

The municipality's economy is primarily based on the service sector, with over a thousand commercial establishments in the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, the municipality had its own savings bank, which later became the foundation of Caja de Extremadura (subsequently Liberbank and currently Unicaja). Tourism is significant, as its historic center is declared a cultural heritage site and the city has two festivals declared of tourist interest: Martes Mayor and Holy Week. The city has a university center affiliated with the University of Extremadura, offering four undergraduate degrees and one master's degree.