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León, Nicaragua
| León | |
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| — Municipality — | |
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  León
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| Coordinates: 12°26′0″N 86°53′12″W / 12.433333°N 86.88667°WCoordinates: 12°26′0″N 86°53′12″W / 12.433333°N 86.88667°W | |
| Country | Nicaragua |
| Department | León Department |
| Elevation | 86 m (282 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 175,000 |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
León is a department (state) in northwestern Nicaragua (5,138 km2). It is also the second largest city in Nicaragua, after Managua. It was founded by the Spaniards as Santiago de los Caballeros de León and rivals Granada, Nicaragua, in the number of historic Spanish colonial homes and churches. As of 2005, the city had an estimated population of about 175,000 people which increases sharply during university season with many students coming from other Nicaraguan provinces. It is the capital and municipality of the León department.
León is located along the Río Chiquito , some 90 km northwest of Managua, and some 18 km east of the Pacific Ocean coast. Although less populous than Managua, León has long been the intellectual center of the nation, with its university founded in 1813. León is also an important industrial, agricultural (sugar cane, cattle, peanut, plantain, sorghum) and commercial center for Nicaragua.
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History
The first city named León in Nicaragua was established in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba about 20 miles east of the present site. The city was abandoned in 1610, after an eruption of the Momotombo volcano, located only a couple miles away, which left extensive damage in the form of flooding from Lake Managua. The inhabitants decided to move to its current location next to the Indigenous town of . The ruins of the abandoned city are known as "León Viejo" and were excavated in 1960. In the year 2000, León Viejo was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
León has fine examples of Spanish Colonial architecture, including the grand Cathedral of the Assumption, built from 1706 to 1740, with two towers added in 1746 and 1779.
Renovated Spanish Colonial home.
When Nicaragua withdrew from the United Provinces of Central America in 1839, León became the capital of the new nation of Nicaragua. For some years the capital shifted back and forth between León and Granada, Nicaragua, with Liberal regimes preferring León and Conservative ones Granada, until as a compromise Managua was agreed upon to be the permanent capital in 1858.
In 1950 the city of León had a population of 31,000 people. Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza García was shot and mortally wounded in the city on September 21, 1956.
The building of El museo de tradiciones y leyendas was once the infamous XXI jail before the 1979 revolution. There are also several political murals around the city.
Notable people
- José de la Cruz Mena, greatest Nicaraguan classical composer (1874-1907).
- Azarías Pallais, one of Nicaragua's greatest poets and literary figures (1884-1954).
- Alfonso Cortés, most renown Nicaraguan poet after Rubén Darío (1893-1969).
- Salomón de la Selva, poet, writer, diplomatic, translated W Whitman to Spanish (1893-1959).
- Antenor Sandino, greatest metaphysical poet (1899-1969).
- Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Nicaraguan president (1st term: 1967-1972, 2nd term: 1974-1979); overthrown by the Sandinistas.
- Enrique Bermúdez, Nicaraguan Contra leader (1932-1991).
Gallery
 Sesteo Restaurant near Cathedral and Main Square. |
 Cathedral of the Assumption. |
 Calvary Church. |
 Renovated spanish colonial home. |
 Renovated spanish colonial home. |
 Couple at Poneloya Beach, just outside Leon. |
 Poneloya Beach, just outside Leon at sunset. |
Sister cities
Hamburg, Germany
Oxford, United Kingdom
Gettysburg, USA- New Haven, USA
Utrecht, Netherlands
Lund, Sweden
Alicante, Spain
Janesville, WI USA
See also
- Kingdom of León
- Leonese language
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León Department
Categories: Populated places in Nicaragua | Municipalities of the León Department | World Heritage Sites in Nicaragua | Populated places established in 1524 | Archaeological sites in Nicaragua