Huesca
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Huesca-Parque_Miguel_Servet.jpg
Huesca (Aragonese Uesca, Catalan Osca) is a city in Aragon, Spain. It was conquered in 1096 by Peter I of Aragon. Huesca is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name.
Its prerroman name is Bolskan, but was renamed Osca during the Roman Empire (it had a prestogious 'university' at that time, the Sertorian University), and Waskah during the Arab domination.
Huesca celebrates it's main festival in San Lorenzo (Laurence), which falls on August 10th. Festival starts on 9th and finishes on 15th. San Lorenzo, born in Huesca, was bishop of Roma and martyrized by Romans, burnt on a grill, so the grill is the symbol of this saint, and appears in many artistic expressions of the city.
It�s also the birthplace of film director Carlos Saura and his brother Antonio Saura, contemporary artist.
During the Civil War (1936-39) the "Huesca Front" was the scene of some of the worst fights between Republicans and the rebels.
Coffee in Huesca
Huesca is notable for the saying "Tomorrow we'll have a coffee in Huesca", which was a running joke among militiamen of the Spanish Civil War. In February 1938, George Orwell was stationed near the fascist-held Huesca as a member of the POUM militia. In Homage to Catalonia, Orwell writes about this running joke phrase, originally a naïvely optimistic comment made by one of the Spanish Republican generals. Orwell writes:
- Months earlier, when Siétamo was taken, the general commanding the Government troops had said gaily: 'Tomorrow we'll have a coffee in Huesca.' It turned out that he was mistaken. There had been bloody attacks, but the town did not fall, and [the phrase] had become a standing joke throughout the army. If I ever go back to Spain I shall make a point of having a cup of coffee in Huesca.
Huesca is famous also because of the legend "Huesca's Bell".
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