Bédar

Bédar, Spain
View of the Bédar, Almeria, Spain
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 37°11′N 1°58′W / 37.183°N 1.967°W / 37.183; -1.967
Country	Spain
Community	Andalusia
Municipality	Almería
Government
• Mayor	Ángel Collado Fernández (PSOE)
Area
• Total	46 km2 (17.8 sq mi)
Elevation	404 m (1,333 ft)
Population  (2023)
• Total	1,012
• Density	16.9/km2 (43.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Bédar is a municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.

The history of Bédar can be traced to the early 16th century, when it was a Moorish settlement in the land of Vera. The parish of Bédar was formed in 1505 after the ‘Reconquista’, and began to use the old mosque as a centre for worship, until construction of the current church. After repopulation of Bédar at the end of the 16th century with 27 inhabitants from Mojácar and Vera, the town expanded during the 16th and 17th centuries to a population around 600 inhabitants.^[1]

Mining operations in the area, for iron ore and other minerals, were developed during the end of the Moorish period from 1525.  The greatest expansion began in the 19^th century, which marked a period of prosperity, Bédar being the third most important iron-producing area in the province of Almeria.  After several breaks, coinciding with the World Wars, the industry finally closed in 1970, leaving an important industrial archaeological legacy.^[1]

Products from the mines were transported to Garrucha for onward transport by sea, with the construction of substantial aerial cableways and the Bédar to Garrucha Railway.^[1]

• List of municipalities in Almería

• (in Spanish) Bédar - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía
• (in Spanish) Bédar - Diputación Provincial de Almería

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