The Tierra de Sahagun Region
Sahagún is a municipality and town in the south west of the province of León, in the northwestern part of the autonomous region of Castile and León. Located between the rivers Cea and Valderaduey, it shares Tierra de Sahagún with the neighbouring municipalities of Cea, Grajal de Campos or Calzada del Coto.
Its municipal district has boundaries to the north with Cea, to the east with Palencia province, to the south with Grajal de Campos and Valladolid province and to the west with Gordaliza del Pino, Calzada del Coto and Villamol.
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THE PRIVILEGED LOCATION OF "THE REGION OF SAHAGUN"
SAHAGÚN COAT OF ARMS
Its shape is traditionally Spanish, rectangular, quadrilateral and rounded at the bottom, not pointed, with a –basket arch on the back-. It is five metres wide by six metres high, The background is not divided into partitions and has a border.
Gold background, rider in armour (San Martín, Bishop of Tours) on a horse walking on green grass, with a sword raised in his left hand, giving his red cape to a man dressed in an azure-coloured skirt, walking in the same direction and leaning on a crutch.
Four purple-coloured lions alternating on a silver background with another four gold castles on a red background each rounded off with a closed royal crown.
The coat of arms of the town of Sahagún has a historical character due to the fact that it has been depicted throughout recent centuries.
With regard to how long the coat of arms has been used by the municipal institution, it could possibly date back to before the XVIIIth century, as demonstrated by a 1745 engraving dedicated to San Juan de Sahagún, which is in the “Tabularium Artis Asturicensis ” collection in Oviedo. And in volume six of the ”Nobility of Kingdoms and Domains of Spain…” by Francisco Piferrer ( 1860 ), which also includes the coat of arms of Sahagún.
The Flag of Sahagún is rectangular, crimson and bears the coat of arms in the middle.
CLIMATE: COLD WINTERS AND DRY SUMMERS
The climate in Sahagún is continental Mediterranean. Mean annual temperatures are moderate, between 10 and 12 °C, the winters are cold, and it is often frosty and foggy (due to the proximity of the two rivers).
The summers are hot and dry, tempered by the altitude of the city, minimum temperatures are cool.
FLORA AND FAUNA, AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND RICHNESS OF ANIMAL LIFE
The landscape of the area is characterised by its agricultural extension, forming a plain with small areas of holm oak and oak forests, and riverside vegetation (poplar groves) along the Cea and Valderaduey rivers as well as a number of streams.
Storks, owls, crows, swallows, sparrowhawks and goshawks are some of the birds that can be seen in the area, though the presence of the bustard, listed as Vulnerable in Spain, is remarkable. Finally, we can also find wild boar, roebuck, foxes not to mention wolves, though partridges and hares, forming part of the Gastronomy are most commonly found.
ECONOMY AGRICULTURE AND SERVICES
The economy centres on agriculture favoured by the richness of the riverbanks and their natural surroundings. The most common crops are cereals, as well as intensive poplar plantation on the banks of the river Cea.
Winegrowing, in clear decline for decades, has benefitted from the municipality being included in the area of the Tierra de León Denomination of Origin.
Sahagún is the services centre for the region and therefore has a larger supply of commercial services that would be considered normal for a town of its size. The level of touristic development is very high thanks to its impressive monumental heritage and position on the Jacobean Route, being the first Leonese town on the route after crossing the area of Castile.
EDUCATION
Sahagún has a number of Non-University Education Centres. There is a state infant and primary school and a secondary school, where Compulsory Secondary Education, Baccalaureate and Initial Vocational Training in Catering and Tourism are taught.
With regard to special courses, there is a Music School and an Adult Education Centre (CEPA).
SPORT AND LEISURE SERVICES
Sahagún has a range of sports clubs. Amongst them are the Sahagún Promesas Football Club, the Sahagún Sports and Recreational Club (which is in the Second Provincial League of León), Mountaineering Club, La Peregrina Sports Club (with five-a-side, football, athletics and volleyball, the Naturener Sahagún team being in the 2nd National Men’s Division) the San Juan de Sahagún Cycling Club and a Karate school.