Оливенса: спорная территория на границе Испании и Португалии

Olivenza (oliˈβenθa) or Olivença (oliˈvẽsɐ) is a town in southwestern Spain, close to the Portugal–Spain border. It is a municipality belonging to the province of Badajoz, and to the wider autonomous community of Extremadura. The town of Olivença was under Portuguese sovereignty continuously between 1297 (Treaty of Alcañices) and 1801, when it was occupied by Spain during the War of the Oranges and ceded that year under the Treaty of Badajoz. Spain has since administered the territory (now split into two municipalities, Olivenza and also Táliga), whereas Portugal invokes the self revocation of the Treaty of Badajoz, plus the Congress of Vienna of 1815, to claim the return of the territory. In spite of the territorial dispute between Portugal and Spain, the issue has not been a sensitive matter in the relations between these two countries. Olivenza and other neighbouring Spanish (La Codosera, Alburquerque and Badajoz) and Portuguese (Arronches, Campo Maior, Estremoz, Portalegre and Elvas) towns reached an agreement in 2008 to create a euroregion.

Olivenza is located on the left (east) bank of the Guadiana river, at an equal distance of south of Elvas in Portugal and Badajoz in Spain. The territory is triangular, with a smaller side resting on the Guadiana and the opposite vertex entering south east and surrounded by Spanish territory. Besides the city, the municipality of Olivenza also includes other minor villages: San Francisco (São Francisco), San Rafael (São Rafael), Villarreal (Vila Real), Santo Domingo de Guzman (São Domingos de Gusmão), San Benito de la Contienda (São Bento da Contenda), and San Jorge de Alor (São Jorge da Lor). The catchment area which drains Olivenza consists of irregular water streams regularly drying up in the Summer. The Olivenza river—whose water is dammed up in the reservoir of Piedra Aguda, opened in 1956 and with a capacity of 16.3 hm3—discharges into the Guadiana, leaving the city to its west and, then, south. Closer to the city (which is sandwiched in between the course of the lesser creeks of the Arroyo de la Charca and the Arroyo de la Higuera), there is an artificial pond, the charca of Ramapallas.

Total population is 11,871 (2021). The total area is Like the surrounding regions, population density is low, at 11 inhabitants per km2. There are still traces of Portuguese culture and language in the people, although the younger generations speak Spanish. At the beginning of the 1940s the city was reportedly mainly Portuguese speaking (mother language spoken at home), even after close to 150 years under Spanish control. It was after the 1940s, under Franco dictatorship, that a gradual language shift towards Spanish as native language took place as it looked to unite Spain and erase all signs of other cultures: the typically Portuguese looking streets had their names changed to Spanish, the Portuguese language was banned (making most people only able to speak Portuguese secretly inside their home), the education of children was controlled and even the names of Portuguese people changed to Spanish equivalent names (although some families kept using their Portuguese names and attributing Portuguese nicknames per family as an act of rebellion against the government). After the 1970s, there was an ease on the early dictatorship policy. Since 2021, around 1,300 inhabitants (8% of the town's population) have asked for dual citizenship, and about 92% have not acquired Portuguese citizenship. As of 2018, 1,500 inhabitants (about 12% of the population) are bilingual Portuguese Spanish (mostly among those born before 1950). The European Commission showed some concern over the years regarding the need to protect the Portuguese language in the area. After some time, the children of Olivenza started learning Portuguese in school again. An unofficial census carried out among the citizens of Olivenza overwhelmingly stated that the citizens of the town feel more Spanish than Portuguese, and most of them want to remain in Spain, even though it is unclear whether this is due to a sense of Spanish identity or simply due to Portugal's current economic status. However, it must also be noted that even in the twenty first century, after the Franco dictatorship, many who tried to stand for their heritage and culture were declared personae non gratae and some were accused of "disrespecting the Spanish flag" for protecting the Portuguese language.

In 1964, Olivenza became one of the first municipalities in the province of Badajoz that earned a heritage protection status of conjunto histórico artístico for their historic cores. The report for the declaration cited that the city of Olivenza, "surrounded by a beautiful landscape of pasture and farmland, dominated by the imposing castle's keep", "offers a number of buildings, enclosures and places of notable importance in the monumental aspect". Some landmarks include the church of Saint Mary of the Castle (lang es, Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo), Holy Ghost Chapel (Capilla del Espíritu Santo, Capela do Espírito Santo), Saint Mary Magdalene Church (Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena, Igreja de Santa Maria Madalena, considered a masterwork of Portuguese Manueline architecture), Saint John of God Monastery (Monasterio de San Juan de Dios, Mosteiro de São João de Deus), the keep (torre del homenaje, torre de menagem), and the ruins of the Our Lady of Help Bridge (Puente de Nuestra Señora de Ayuda, Ponte de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, destroyed in 1709 and never rebuilt).

Portugal does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over the territory, based on the rulings of the 1815 Congress of Vienna. Spain accepted the Treaty on 7 May 1817; however, Olivença and its surroundings were never returned to Portuguese control and this question remains unresolved and Portugal holds a claim over it. Thus, the border between the two countries in the region of Olivenza should be demarcated by the Treaty of Alcanizes of 1297 and that the duty acknowledged by Spain to give back the region must be carried out. Spain interprets Article 105 as not being mandatory on demanding Spain to return Olivenza to Portugal, thus not revoking the Treaty of Badajoz. Even though Portugal has never made a formal claim to the territory after the Treaty of Vienna, it has not directly acknowledged Spanish sovereignty over Olivença either but has funded several projects connected to the region instead of the Spanish Government. Portuguese military maps do not show the border at that area, implying it to be undefined. Also, the latest road connection between Olivenza and Portugal (entirely paid by the Portuguese state, although it involved the building of a bridge over the Guadiana, an international river) has no indication of the Portuguese border, again implying an undefined status. There is no research on the opinion of the inhabitants of Olivenza about their status. Spanish public opinion is not generally aware of the Portuguese claim on Olivenza. On the other hand, awareness in Portugal has been increasing under the efforts of pressure groups to have the question raised and debated in public.

Guillermo Fernández Vara (1958) – Spanish politician, president of Extremadura. Pedro da Fonseca (?–1422) – Portuguese cardinal. Paulo da Gama (1465 1499), Vasco da Gama's elder brother, commander of São Rafael in the discovery of the route to India. Vicente Lusitano (c. 1461 – c. 1561) – Portuguese composer and music theoretician. Tomás Romero de Castilla (1833–1910) – Spanish theologian, founder of the Museo Arqueológico Provincial de Badajoz.