Júzcar (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxuθkaɾ]) is a village and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is situated in the east of province in the Valle del Genal. The municipality is situated approximately 22 kilometres from Ronda and 113 from the provincial capital of Málaga. It belongs to the comarca of Serranía de Ronda.

Júzcar
View of Júzcar for the worldwide premiere of The Smurfs.
View of Júzcar for the worldwide premiere of The Smurfs.
Coat of arms of Júzcar
Júzcar is located in Spain
Júzcar
Júzcar
Coordinates: 36°37′32.0″N 5°10′15.1″W / 36.625556°N 5.170861°W / 36.625556; -5.170861
Country Spain
A. community Andalucía
Province Málaga
Government
 • MayorFrancisco Lozano
Area
 • Total
33.66 km2 (13.00 sq mi)
Elevation
600 m (2,000 ft)
Population
 (January 1, 2021)
 • Total
240
 • Density7.130/km2 (18.47/sq mi)
DemonymJuzcareño/a
Time zoneUTC+01:00
Postal code(s)
29462
MCN29065
WebsiteOfficial website

The village had been one of the White Villages of Andalusia, with buildings traditionally whitewashed. In spring 2011, buildings in the village (including the church) were painted blue by Sony España to celebrate the premiere of the Smurfs movie. Approximately 4,000 litres (880 imp gal; 1,100 US gal) of paint were used. While the original agreement with Sony España included painting the village white after its promotional ended, in December 2011 the village hall organised a special referendum vote for the village residents to determine whether the village would remain blue or revert to white; the referendum results indicated the village would continue as blue with no date for reverting to white. The vote came after an estimated 95,000 tourists visited the village in the six months following the blue paint job, while the village had previously seen about 9,000 tourists annually.[1][2]

As of December 2020, Júzcar remains, more or less, a blue village. While the Smurf name has been left in the past, the village is still commonly known by Spaniards as the Smurf Village, but officially for tourism the village is referred to as "La Aldea Azul", the blue village. The village was last painted blue in 2019, with paint provided by the provincial and village governments, and building owners responsible for the actual painting.

One of the highlights of the region surrounding Júzcar is the "Bosque de Cobre" or "Copper Forest". This picturesque area, located along the road connecting Júzcar with Pujerra and Igualeja, offers stunning panoramic views, especially during autumn when the chestnut trees turn a vibrant copper color.[3]

Climate

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Climate data for Júzcar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C 16 17 19 20 23 26 28 29 26 22 19 17 22
Daily mean °C 10 9 11 13 15 24 24 24 21 18 13 11 16
Mean daily minimum °C 11 12 13 14 16 18 20 21 19 17 14 12 16
Average precipitation mm 10 5 5
Mean daily maximum °F 61 63 66 68 73 79 82 84 79 72 66 63 71
Daily mean °F 50 48 52 55 59 75 75 75 70 64 55 52 61
Mean daily minimum °F 52 54 55 57 61 64 68 70 66 63 57 54 60
Average precipitation inches 0.4 0.2 0.2
Average precipitation days 13 11 10 10 9 3 2 2 6 13 12 15 106
Source 1: World Weather Online [4]
Source 2: spanishweather [5]

References

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  1. ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (19 December 2011). "Spanish village happy to be left feeling blue by Smurfs - Europe - World - The Independent". The Independent. London. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  2. ^ Allen, Jonathan (2012). "Pitufo Blues" (PDF). Cabinet magazine. Brooklyn. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  3. ^ mytouristmaps (2024-11-11). "Genal Valley". mytouristmaps.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. ^ "Juzcar Weather, Spain Weather Averages". World Weather Online. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Weather forecast Juzcar". spanishweather.net. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2012.