Júzcar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Júzcar
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View of Júzcar for the worldwide premiere of The Smurfs.
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 Júzcar
Location in Spain
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| Country |  Spain |
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| A. community |  Andalucía |
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| Province |  Málaga |
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| Area | ||
| • Total | 33.66 km2 (13.00 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 600 m (2,000 ft) | |
| Population
(January 1, 2021)
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| • Total | 240 | |
| • Density | 7.130/km2 (18.47/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Juzcareño/a | |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 | |
| Postal code(s) |
29462
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| MCN | 29065 | |
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Júzcar is a small village and municipality in southern Spain. It is located in the province of Málaga, which is part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. This special village is famous for something very unique: almost all its buildings are painted bright blue!
Júzcar is found in the beautiful Valle del Genal. It is about 22 kilometers from the town of Ronda. The village is also about 113 kilometers from Málaga, the capital city of the province. It belongs to an area called Serranía de Ronda.
Contents
Júzcar's Blue Transformation
Originally, Júzcar was one of the "White Villages of Andalusia". These villages are known for their buildings traditionally painted white. But in the spring of 2011, something exciting happened. Sony España, a company, decided to paint the entire village blue. This was to celebrate the worldwide premiere of The Smurfs movie.
Painting the Village Blue
About 4,000 liters of blue paint were used to cover the buildings. Even the local church was painted blue! The original plan was to paint the village white again after the movie promotion ended.
Why Júzcar Stayed Blue
However, in December 2011, the village hall held a special vote. The people living in Júzcar got to decide if their village should stay blue or go back to being white. The results were clear: the villagers voted to keep Júzcar blue!
This decision was made because the blue paint job brought many tourists. Before, about 9,000 tourists visited Júzcar each year. But in the six months after it turned blue, an amazing 95,000 tourists came to see the "Smurf Village"!
The Blue Village Today
As of December 2020, Júzcar is still mostly blue. While the "Smurf" name is no longer officially used for tourism, many Spaniards still call it the Smurf Village. Officially, for visitors, it is now known as "La Aldea Azul," which means "The Blue Village."
The village was last painted blue in 2019. The paint was provided by the local and provincial governments. Building owners were responsible for painting their own homes.
See also
In Spanish: Júzcar para niños
