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Castellon de la Plana on the Orange Tree Coast

Tuesday, 14 April 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Castellón de la Plana is the capital city of the Province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar (Orange Tree Coast) by the Mediterranean Sea. The population is at 174,000. The mountain range known as Desert de les Palmes rises inland north of the town.

During the Middle Ages, the city was protected by moats, walls and towers, and a church was built, later becoming a cathedral. In the 19th century, the city walls were torn down and it slowly began to expand, a process interrupted by the War of Independence against Napoleon (1804–14) and the Carlist Wars (1833–63). In 1833 Castelló became the capital of the newly constituted province. In the second half of the 19th century, the city again began to expand, marked by the arrival of the railway, the enlargement of the port and the construction of representative buildings (Provincial Hospital, Casino, Theater) and parks. In 1991 a university (Jaume I University) was established, set upon a modern campus. In 2014 there were approximately 15,000 students enrolled The local economy is based on industry, tourism and craft-work.

Most of the historical buildings are located in the diminutive old town, around the Plaça Major (Main Square). These include:

• The Gothic Concatedral de Santa Maria (co-cathedral of Saint Mary), built in the 13th century and reconstructed one century later after destruction by fire. The present building is another reconstruction after the demolition ordered by the council during the Spanish civil war (1936).
• The Ajuntament (City Hall), erected at the beginning of the 18th century. It features a pretty Tuscan-style façade rising up over a colonnade.
• The standing alone bell-tower of the procathedral, known as El Fadrí (the single man), built in the 15th century.
• The Llotja del Cànem (Hemp Exchange Market), built during the first half of the 17th century to be used by traders in hempen cloth and ropes, a very important activity in the area at the time. Today the building is used by the University for cultural events and temporary exhibitions.
• On the northeast edge of the town, at the end of a broad avenue decorated with orange trees, stands the Basílica of Santa Maria del Lledó (European Hackberry or Celtis australis), a basilica devoted to an image of the Virgin Mary found in 1366 by a farmer when he was ploughing his lands. The original 14th-century chapel was extended to its present Baroque form during the 16th century. The complex is surrounded by a landscaped garden.
• Bishop’s Palace (18th century)
• Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castelló, Museum for Modern Art
• Teatre Principal

Read more on spain.info – Castellón de la Plana, Wikivoyage Castellón de la Plana and Wikipedia Castellón de la Plana. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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