Almería

Almería is a town of Spain, capital of the Province of Almería in Andalusia. Port on the Mediterranean, it counts 189.798 inhabitants (2007). Almeria is sadly famous for the racist aggressions whose target was the Moroccan community living in an area.

Geography

Climate

The city of Almería is the European city with the most hours of sun, 2965 per annum; and the second on the world plan. The annual average temperature is of 18,7°C, and that of its water in winter is hotter than that of the air.

History

A city seems to exist in antiquity, founded by the Carthaginois. Scipion the African takes it and re-elects it Portus Magnus . The city is then occupied by the Vandales, the Visigoths, the Byzantine , again by the Visigoths, then by the Arab , which names it Al-Mariyat (the mirror of the Sea). The caliph Omeyyade Abd Al-Rahman III made there build a citadel, the Alcazaba , into 955. The city is prosperous thanks to its port, important commercial link with Africa.

In 858, the city is plundered by the chief Viking Hasting. This one passes then to the Mediterranean, from which it plunders the coasts by wintering two years in the Camargue. When it passes by again Gibraltar into 860, a Moslem flotilla the combat without managing to stop it.

After the fall of Omeyyades of Spain, the city becomes the seat of a kingdom taifa, which is then conquered by the taïfa of Murcia, then by the Almoravides. The city is conquered in 1147 by Alphonse VII, king de Castille. This phase of Christian occupation will start an economic decline. Reconquered ten years later by the Almohades, it will be integrated in the Royaume Grenade one century later. The Kings Catholiques conquer it in 1489, and of commercial port with Africa, it becomes a coastal town threatened by the barbaresque pirates, and forsaken by the trade which, coming from America, passes from now on by Seville.

The sixteenth century will be marked by the earthquake of 1522, and by several moric revolts , hard repressed.

The city was bombarded in 1939 by the German fleet, during the last combat of the Civil war. It found a prosperity by tourism, and an agriculture under greenhouses.

Almería devoted its name to a province formed of the oriental party of the Kingdom of Grenade, whose principal cities are Roquetas, Garrucha, Carboneras, San Jose and Mojácar.

Currency

NOBLE
MUY, MUY LEAL THERE DECIDIDA POR THE LIBERTAD, CIUDAD OF ALMERÍA.

Very noble, very honest and friend of Freedom, city of Almería .

Monuments

Alcazaba de Almería : Built by Abderramán III, it is about a Moslem fortress with three enclosures. The first was the military zone and was used as refuge for the population in the event of seat; the second accommodated the installations of the palate and the third was ordered by the Kings Catholiques after the Christian conquest.
Hold of Almedina : Very important street during the Moslem time, it constituted the beginning of the way from the village of Pechina to the door of the same name in the city (today Puerta de Purchena ), the principal entry of the city.
Wall of Jayrán and Cerro de San Cristóbal : Since the Alcazaba , it goes down towards north through Barranco from Hoya ; this wall line arrives to the hill of San Cristóbal . On this hill, one finds the remainders of a castle-fortification Christian.
Aljibes (cisterns) Arab or of Jayrán : They were built on order of this king in XIe century. They were useful for the public provisioning of water of the city and they are divided into three naves.
Wall Califale : it is with the angle of the Calle Atarazanas , with the Park Nicolás Salmerón . It dates from the time of the foundation of the city (Xe century). Its function was to close the antique district of Medina.
Hold of Mow Tiendas : typical and singular Moslem street of the city, which leads to the way of Pechina, located in the historical center. It was one of the retail parks (especially of silk) during the Moslem presence.
Church of San Juan Evangelista : It was built at the beginning of the XVIIe century on part of the ground which the old Large Mosque occupied, ruined by the earthquake of 1522. Its interest lies in the fact that it preserves the remainders of the wall of the Qibla and the Mihrab, with a decoration Almohade of XIIe century.
Cathedral of Almería : The decision of its construction was made in 1524 by the bishop fundator Fray Diego Fernández de Villalán. The two gates, of style Rebirth, are the œvre of Juan de Orea and were built between 1550 and 1573. The internal plan is of style late Gothique. The building present of the particular characteristics, because in addition to being a place of worship, it was intended for the defense of Almería against the continual attacks of the barbaresque pirates. it is acted in fact of a cathedral-fortress.
Ancient Hospital of Santa María Magdalena : It dates from XVIe century. It has a very beautiful patio and its principal door shows a taste of transition between the baroque and the neoclassicism from XVIIIe.
Church and Couvent of mow Puras : Founded in 1515 per Gift Gutierre de Cárdenas, which created a convent of Santa Clara , although its widow changed the convent of Claras into Puras. The tiny door and the tower are centuries XVI-XVII.
Convent of mow Claras : Founded by Gift Jerónimo Briceño and its wife in 1590; the end of construction goes back to 1756. It underwent the effects of the Secularization of the religious goods and the Civil war. It has two gates, the main thing shelters the statue of Santa Clara.
Sanctuary of the Virgen el Mar : building rested by Dominican fathers in XVe century. The church underwent great transformations after the Secularization of the religious goods. One finds there a statue of the Virgen del Mar , owner de' Almería.
Church of San Pedro : It was built at the end of XVIIIe and the beginning of the XIXe century. With its place, before the convent of the franciscains was. Of neo-classic style; its principal frontage presents twin towers with triangular pediments.
Church of Santiago : conceived by Juan de Orea and founded by the Villalán bishop between 1553 and 1559. To notice the gate rebirth with a low-relief of Saint Jacques Matamoros.
Church of San Sebastián : It dates from the XVIIe century. Interesting is the marble high relief of the principal frontage where the martyrdom of the saint is illustrated.

Plaza of Constitución : it was the souk during the Moslem time, transformed into place at the XIXe century. One finds there the Ayuntamiento (town hall) of the city, built at end of this century, according to the project of the architect almeriense Trinidad Cuartara Casinello; one finds there also the monument with los Coloraos .
Monument with Martyrdoms of Freedom : Located at the center of the Plaza Vieja , it is known traditionally like Monument with los Coloraos or Pingurucho . It is a marble column of Macael which commemorates the twenty-four people who arrived at Almería with red handkerchiefs (from where the of Coloraos ) to proclaim freedom against the absolutism of Ferdinand VII; their intentions failed then that they were stopped and shot.
Plaza Bendicho and Put of Los Puche : it was one of the preferred places of the aristocracy of the XVI and XVII centuries. The Put of Los Puche , name of a noble family of the city, dates from the XVIIIe century. Of neo-classic nature, it has two stages which develop around a central patio.
Put los Marqueses de Torre Alta : Located on another typical place of the city (of Careaga), only the frontage is preserved, of neo-classic style.
Palate of the Marquis de Cabra : It is XVIIIe. Traditional and monumental building, in full historical center. It is the current seat of the Municipal File.
Palate of the Viscounts of the Castle of Almansa : Built between 1773 and 1780, it has two monumental gates which give in different streets, one of them is used as entry for the cars. It is the seat of the Archivo Histórico Provincial .

Puerta de Purchena and Paseo de Almería : The name of Purchena is with the fact that around this place was the antique Puerta de Pechina , but the name was changed by error by the Christians. All the town planning of current the Plaza el Paseo is there the work of the widening made in the middle of XIXe, from where its interesting taste and middle-class style, of character Afrancesado . It is the nerve center of the city and it is there that today concentrates the marketing activity and banquaire provincial. In this place typical residences of the middle-class architecture of this period are as it is the case of the of Mow Mariposas '', which belonged to the Ripoll family. * Statue of Nicolás Salmerón : Monument dedicated to the almeriense , which was one of the presidents of the First Republic. The statue, out of iron, is in the center of Puerta Purchena.

Cortijo To card-index : Located in the property of Santa Isabel. It is a palate isolated and from eclectic nature, surrounded by a luxuriant garden. It is a work of the end of XIXe. It presents a modernistic decoration.

Escuela de Artes there Oficios Artísticos : Built during the second half of XIXe and left XXe. It accommodated old the Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza . It is an eclectic building with features classicisant. Inside the monumental patio of the XVIIIe century is, ancient cloister of the convent the Dominican ones. Among his former students one must mention, inter alia, Federico García Lorca.

Church of San Agustín, los Franciscanos : built by franciscains of Murcie in 1931 which came to take again the testimony of the brothers expelled by the secularization of the goods. Mow will obras finalizaron acabada the contienda española.

Palacio of Diputación : gone back to 1884. It was the palate of Juan Lirola. Inside, the beautiful patio is noticed; it is currently useful for exposures, congress and official ceremonies of the political life almeriense.

Farming Casino : it is the best example of middle-class palate, gone back to 1888. It was the residence of Gift Emilio Pérez Ibañez. It was reformed to accommodate the casino of the city. To notice the Moslem living room and the French influence, ballroom clear for its decoration.

Teatro Apolo : it is beginning of the XXe century. It fu rebuilds in 1993. It has character clearly historicist inspired by the classicism.

Teatro Cervantes : One of the key places of the culture almeriense. Work began in 1898 and finished only in 1921. It is a ecclectic architecture with academic and néobaroques elements. Interesting is the collection old posters of varieties, festivals and events of the city of first half of the XXe century.

Círculo Mercantil : Founded in 1899. Its rooms were used for events literary, cultural, festivals of carnival and ball, and exposures. Its construction forms a whole with the Teatro Cervantes .

Gone Central : Built in 1893. Of eclectic style combining architecture out of iron and glass. The principal frontage looks at Paseo d' Almería and shelters a female traditional sculpture, symbol of abundance.

Plaza of toros of Almería : Built between 1887 and 1888. Of eclectic architecture, its plan is polygonal at twenty sides, including three projecting to form the monumental doors of the place.

Park Nicolás Salmerón : Located between the port and the city, it is divided into two zones; the Parks Viejo (populated trees centenaries), work of Jose María de Acosta, who goes since the rambla of Chanca to the rotunda of Fuente of los Peces work of Jesús de Perceval, and the Parque Nuevo (zone decorated with ponds and fountains), drawn by Guillermo Langle Rubio, which extends since the rotunda to the avenue from the Reina Regente .

Church of San Castling : Built in 1893 and located in the old district Moslem, now known like Pescadería - Chanca . It is of eclectic style classicist from where its imposing tower detaches, which gives a singular profile to the city seen since the port.

Estación de Ferrocarril (Station): perfect example of architecture out of iron and glass. Finished in 1893. Known principal frontage is made of three bodies, the central body being made of iron and glass.

Cable Inglés : Mineral charger, example of architecture out of iron, built in 1904. It unita the station idiot with the port. Of style ecclectic characterized by the use of new materials, according to the ideas of the School of Eiffel.

El Ingenio : One preserves only the frontage of what was the antique manufactures of sugar, dated of 1885. Built in the shape of triumphal arch in the style of the industrial architecture.

Put los Telamones : Located in Plaza Circular, to the monumental historicism of 1907 corresponds.

Put Montoya : work of Guillermo Langle Rubio (1928), according to the style of construction of mountain regionalism.

Old Banco seat of the of España: Building of 1953 builds by respecting the character triumphalist person of Francoism, adopting a tone grisâtre with the frontage to increase the sobriety and the classicism of the installation.

Municipal Auditorium Maestro Padilla : Built in 1992 and looking at the sea. Es of corte racionalista there funcional, ladrillo visto.

Statue of Charity : Monument raised in homage to the victims of the floods of the end of the XIXe century; the largest losses took place in the districts close to the sea. The statue is on Rambla current.

Archaeological Museum of Almería : Inaugurated in 2006, it accommodates the funds archaeological of the province since Prehistory until the Moslem time; the majority corresponds to the excavations carried out by the famous archeologist Luis Siret.

Museum of Seismology of Almería : Geophysical observatory of Almería. It has a seismological instrument used since 1911, without counting the files of the seismograms, the material of information and the room of projections.

Central of Arte Museo de Almería (CAMA) : located in the country cottage of regional tradition of Plaza Barcelona, vinculado idiot Estación de Ferrocarril. It was built in 1927 by Guillermo Langle Rubio and accommodates temporary exhibitions of arte contemporary.

Museum of the olive oil d' Almería : shelter an old mill with oil in which all is explained that relates to oil; inside one can see how were the typical lanes of Almería of the XIXe century.

Faluca Almariya : Retort of a boat hispano-Moslem woman of X - XIV centuries. The museum is in the warehouse of the boat and one can include/understand there the important relation between the Mediterranean and one of the most important ports that Al-Ándalus had. The boat is in the Puerto Deportivo del Club of Mar .

Biblioteca Francisco Villaespesa : Although its origin sitie in 1850, the current building was inaugurated in 1983, forming an essential element in the cultural life, éducativae and of the leisure of Almería.

Twinning

Internal bonds

List of the bishops of Almeria
Indalo

Sources of the article

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