| Aranjuez | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
| Palace of Aranjuez at night | |||
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Aranjuez
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Spain | ||
| Autonomous community | Madrid | ||
| Province | Madrid | ||
| Comarca | Las Vegas | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Jesús Miguel Dionisio Ballesteros | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 189.1 km2 (73 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 494 m (1,621 ft) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 54,055 | ||
| • Density | 285.9/km2 (740.4/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Ribereños or Arancetanos | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 28300 and 28312 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Aranjuez (Spanish pronunciation: [aɾaŋˈxweθ]) is a town lying 48 km south of Madrid, in the southern part of the Community of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers, 48 km from Toledo. As of 2009, it has a population of 54,055.
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There are several theories about the origin of the name. The most widely-accepted one states that it comes from the Basque language, deriving from Arantza ("hawthorn" in English). Other theories say that it comes from Latin Ara Jovis or Ara Iovia, which means Jupiter's Altar, but currently the Pre-Roman name is preferred.
In 1178 the area was acquired by the Order of Santiago. Ferdinand and Isabella, the "Catholic monarchs", converted Aranjuez into a Royal Site. It was the Spring residence of the kings of Spain from the late 19th century.
During the reign of Philip II of Spain, in the second half of the 16th century, the Royal Palace was constructed, designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. About 200 years later the city of Aranjuez itself came into being during the reign of Ferdinand VI; previously, only relatives of the monarch were allowed to live in Aranjuez. In 1808 after the city revolted, Charles IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand VII of Spain.
Aranjuez was reached by a railway line to Madrid in 1851, the so-called Strawberry Train. This was the second railway line in Spain, after that of Barcelona-Mataró (1848).
In 1939 Joaquín Rodrigo composed the Concierto de Aranjuez, which would make Aranjuez famous all over the world.
The city was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico ("Historic Artistic Junction") in 1983. In 2001 UNESCO listed the Aranjuez Cultural landscape as a World Heritage Site.
Sights in the city include:
The city of Aranjuez is divided into the following districts: Centro, Vergel, Olivas, Las Aves, Nuevo Aranjuez, Foso, Moreras and La Montaña.
The main pillars of the local economy are hotels and tourism. Aranjuez has always been an attractive city for tourists with its Royal Palace, the gardens, the Tagus river and the landscapes. In 2001 this city was designated as a World Heritage Cultural landscape by UNESCO, and since then, tourism has kept on increasing. Much money was spent in order to beautify Aranjuez and many pubs and restaurants were opened (from 2001 to 2004 their number increased 22%). In 2005 a large casino was opened in the city and in March 2008 the Tagus Hospital was opened.
Aranjuez is located on the fertile plain of the Tagus river, and its soil is suitable for growing wheat and other cereals. There are also horticulture plantations (asparagus and strawberries), both irrigated and unirrigated products, vines and melons, which are also typical of the neighbouring region of Castilla-La Mancha.
The proximity to Madrid and the good communications by road and rail made Aranjuez a suitable location for industry: detergents, mechanical construction, computer and electrical material, photographic materials, pharmaceutical products, paints and varnishes, sugar refineries, and oil mills.
In recent decades, the sugar refinery and the Agfa photographic factory have closed. Cortefiel, a garment company, plans to build a factory in Aranjuez in the next few years.
The majority of the industries are located to the west of the railway station or in the "Gonzalo Chacón" industrial park, in the south. The main existing industries are:
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