| Llíria | |
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| — Municipality — | |
| Liria | |
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Llíria
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Valencian Community |
| Province | Valencia |
| Comarca | Camp de Túria |
| Judicial district | Liria |
| Government | |
| • Alcalde | Manuel Izquierdo Igual (2007) (PP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 228 km2 (88 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 164 m (538 ft) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 22,441 |
| • Density | 98.4/km2 (254.9/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Liriano, liriana. |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 46160 |
| Official language(s) | Valencian |
| Website | Official website |
Llíria (Valencian, pronounced Yeeria or Lyeeria) or Liria (Spanish) is a medium sized town off the CV35 motorway to the north of Valencia, Spain. Known as Edeta in ancient Iberian times, it is the musical capital of the region.
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Llíria is the capital of the area known as Camp de Túria in the province of Valencia. It is approximately 25 km (16 mi) north-west of the city of Valencia. It sits at an altitude of 164m (530'). The population in 2006 totalled approximately 21,500. The traditional economy is based on agriculture, but industries such as textiles, construction materials, plastics, and furniture are becoming increasingly important. The city is at the end of the Valencia's metro train system. Construction of a new general hospital in Lliria began in 2007.
The local Fiestas are Romería of San Vicente Ferrer (29 April), and Saint Michael (29 September).
Under Llíria lie the ruins of what was one of the most important Iberian cities in Spain. The city was then known as Edeta and it was the administrative centre of Edetania, an extensive territory between the rivers Júcar and Palancia.
Edeta was built on a hilltop known as San Miguel – which overlooks the modern city. The city was moved downhill to it current location by Quintus Sertorius after Roman troops destroyed the town in 76 BC.
Under the Romans, Llíria was as important as Valencia or Sagunto. The town is very rich in Roman finds, including a large Roman leisure centre with a temple, shops, pools, and hot baths.
Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered one of Spain’s largest-ever caches of buried coins. Known as the Treasure of the Calle Duque of Lliria, it totals some 6,000 silver denarii minted in the first and third centuries. Another archaeological find was a mosaic of The Twelve Labours of Hercules, currently on show at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain (Madrid).
The first church in Llíria was built in 1238 by King James I of Aragon, after his victory over the Moors and the conquest of the Valencian region. The Church of the Blood (església de la Sang) was built on the site of a mosque and is a typical example of Gothic architecture with Roman and Valencian influences. Some remains of the original mosque can still be seen.
In 1919 the church was gazetted as a National Monument and was the first religious monument in the Valencian Community to receive this distinction. The church was recently restored and opened to the public.
The climate is Mediterranean, but with slight continental influence and some frosts in winter and spring. The average temperature is between 10°/11° C (50°/52° F) in January and 26°/29°C (79°/84°F) in July and August. Rainfall is very irregular but with heavy showers common in September and October.
The city has about 21,500 residents (2006) of which some 16,500 live in the city centre and 5,000 live in surrounding residential estates. Llíria and the surrounding area has one of fastest rates of population growth in the entire nation. Outside of the city centre there are few sewage systems and practically no residential streets are paved or illuminated. Utility services are struggling to keep up with largely unplanned growth. Sedesa SA has been given approval to construct a golf course with a hotel and luxury housing on a site some three kilometres to the north-east of the city. Work on the development was expected to begin in 2007, but now seem to have been suspended following the economic downturn. The largest immigrant communities are from Morocco (434), Romania (344) and the United Kingdom (323).
Several thousand of Llíria’s residents play musical instruments and the city is well known for its two intensely rival bands. The first band, the "Banda Primitiva", was formed by a Franciscan monk Fray Antoni Albarracín Enguídanos in 1838 and the subsequent band divided in 1903 to form the rival Unió Musical.
Both Spanish and Valencian are spoken in the town; however, the number speaking Valencian in their homes is steadily decreasing as the town is slowly absorbed into the Spanish-speaking conurbation of Valencia.
Spanish & Valencian language schools (State): Sant Vicent (962 780 374), Sant Miquel (962 781 217), Camp de Túria (962 780 503), and Laurona (962 790 125).
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