Castellón de la Plana
| Castellón de la Plana/ Castelló de la Plana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | |||
|
Central parts of Castelló de la Plana. | |||
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 Location in the Valencian Community | |||
  Castellón de la Plana/ Castelló de la Plana Location in Spain | |||
| Coordinates: 39°58′59″N 0°1′59″W / 39.98306°N 0.03306°W | |||
| Country |
 Spain | ||
| Autonomous community |
.svg.png){kind=small} Valencian Community | ||
| Province | Castelló | ||
| Comarca | Plana Alta | ||
| Judicial district | Castelló de la Plana | ||
| Government | |||
| • Alcalde | Alfonso Bataller Vicent (2011) (PP) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 108.78 km2 (42.00 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) | ||
| Highest elevation | 609 m (1,998 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Population (2012) | |||
| • Total | 180,204 | ||
| • Density | 1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Castellonenc, Castellonenses | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 12001-06 | ||
| Dialing code | 964 | ||
| Official language(s) | Valencian, Spanish | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Castellón de la Plana (Spanish: [kasteˈʎon de la ˈplana]), Castelló de la Plana (Valencian: [kasteˈʎo ðe la ˈplana]), or simply Castellón / Castelló, is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. The mountain range known as Desert de les Palmes rises inland north of the town.
History
The first known building in the area was the Moorish castle of Fadrell, near the Alqueries de La Plana. The town proper was officially founded in 1251, after the conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia by King James I of Aragon in 1233. James granted royal permission to move the town from the mountain to the plain on September 8, 1251, and tradition claims that the move was completed by the third Sunday of Lent, 1252. During the Middle Ages, the city was protected by moats, walls and towers, and a church was built, later becoming a cathedral. In the 17th century the town was one of the last strongholds in the Revolta de les Germanies (local guilds). It also supported Archduke Charles of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), but was later taken by the troops of Philip d'Anjou.
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. The local economy is based on industry, tourism and craft-work.
Main sights
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).[1]
- 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
Events
The annual festivities in Castellon are a week of celebrations three weeks before Easter every year called La Magdalena. People come from all over the province and many international bands and groups participate.
Yearly in February the Tanned Tin music festival for alternative music and experimental music takes place in Castellón.
Twin towns
Notable people
- Roberto Bautista-Agut (born 1988), professional tennis player.
- José Luis Ballester (born 1969), Olympic butterfly swimmer
- Pablo Hernandez Dominguez (born 1985), footballer at Swansea City A.F.C.
- Sergio García (born 1980), professional golfer
- Matilde Salvador (born 1918, died 2007), musician, composer and painter artist.
- Sergio Aragonés (born 1937), comics cartoonist.
- Xavi Valero (born 1973), Goalkeeping Coach at Liverpool F.C.
- Miguel Angel Silvestre, (born 1982), actor
- Roberto Merhi, (born 1991), driver
Climate
The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "BSk" (Tropical and Subtropical Steppe Climate).[2]
| Climate data for Castelló | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
35.0 (95) |
37.4 (99.3) |
40.6 (105.1) |
39.4 (102.9) |
36.0 (96.8) |
33.4 (92.1) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
40.6 (105.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
16.4 (61.5) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
26.4 (79.5) |
29.3 (84.7) |
29.7 (85.5) |
27.2 (81) |
23.0 (73.4) |
18.6 (65.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) |
11.4 (52.5) |
12.8 (55) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.8 (64) |
21.6 (70.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.0 (77) |
22.4 (72.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
11.4 (52.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.9 (44.4) |
12.2 (54) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) |
−2.2 (28) |
0.4 (32.7) |
2.8 (37) |
5.2 (41.4) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
12.2 (54) |
9.8 (49.6) |
5.4 (41.7) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 35 (1.38) |
26 (1.02) |
29 (1.14) |
38 (1.5) |
37 (1.46) |
20 (0.79) |
12 (0.47) |
29 (1.14) |
62 (2.44) |
71 (2.8) |
41 (1.61) |
46 (1.81) |
442 (17.4) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 45 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 174 | 175 | 209 | 227 | 264 | 282 | 320 | 282 | 227 | 200 | 173 | 155 | 2,689 |
| Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[3] | |||||||||||||
Transport
The small Castellón Airport offers charter and general aviation services, but no scheduled passenger service. The new Castellón-Costa Azahar Airport is designed to support large international jet flights and was completed in 2011. As of 2014, it has never been operational due to lack both of interest by any airline and of government certification. It has become a symbol of the wasteful spending prior to the 2008–13 Spanish financial crisis. Valencia Airport is about 70 km (43 mi) south whilst Alicante Airport is another 185 km (115 mi) further down the coast.
The city is served by the Castellón de la Plana railway station. The Euromed railway line links Alicante to Barcelona.
Nowadays, this city has a new public transport called TRAM de Castellón which is a trolleybus. There is just a line Línea 1 (TRAM de Castellón), but authorities are planning to build the second line.
See also
- Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón.
- Columbretes Islands
References
- ↑ .Obras religiosas destruidas durante la guerra civil (spanish)
- ↑ Climate Summary for Castellón de la Plana
- ↑ "Valores Climatológicos Normales. Castellón".
External links
- Castelló : A virtual trip
- Castellón de la Plana at Google Maps
- University Jaime I of Castelló de la Plana
- News of Castellón. Noticias de Castellón
- News of CD Castellón.Soccer team. Noticias del CD Castellón
- News of Club Rugby Castelló.
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