Calpe
Encyclopedia
Calp is a coastal town located in the comarca of Marina Alta
, in the province of Alicante
, Spain
, by the Mediterranean Sea
. It has an area of 23.5 km² and a population density
of 855.45 persons/km². The town is located 67 km from the city of Alicante
, lying at the foot of the Natural Park of Penyal d'Ifac.
The economy
of Calp is mainly based on tourism
and fishing
. Many Iberian
, Roman
and Arab
archeological sites exist in the town, due to its strategic coastal location.
The Penyal d'Ifac (in Spanish
Peñón de Ifach) was the natural lookout for the inhabitants that lived in the surrounding areas. Another lookout was the Morro de Toix Mountain, from which the Mascarat Ravine, an essential passage along the coast, could be controlled. The area gained in importance during the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula
. The township's proximity to the sea favoured marine trade and fish factories. Evidence of this are at the historical site Els Banys de la Reina (the Queen's Baths).
After the Arabs conquered Iberia, they built a castle overlooking the Mascarat Ravine. When the area was conquered by the Crown of Aragon
, the Muslim administration was maintained: small townships set apart and protected by a castle or fortress. Therefore, the inhabitants of the region were dependant upon the Castle of Calp.
In 1290 Calp came under the control of the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria
, who ordered that a village named Ifach be built in the proximity of the Rock of Ifach. In 1359, the battle between the then monarch Peter II of Aragon
and Peter I of Castile in the War of the Two Peters
caused the destruction of Ifac and a surge in the population of the Alqueria (from the Arabic Al-garya, meaning the "small town"). This rural edification, generally constructed on mountainsides, is of an austere nature and simple design. It is made up of one or two floors at the most, with just the one gallery.
In 1386, the administrative unit of the Castle of Calp was divided into the towns currently known as Benissa
, Teulada
, Calp and Senija. The town was plundered by Barbary pirates in 1687. 290 townsfolk were captured and taken to Algeria, were they were imprisoned for 5 years until their liberation in exchange for gold and the release of pirate prisoners. In this period the town had 18 houses inside the castle walls and some 350 inhabitants. In the 17th century there was an increase in the population which gave rise to the consolidation of Calp.
Towards the mid 18th century several projects arose to build a new fortified wall around the township, because by that point, due to the increase in the population, many inhabitants were forced to live outside the protection of the existing walls. During the 19th century the village developed towards the west. The basic axis of growth was along the route between Altea and Alicante.
During the second half of the 19th century the fishing industry began to take off throughout the region. Buildings such as the Fisherman's Cooperative were constructed and functioned alongside several existing factories dating from the end of the 18th century. These buildings, however, didn’t constitute a nucleus of population dedicated to fishing activities.
In 1918 the El Saladar salt flats were cleaned up and the production of salt could once again take place. Thanks to the technical innovations of the times bigger fishing vessels were constructed. The first small hotels arose in the area surrounding Els banys de la Reina and the Racó Beach, and catered to the emerging middle classes. The summer tourist trade increased substantially with the construction of the Ifach Parador in 1935.
In the period between 1945 and the end of the 1950s many holiday villas and small hotels were built to accommodate the flourishing summer tourist trade. The hotel trade in the region is located almost exclusively on the coastal area. During the second half of the 1960s, as happened along the rest of the Costa Blanca
, there was a tremendous boom in construction in Calp. This was due to political change and the emergence of tourism as a phenomenon of the masses.
Catholic
church and the tower
of La Peça, dating from the 18th century.
, Germany
El Puerto de Santa María
, Spain
Marina Alta
Marina Alta is a comarca in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain.- Municipalities :*Adsubia*Alcalalí*Beniarbeig*Benidoleig*Benigembla*Benimeli*Benissa*Benitachell/El Poble Nou de Benitatxell*Calp*Castell de Castells*Dénia...
, in the province of Alicante
Alicante (province)
Alicante or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, by the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. It has an area of 23.5 km² and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 855.45 persons/km². The town is located 67 km from the city of Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, lying at the foot of the Natural Park of Penyal d'Ifac.
The economy
Economic system
An economic system is the combination of the various agencies, entities that provide the economic structure that defines the social community. These agencies are joined by lines of trade and exchange along which goods, money etc. are continuously flowing. An example of such a system for a closed...
of Calp is mainly based on tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. Many Iberian
Iberians
The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC...
, Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
archeological sites exist in the town, due to its strategic coastal location.
History
There are some remains which testifies the presence of inhabitants in the region of Calp in Prehistoric times; some remains date back to the Bronze Age. The first buildings were introduced by the Iberians, constructed on the higher grounds.The Penyal d'Ifac (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Peñón de Ifach) was the natural lookout for the inhabitants that lived in the surrounding areas. Another lookout was the Morro de Toix Mountain, from which the Mascarat Ravine, an essential passage along the coast, could be controlled. The area gained in importance during the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. The township's proximity to the sea favoured marine trade and fish factories. Evidence of this are at the historical site Els Banys de la Reina (the Queen's Baths).
After the Arabs conquered Iberia, they built a castle overlooking the Mascarat Ravine. When the area was conquered by the Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
, the Muslim administration was maintained: small townships set apart and protected by a castle or fortress. Therefore, the inhabitants of the region were dependant upon the Castle of Calp.
In 1290 Calp came under the control of the Aragonese admiral Roger of Lauria
Roger of Lauria
Roger of Lauria, Loria or de Llúria in Catalan , was an Sicilian-Aragonese admiral, who was the commander of the fleet of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tactician of the medieval period...
, who ordered that a village named Ifach be built in the proximity of the Rock of Ifach. In 1359, the battle between the then monarch Peter II of Aragon
Peter II of Aragon
Peter II the Catholic was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213.He was the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile...
and Peter I of Castile in the War of the Two Peters
War of the Two Peters
The War of the Two Peters was a war fought from 1356 to 1375 between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Its name refers to the two rulers of these countries: Peter of Castile and Peter IV of Aragon, respectively...
caused the destruction of Ifac and a surge in the population of the Alqueria (from the Arabic Al-garya, meaning the "small town"). This rural edification, generally constructed on mountainsides, is of an austere nature and simple design. It is made up of one or two floors at the most, with just the one gallery.
In 1386, the administrative unit of the Castle of Calp was divided into the towns currently known as Benissa
Benissa
Benissa is a small town in Spain in the province of Alicante, 275 m above sea level, and one of the oldest towns on the Costa Blanca.The municipality of Benissa has 4 km of coastline linking the towns of Moraira and Calp. The scenery of the area includes cliff tops, rocky coves, sandy...
, Teulada
Teulada, Spain
Teulada is a small coastal town on Spain's Costa Blanca, located 3 km north from Junction 63 of the A7 E-15 toll motorway on the N-332 coast road....
, Calp and Senija. The town was plundered by Barbary pirates in 1687. 290 townsfolk were captured and taken to Algeria, were they were imprisoned for 5 years until their liberation in exchange for gold and the release of pirate prisoners. In this period the town had 18 houses inside the castle walls and some 350 inhabitants. In the 17th century there was an increase in the population which gave rise to the consolidation of Calp.
Towards the mid 18th century several projects arose to build a new fortified wall around the township, because by that point, due to the increase in the population, many inhabitants were forced to live outside the protection of the existing walls. During the 19th century the village developed towards the west. The basic axis of growth was along the route between Altea and Alicante.
During the second half of the 19th century the fishing industry began to take off throughout the region. Buildings such as the Fisherman's Cooperative were constructed and functioned alongside several existing factories dating from the end of the 18th century. These buildings, however, didn’t constitute a nucleus of population dedicated to fishing activities.
In 1918 the El Saladar salt flats were cleaned up and the production of salt could once again take place. Thanks to the technical innovations of the times bigger fishing vessels were constructed. The first small hotels arose in the area surrounding Els banys de la Reina and the Racó Beach, and catered to the emerging middle classes. The summer tourist trade increased substantially with the construction of the Ifach Parador in 1935.
In the period between 1945 and the end of the 1950s many holiday villas and small hotels were built to accommodate the flourishing summer tourist trade. The hotel trade in the region is located almost exclusively on the coastal area. During the second half of the 1960s, as happened along the rest of the Costa Blanca
Costa Blanca
Costa Blanca refers to the over 200 kilometres of coastline belonging to the province of Alicante in Spain. The name "Costa Blanca" was devised as a promotional name used by BEA when they launched their air service between London and Valencia in 1957. It has a well-developed tourism industry...
, there was a tremendous boom in construction in Calp. This was due to political change and the emergence of tourism as a phenomenon of the masses.
Main sights
Some of the most important monuments in Calp are the ruins of Els banys de la Reina, (the Queen's baths), the flooded salt flats, a bird sanctuary for migratory birds, its GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church and the tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
of La Peça, dating from the 18th century.
Twin towns
Calp is twinned with: OppenheimOppenheim
Oppenheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town is well known as a wine town, the site of the German Winegrowing Museum and particularly for the wines from the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen vineyards.- Location :...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. , the city has a population of c...
, Spain