Torrevieja
Encyclopedia
Torrevieja (ˌtoreˈβjexa, Valencian: ˌtoreˈveʎa) is a seaside city and municipality
located on the Costa Blanca
in the province of Alicante
, in south-eastern Spain
.
Torrevieja lies about 30 miles south of the city of Alicante
and has a population of 104,000 (2008). One of the great issues is that many foreign visitors do not register on the official census el padrón and many Spaniards with second homes are obliged to register in the town they are "habitually resident". Torrevieja was originally a salt-mining and fishing village as it is located between the sea and two large salt lakes (Las Salinas), which give Torrevieja a healthy micro climate.
) means Old Tower) and some labourers' cottage
s. But in 1803, Charles IV
authorized the movement of the salt production offices from La Mata
to the town itself and allowed the construction of dwellings there. In 1829, the town was totally destroyed by an earthquake
, but the basins were soon reconstructed and re-opened. In 1931, Alfonso XIII
gave Torrevieja city status by special grant. During this period, there was also a growing market for flax
, hemp
and cotton
.
In the 19th century, the salt
was mainly shipped from the town by Swedish
and Dutch
ships. At the time, there was only limited demand from other regions of Spain
, mainly Galicia and to a lesser extent, Valencia
. Although by the dawn of the 20th century, a quarter of all the salt
harvested from the lagoon in Torrevieja was sold in Spain
itself, and the rest exported was to foreign markets. Today, it is still an important industry in Torrevieja and a major employer. You can visit the Museum of Sea and Salt.
In recent years the local economy
has hugely expanded due to the tourist
industry. This includes both a strong contingent of British
, Irish
, German
s and Scandinavia
ns, many of whom live there all the year round, and Spanish
tourists who have a holiday home in the city. By 2004 Torrevieja had the largest number of British residents of all the Spanish municipalities (approx. 7,180), and that figure has now exceeded 12,000. The high number of British expatriates has led Torrevieja being nicknamed as 'the costa del Yorkshire' by some holidaymakers, often surprised that many British residents import cheap mass produced bread from England such as Warburtons and Hovis.
The city is a conservative
stronghold, with the Partido Popular
maintaining an absolute majority at the Municipal Elections of 27 May 2007.
Since 2001, the city's authorities along with Random House
's Spanish subsidiary, Plaza & Janés, award Spain's second most important annual literary award, the Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
, and its poetry correlative, Premio de Poesía Ciudad de Torrevieja.
of 2005 showed that the city had 84,838 residents, and the ayuntamiento
(district council area) had 95,531 residents. By January 2008 this figure had reached 103,154 of which only 47,870 were Spanish. 7,000+ of the Spanish residents were originally from Madrid and not for nothing is Torrevieja known as "la playa de Madrid" (The Madrid Beach). The most prominent nationalities in 2005 were:
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located on 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...
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...
, in south-eastern 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...
.
Torrevieja lies about 30 miles south of 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...
and has a population of 104,000 (2008). One of the great issues is that many foreign visitors do not register on the official census el padrón and many Spaniards with second homes are obliged to register in the town they are "habitually resident". Torrevieja was originally a salt-mining and fishing village as it is located between the sea and two large salt lakes (Las Salinas), which give Torrevieja a healthy micro climate.
History
Until 1802, Torrevieja existed only as an ancient guard tower, which gave the town its name (Torre Vieja (SpanishSpanish 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...
) means Old Tower) and some labourers' cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s. But in 1803, Charles IV
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV was King of Spain from 14 December 1788 until his abdication on 19 March 1808.-Early life:...
authorized the movement of the salt production offices from La Mata
Torre La Mata
Torre La Mata or simply La Mata is a small town located 5 km northeast of Torrevieja along the Costa Blanca, in the province of Alicante in southeast Spain. The town is often regarded as a dormitory suburb of Torrevieja. Many of the residents are expatriates from the United Kingdom, Germany...
to the town itself and allowed the construction of dwellings there. In 1829, the town was totally destroyed by an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, but the basins were soon reconstructed and re-opened. In 1931, Alfonso XIII
Alfonso XIII of Spain
Alfonso XIII was King of Spain from 1886 until 1931. His mother, Maria Christina of Austria, was appointed regent during his minority...
gave Torrevieja city status by special grant. During this period, there was also a growing market for flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
, hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
.
In the 19th century, the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
was mainly shipped from the town by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ships. At the time, there was only limited demand from other regions of 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...
, mainly Galicia and to a lesser extent, Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
. Although by the dawn of the 20th century, a quarter of all the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
harvested from the lagoon in Torrevieja was sold in 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...
itself, and the rest exported was to foreign markets. Today, it is still an important industry in Torrevieja and a major employer. You can visit the Museum of Sea and Salt.
Recent
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
has hugely expanded due to the tourist
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...
industry. This includes both a strong contingent of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, German
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...
s and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
ns, many of whom live there all the year round, and Spanish
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...
tourists who have a holiday home in the city. By 2004 Torrevieja had the largest number of British residents of all the Spanish municipalities (approx. 7,180), and that figure has now exceeded 12,000. The high number of British expatriates has led Torrevieja being nicknamed as 'the costa del Yorkshire' by some holidaymakers, often surprised that many British residents import cheap mass produced bread from England such as Warburtons and Hovis.
The city is a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
stronghold, with the Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
maintaining an absolute majority at the Municipal Elections of 27 May 2007.
Since 2001, the city's authorities along with Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
's Spanish subsidiary, Plaza & Janés, award Spain's second most important annual literary award, the Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja
The Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja is a Spanish literary prize, awarded since 2001 by the publisher Plaza & Janés to an original unpublished novel written in Spanish...
, and its poetry correlative, Premio de Poesía Ciudad de Torrevieja.
Population
The INE (Spanish Census)Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2005 showed that the city had 84,838 residents, and the ayuntamiento
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
(district council area) had 95,531 residents. By January 2008 this figure had reached 103,154 of which only 47,870 were Spanish. 7,000+ of the Spanish residents were originally from Madrid and not for nothing is Torrevieja known as "la playa de Madrid" (The Madrid Beach). The most prominent nationalities in 2005 were:
| Nationality | Percentage | Nationality | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish 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... |
47.80 | Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... n |
2.58 | |
| British United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
13.30 | Ukrainian Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
2.24 | |
| German 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... |
5.15 | Moroccan Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara... |
2.17 | |
| Swedish Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
3.14 | Norwegian Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
2.17 | |
| Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... n |
2.73 | Other | 13.30 |
Places of interest
- Iglesia Arciprestal de la Inmaculada Concepción - Originally erected in 1789 and then reconstructed in 1844, using stones reclaimed from the original Torre Vieja, (Old Tower).
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (La MataTorre La MataTorre La Mata or simply La Mata is a small town located 5 km northeast of Torrevieja along the Costa Blanca, in the province of Alicante in southeast Spain. The town is often regarded as a dormitory suburb of Torrevieja. Many of the residents are expatriates from the United Kingdom, Germany...
), constructed in 1896. - Paseo de la Dique de Levante
- Parque de las Naciones or The Park of the Nations
- Museo del Mar y de la Sal (Sea and Salt Museum)
- Submarine S61 Delfin
- Las Salinas - The salt lakes to the west of the city.
- The Market
- Centro Habaneras - A semi-outdoor shopping mallShopping mallA shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. - Paraje Natural Municipal Molino Del Agua - A natural park.
- Old Railway Station
- Water Fountains
- Playa de Los Naufragos
- Aquapolis, Water Park
- Boom Boom st
- Carrefour Torrevieja (24hrs)
External links
- Torrevieja Live WebCam
- TorreviejaTalk.com - Your Torrevieja Community
- Torrevieja Forum and Local Information
- Torrevieja Forums
- Torrevieja.com
- The leader Newspaper
- Torrevieja Today news about Torrevieja with photos and video
- This is Torrevieja
- Torrevieja City Guide with Video
- Information Website For Torrevieja
- Musical and Cultural Association Ars Ætheria
- Official Website of Torrevieja
- Torrevieja Travel Guide in english
- Internet Web-Guide of Torrevieja 2011
- This is Spain
- FC Torrevieja