Alcoy | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 38°41′54″N0°28′25″W / 38.69833°N 0.47361°W | |
Country | Spain |
Autonomous community | Valencian Community |
Province | Alicante |
Comarca | Alcoià |
Judicial district | Alcoy |
Government | |
• Mayor | Antonio Francés Pérez (2011) (PSOE) |
Area | |
• Total | 129.86 km2 (50.14 sq mi) |
Elevation | 562 m (1,844 ft) |
Population (2018) [1] | |
• Total | 58,977 |
• Density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
Demonyms | Alcoyan •alcoià, -ana (va) •alcoyano, -na (es) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 03801-03804 and 03818 |
Official language(s) | Valencian and Spanish |
Website | Official website |
Alcoy [lower-alpha 1] (Valencian : Alcoi) [lower-alpha 2] is an industrial and university city, region and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 residents in 2018. [2] [3] [4]
The first traces of human presence in the area date to c. 60,000 years ago, when Neanderthal hunters settled here, in a site now called El Salt. [5] A site with rock paintings, dating to c. 10,000/6,500 years ago, has been discovered near la Sarga. From around the mid-3rd millennium BC people started to move from the caves to the plain where cereals were grown, while mountain fortifications were erected (Mola Alta de Serelles, Mas del Corral, Mas de Menente, El Puig).
After the Roman conquest of the Iberians, several rural villas were built in the area, as well as a necropolis. The town was established in 1256 by James I of Aragon, with the construction of a castle on a strategic position over the Serpis river, to secure the southern frontier of the Kingdom of Valencia during the Reconquista.
In 1291 the town was donated by King James II of Aragon to the Sicilian admiral Roger of Lauria; it did not return to royal possession until 1430.
During the War of Spanish Succession, Alcoy sided for the cause of archduke Charles, and was therefore besieged and stripped of numerous privileges, which started a period of decline.[ citation needed ]
In 1873 the workers of Alcoy revolted in the Petroleum Revolution.
Many outdoor rock paintings exist in Alcoy, and there are some ruins of an Iberian settlement with fragments of Greco-Roman pottery.
Buildings with an artistic or historical interest in the city include:
Alcoy has important industries related to textile, paper, food and metal. Furthermore, Alcoy has many factories that manufacture matches. Today, Alcoy is the financial, commercial and cultural center of the surrounding area.
Alcoy hosts the oldest Cavalcade of Magi in the world. The Jesuset del Miracle is commemorated on the last day of January. The most important touristic celebration is Moros i Cristians , in April.
The local football club CD Alcoyano is famous across Spain for a proverbial match in which they were facing a very adverse score. When the referee was about to close, the Alcoyano players kept asking for more time to score back and reach a draw. [6] Thus the phrase tener más moral que el Alcoyano ("to have greater morale than Alcoyano") ponders an indefatigable person. Currently, they play in the Segunda División B at El Collao Stadium.
The city is also home to PAS Alcoy, a Spanish roller hockey club, which plays in the OK Liga, the first division of roller hockey in Spain.
Alicante is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province. Likewise, the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Community are located in this province.
Moros y Cristianos or Moros i Cristians literally in English Moors and Christians, is a set of festival activities which are celebrated in many towns and cities of Spain, mainly in the southern Valencian Community. According to popular tradition the festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors and Christians during the period known as Reconquista. There are also festivals of Moros y Cristianos in Spanish America.
Cocentaina is a locality and municipality in the comarca of Comtat, in the province of Alicante, Spain. The village is located between the mountainous Serra de Mariola national park and the Serpis river. Cocentaina is ideally situated for both road and mountain biking. Many of the roads are used for training by professional teams, and several roads have been used by the Vuelta a España.
Muro de Alcoy or Muro d'Alcoi, also briefly called Muro is a town and municipality located in the comarca of Comtat, in the province of Alicante, Spain, lying at the foot of the Serra de Mariola. As of 2009, it has a total population of c. 8,900 inhabitants. The economy of Muro de Alcoy is based on textile industry, manufacture of plastic products and furniture and agriculture.
Llíria 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. On October 30, 2019, Llíria was declared a Creative City in the category of Music by the UNESCO.
La Vall d'Uixó is a town situated in eastern Spain, in the Valencian province of Castelló. La Vall is located 25 km to the south of the province's capital Castelló, 45 km to the north of the community's capital Valencia and 8 km to the Mediterranean Sea, so it is at 118 m above sea level.
The Serra Mariola Natural Park is a mountain range in the Valencian Community, Spain, one of the most peripheral offsprings of the Baetic System. Most of its territory is included in a natural park founded in 2002, covering an area of 17,257 ha. The park is surrounded by the towns of Cocentaina and Bocairent and the cities of Ontinyent and Alcoy.
The Barxell Castle, located in the municipality of Alcoy, Alicante, Spain, is a 13th-century medieval building which stands on a rocky mound in the middle of a pine forest. It is next to the CV-795 road, between Alcoy and Banyeres de Mariola. It is located in the rural place of Barxell at 800 metres altitude. It is very close to the "Solanetes" which had a small population in the Muslim era.
Timoteo Briet Montaud was a Spanish architect, one of the main architects of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy and the Valencian Art Nouveau.
Vicente Juan Pascual Pastor was a spanish architect, one of the main architects of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy and the Valencian Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau in Alcoy, as one of the main focuses of the Valencian Art Nouveau, is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the Art Nouveau in Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, in Spain.
Valencian Art Nouveau is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the Art Nouveau in the Valencian Community, in Spain.
The Casa del Pavo is a private building at 15 Sant Nicolau Street, in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain. It is one of the main works of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy.
The Circulo Industrial de Alcoy(Alcoy's Industrial Circle) is a cultural institution from Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain, founded on January 1, 1868. It is placed at 19 Sant Nicolau street, in the city center of Alcoy.
The Casa Laporta(Laporta house) is a private building at 26 País Valencià avenue, in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain. It is one of the main works of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy.
The Casa d'Escaló(Escaló house) is a public building at 2 Joan Cantó street, in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain. It is one of the main works of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy.
The Cementerio de San Antonio Abad(transl. Saint Anthony Cemetery) or Cementeri d'Alcoi is a cemetery located in Alcoy (Alicante), Spain.
The Casa Vilaplana(Vilaplana house) is a private building at 8 Joan Cantó street in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain.
The Casa Briet is a private building at 24 Sant Josep Street, in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain.
Fernando Cabrera Cantó (1866–1937) was a Spanish painter and sculptor; whose themes ranged from the cheerful and satiric to the darkly morbid. He also did landscapes.