Kursaal of Algeciras

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The Kursaal viewed from Avenida Villanueva KursaalAlgeciras.jpg
The Kursaal viewed from Avenida Villanueva

The Kursaal of Algeciras is a building in the Paseo del Rio de la Miel of Algeciras, Spain. It is the work of artist Guillermo Pérez Villalta and architect Enrique Salvo. Also known as the Kursaal Congress Centre or Rio de la Miel, it was opened in 2007 after a decade of work. The building was designed in the late nineties as the seat of the Chamber of Commerce of Gibraltar but the work was halted until being rescued by the city council.

Algeciras City in Andalusia, Spain

Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar. The Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and the world in three categories: container, cargo and transhipment. It is located 20 km north-east of Tarifa on the Río de la Miel, which is the southernmost river of the Iberian peninsula and continental Europe. In 2015, it had a population of 118,920.

Spain Kingdom in Southwest Europe

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country mostly located in Europe. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula. Its territory also includes two archipelagoes: the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The African enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera make Spain the only European country to have a physical border with an African country (Morocco). Several small islands in the Alboran Sea are also part of Spanish territory. The country's mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north and northeast by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west and northwest by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean.

The decorative details of Kursaal are largely the strength of the building, and display many mosaics depicting mythological themes of the Strait of Gibraltar area. Its lighthouse tower is accessible by a spiral staircase on the inside. The building contains the main auditorium for the council and a library. The Kursaal has become the permanent centre seat of relations between the Maghreb and the Fundación Dos Orillas (Two Shores Foundation), an agency of the provincial government whose function is to promote relations between the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar by holding cultural activities. [1]

Strait of Gibraltar strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Peninsular Spain in Europe from Morocco and Ceuta (Spain) in Africa. The name comes from the Rock of Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq named after Tariq ibn Ziyad. It is also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, the Gut of Gibraltar, the STROG in naval use, and Bab Al Maghrib, "Gate of the West". In the Middle Ages, Muslims called it Al-Zuqaq, "The Passage", the Romans called it Fretum Gatitanum, and in the ancient world it was known as the "Pillars of Hercules".

Maghreb region of Northwest Africa

The Maghreb, also known as Northwest Africa or Northern Africa, Greater Arab Maghreb, Arab Maghreb or Greater Maghreb, or by some sources the Berber world, Barbary and Berbery, is a major region of North Africa that consists primarily of the countries Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. It additionally includes the disputed territories of Western Sahara and the cities of Melilla and Ceuta. As of 2018, the region has a population of over 100 million people.

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Río de la Miel river in Spain

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Cala Arenas

Cala Arenas is a beach situated near the city of Algeciras in Spain, within the El Estrecho Natural Park. It is located at the southern end of the Bay of Gibraltar and faces the Strait of Gibraltar. It measures about 400 metres (1,300 ft) long by about 30 metres (98 ft) deep. The beach is somewhat difficult to access, but can be reached via coastal paths from Punta Carnero and Punta del Fraile. It consists of a series of three small coves of similar appearance, with beaches of rocks and small stones. Both the terrestrial and marine environment of the area lies within the natural park. Its surroundings are largely undisturbed by human activity; the nearest settlement is the coastal community of Getares, a small outlying development of the city of Algeciras located about 1 km to the north. The beach is framed by cliffs and the Isla de las Palomas lies a short distance offshore.

Capilla del Cristo de la Alameda (Algeciras) church building in Cádiz Province, Spain

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Torre del Arroyo del Lobo cultural property in Algeciras, Spain

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The Río Palmones is a river of the Province of Cádiz in Southeastern coastal Spain. Its source is in Lomas del Castaño, Sierra Blanquilla, and it flows for some 37 kilometres (23 mi) into the Bay of Gibraltar, North of the city of Algeciras, in the neighborhood of Palmones. The Battle of Río Palmones took place here in 1342.

Batería de la Atunara Historic military installation

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Algeciras Town Hall

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Plaza de Andalucía Square in Algeciras, Spain

Plaza de Andalucía is a plaza in Algeciras, Spain. It is located close to the historic centre of the city, just south of the Kursaal, and adjacent to two major roads, the Cadiz-Malaga Road and Avenida de Blas Infante. In 2007 it was remodeled to house a shopping mall, business offices and subterranean car park. The Metropolitan Transportation Consortium Gibraltar, regulator of public transport in the county, and municipal television station Onda Algeciras are based in the Plaza de Andalucía.

Church of Nuestra Señora de la Palma, Algeciras Church in Algeciras, Spain

The Church of Our Lady of the Palm is a Roman Catholic church on the southwestern corner of the Plaza Alta in Algeciras, Spain. Listed as Bien de Interes Cultural by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1992, like the Spanish: Plaza Alta itself, it is an important city landmark.

Siege of Algeciras (1342–44) Castilian siege of the Marinid Empire capital

The Siege of Algeciras (1342–44) was undertaken during the Reconquest of Spain by the Castillian forces of Alfonso XI assisted by the fleets of the Kingdom of Aragon and the Republic of Genoa. The objective was to capture the Muslim city of Al-Jazeera Al-Khadra, called Algeciras by Christians. The city was the capital and the main port of the European territory of the Marinid Empire.

Siege of Algeciras (1369)

The Siege of Algeciras (1369) was undertaken during the period of the Reconquest of Spain by Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada to reclaim the city of Al-Hadra Al-Yazirat, called Algeciras by the Christians, in the Kingdom of Castile. The siege lasted just three days, and the sultan was victorious. The Muslims thus regained a major city which had been in Castilian hands since Alfonso XI of Castile took it from the Moroccans after the long 1342-1344 siege. Ten years after the capture of the city, in 1379 the sultan of Granada decided to completely destroy the city to prevent it falling into Christian hands. It was impossible to defend the place at a time when the Muslim kings of the Iberian Peninsula had lost much of military power they enjoyed in earlier centuries.

References

  1. "Gaspar Zarrías inaugura hoy el Kursaal y la feria Mediterránea XXI" (in Spanish). Diariosur.es. Retrieved 5 February 2012.

Coordinates: 36°07′36″N5°26′40″W / 36.12667°N 5.44444°W / 36.12667; -5.44444

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.