Ciudad Real (Spanish for: Royal City) is a city
in Castile-La
Mancha
, Spain
with a
population of 73,124. It is the capital of the province of Ciudad
Real
. It has a stop on the AVE
high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance
commuter suburb of Madrid
.
A high
capacity airport (Ciudad Real Central Airport
) has been built to serve the city, it is now
open. The beginning of the construction of a new
Caesar's
Palace
Casino is planned.
History
Cathedral of Ciudad Real
During the
Middle Ages, four kilometres
of walls and one hundred and thirty towers protected a population
made up of
Christians,
Moors and
Jews.
After the unification of the Iberian kingdoms under the
Catholic Monarchs, Ciudad Real became the
capital of the province of La Mancha in the 17th century (1691).
This fact favoured its economic development which was spilled into
important buildings. The city was founded by
Alfonso X in the 13th century(1255) to fight
against the
Military Order
of Calatrava.
The city was surrounded by walls. Nowadays, there are only two
parts of the wall left.
Sights
Jardines del Prado
Don Quixote's Museum is situated next to
Parque de Gasset.
The Museo Elisa Cendreros exhibits an old collection of fans and
wrought wood.
The Iglesia de Santiago is the oldest church in Ciudad Real. It was
built at the end of the 13th century. Its style is
Gothic. It has three blocks divided into
two parts. Its decorated with gothic paintings and with
seven-headed dragons, they were used such us amulets against the
bad spirits. The ceiling is decorated with stones forming eight
pointed stars.
Another important church in Ciudad Real is Iglesia de San Pedro
(Church of
Saint Peter). It is the
monument that has more interest and quality of the city. It was
built between the XIVth and XVth century. Its style is
Gothic. Inside we can find the tomb of
Chante de Coca, confessor and
chaplain of the
Catholic Monarchs.
In the centre of Ciudad Real is the Plaza Mayor.
One of the most popular festivals in the city is La Pandorga, which
takes place July 30th and 31st. On the last day of the month the
festival honors its patroness “
La
Virgen del Prado.” The usual attire consists of jeans, a white
shirt, and the traditional handkerchief.
Sports
University of Castilla la Mancha, in
Ciudad Real.
The city has a handball team, the
BM
Ciudad Real, which was the winner of the handball
EHF Champions League in 2006, 2008 and
2009.The handball club is one of the best in the world and its
hall, the
Don Quixote Arena, is
one of the biggest in the Spanish professional league.
Education
Ciudad Real has 18 Primary Schools and six high schools. The High
School "Torreón del Alcázar" was founded in 1987. In the first
years there were only vocational studies, thirty teachers and 350
students. Some years later the high school incorporated the
Compulsory Secondary studies and A levels. At the moment there are
93 teachers and 1000 students. In the year 1995 the High School was
offered to become a bilingual school. And in the year 2005 the
first bilingual group arrived.
Diputación Provincial
Natives of Ciudad Real
References
Wikis
Quiz
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