Aranjuez

Aranjuez
—  Municipality  —
Palace of Aranjuez at night
Flag Coat of arms
Aranjuez Location in Spain
Coordinates: 40°02′10″N 3°36′18″W
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Madrid
Province	Madrid
Comarca	Las Vegas
Government
• Mayor	Jesús Miguel Dionisio Ballesteros
Area
• Total	189.1 km2 (73.0 sq mi)
Elevation	494 m (1,621 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	54,055
• Density	290/km2 (740/sq mi)
Demonym	Ribereños or Arancetanos
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	28300 and 28312
Website	Official website

Aranjuez (Spanish pronunciation: [aɾaŋˈxweθ]) is a town lying 48 km south of Madrid, in the southern part of the Community of Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the Tagus and Jarama rivers, 48 km from Toledo. As of 2009, it has a population of 54,055.

History

There are several theories about the origin of the name. The most widely accepted one states that it comes from the Basque language, deriving from arantza ("hawthorn" in English). Other theories say that it comes from Latin Ara Jovis or Ara Iovia, which means Jupiter's altar, but currently the pre-Roman name is preferred.

In 1178, the area was acquired by the Order of Santiago. Ferdinand and Isabella, the "Catholic monarchs", converted Aranjuez into a royal site. It was the spring residence of the kings of Spain from the late 19th century.

During the reign of Philip II of Spain, in the second half of the 16th century, the royal palace was constructed, designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. About 200 years later the city of Aranjuez itself came into being during the reign of Ferdinand VI; previously, only relatives of the monarch had been allowed to live in Aranjuez. In 1808 after the city revolted, Charles IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand VII of Spain.

Aranjuez was reached by a railway line to Madrid in 1851, the so-called Strawberry Train. This was the second railway line in Spain, after that of Barcelona-Mataró (1848).

In 1939, Joaquín Rodrigo composed the Concierto de Aranjuez, which would make Aranjuez famous all over the world.

Royal Palace.

Royal Palace.

Façade of the Royal Convent of Saint Pascual.

The Iglesia Real de San Antonio.

Wharf in Tagus River.

Main sights

The city was declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico ("Historic Artistic Junction") in 1983. In 2001 UNESCO listed the Aranjuez Cultural landscape as a World Heritage Site.

Sights in the city include:

• Royal Palace
• Isle Garden
• Parterre Garden
• Prince's Garden
• Isabella II's Garden
• House of Trades and Knights
• House of Infantes and Atarfe
• Pleasure craft Museum
• Farmhand's House
• Church of San Antonio
• House of Employees (currently Town Hall)
• Alpajes Church
• Saint Pascual's Royal Convent
• Old Saint Charles' Hospital (to be restored)
• Charles III's Royal Theatre (recently restored, inauguration pending)
• Supply Market
• Plaza de Toros and Bullfighting Museum "Una Gran Fiesta"
• Medinaceli Palace
• Governor's House (currently University of High Studies Centre Philip II)
• Mother Queen's old garage, today cultural centre "Isabel de Farnesio"
• Typical 'corralas' (buildings with running balconies around a central courtyard)
• Godoy and Osuna Palaces
• Silvela's Palace (also known as Bavaria's Palace)
• Centre of Interpretation of the Natural Reserve "El Regajal-Mar de Ontígola"
• Historical thickets and woodlands
• Royal Country Estate of Saint Isidro

Chinese Kiosks in the Prince's Garden

Apollo Fountain in the Prince's Garden

Map of the districts of Aranjuez

Government and administration

The city of Aranjuez is divided into the following districts: Centro, Vergel, Olivas, Las Aves, Nuevo Aranjuez, Foso, Moreras and La Montaña.

Economy

The main pillars of the local economy are hotels and tourism. Aranjuez has always been an attractive city for tourists with its Royal Palace, the gardens, the Tagus river and the landscapes. In 2001 this city was designated as a World Heritage Cultural landscape by UNESCO, and since then, tourism has kept on increasing. Much money was spent in order to beautify Aranjuez and many pubs and restaurants were opened (from 2001 to 2004 their number increased 22%). In 2005 a large casino was opened in the city and in March 2008 the Tagus Hospital was opened.

Agriculture

Aranjuez is located on the fertile plain of the Tagus river, and its soil is suitable for growing wheat and other cereals. There are also horticulture plantations (asparagus and strawberries), both irrigated and unirrigated products, vines and melons, which are also typical of the neighbouring region of Castilla-La Mancha.

Industry

The proximity to Madrid and the good communications by road and rail made Aranjuez a suitable location for industry: detergents, mechanical construction, computer and electrical material, photographic materials, pharmaceutical products, paints and varnishes, sugar refineries, and oil mills.

In recent decades, the sugar refinery and the Agfa photographic factory have closed. Cortefiel, a garment company, plans to build a factory in Aranjuez in the next few years.

The majority of the industries are located to the west of the railway station or in the "Gonzalo Chacón" industrial park, in the south. The main existing industries are:

• Lever Brothers (detergents).
• Indra (computer systems).
• Carburos Metálicos (chemicals).
• Fyse (pharmaceuticals).
• Bosch (electrical components for automobiles).
• Slaughterhouse.

Transportation

• Important roads:
  • Dual carriageway A4 (old N-IV) (Madrid - Cadiz).
  • Toll motorway R4, (Madrid-Ocaña).
  • N400, (Toledo-Cuenca).

• Railways (Renfe):
  • Aranjuez is served by commuter trains to Atocha and Chamartín stations in Madrid.
  • Long-distance trains to the East and South of Spain.

Local media

Print media

• Heraldo de Aranjuez.
• Tablón de Anuncios.
• Consumo Digital.
• Cuatro Esquinas.
• Divergente.
• El Espejo.

Radio stations

• Onda Aranjuez, 107.8 FM.
• Cadena Ser Aranjuez, 89.3 FM.
• Onda Cero Aranjuez, 90.7 FM.
• Radio Fuga, 92.1 FM.

Sports facilities

• The city has a long tradition of water sports due to its connection with the Tagus river, such as canoeing and rowing. In the Olympic bid of Madrid for the 2012 Olympics, which will be held in London, Aranjuez was the selected site for these sports. In spite of this, there are plans to continue the construction of the necessary sport facilities, which should be finished by 2010.
• Aranjuez has a football team, Real Aranjuez C.F., which plays in the Local Stadium, called "El Deleite".
• Nearby Ocaña has a skydiving and gliding centre at the Aerodrome, and most of the skydivers there base themselves in Aranjuez.

Notable people

• Francisco de Asís of Bourbon, husband of queen Isabella II of Spain.
• Francisco Agustín Silvela, Minister of Gobernación and Gracia y Justicia. Vice-President of the Congress of Deputies and Magistrate of the Supreme Court.
• Santiago Rusiñol, painter.
• Joaquín Rodrigo, musician.
• Alicia Hermida, Spanish actress.
• Jose Luis Sampedro, writer.
• Juan Luis Mora Palacios, football player.
• Javier García Portillo, football player.
• Iván Sánchez-Rico Soto alias Riki, football player.
• Pato Clavet, tennis player.
• Ángel Parra, judoka.
• Jesús Hernández, hockey player.
• Carlos Suarez, Basketball player.

Culture

Traditions

• In summer it is traditional to eat dinner in the picnic areas next to the Tagus river. These places are called gangos, a Spanish word used only in Aranjuez.

Gastronomy

• Garden produce: strawberries and asparagus.
• Pheasant, a characteristic gamebird from the area's forests.

Twin cities

• Écija, Spain
• Le Pecq, France

See also

• List of municipalities in Madrid

External links

• Official homepage of Aranjuez (Spanish)