Ciudad Real
| Ciudad Real | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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 Ciudad Real
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| Coordinates: 38°59′N 3°55′W / 38.983°N 3.917°W | |||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community |  Castile-La Mancha |
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| Comarca | Campo de Calatrava | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Rosa Romero Sánchez | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 289.98 km2 (111.96 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 628 m (2,060 ft) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 74,014 | ||
| • Density | 260/km2 (660/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Ciudadrealeños | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 13001-13005 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Ciudad Real (Spanish pronunciation: [θjuˈðað reˈal]) (in English "Royal City") is a city in Castile–La Mancha, Spain, with a population of c. 74,000. 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, located 115 miles (185 km) to the north. A high capacity airport (Ciudad Real Central Airport) has been built to serve the city, but closed in 2012 for lack of traffic. The beginning of the construction of a new Caesar's Palace Casino is planned.
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History [edit]
During the Middle Ages, four kilometres of walls and one hundred and thirty towers protected a population made up of Christians, Muslims 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 shown by the construction of several important buildings. The city was founded by Alfonso X in the 13th century (1255) to fight with the Military Order of Calatrava.
The city was surrounded by walls. Nowadays, there are only two parts of the wall left.
Main sights [edit]
Don Quixote's Museum is situated next to Parque de Gasset.
The Museo Elisa Cendreros exhibits an old collection of fans and carved 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, which 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 most interesting and typical monument of the city. It was built during the 14th and 15th centuries. Its style is Gothic, and it houses the tomb of Chante de Coca, confessor and chaplain of the Catholic Monarchs.
In the centre of Ciudad Real is the Plaza Mayor.
Events [edit]
One of the most popular festivals in the city is La Pandorga, which takes place July 30 and 31. On the last day of the month the festival honours its patroness, La Virgen del Prado. The usual attire of the participants consists of jeans, a white shirt, and the traditional handkerchief.
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Sports [edit]
The city had 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 former hall, the Don Quixote Arena, is one of the biggest in the Spanish professional league. BM Ciudad Real however moved its team to Madrid. Its name is now BM Neptuno but for sponsorship reasons it is often referred to as Atlético Madrid.
Ciudad Real also has a basketball team, which included David De la Rubia, one of the most renowned Spanish players in recent years.
Climate [edit]
| Climate data for Ciudad Real | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11 (51) |
13 (55) |
16 (60) |
19 (66) |
23 (74) |
29 (84) |
33 (92) |
33 (92) |
28 (82) |
22 (71) |
14 (58) |
11 (51) |
21 (69.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1 (34) |
1 (34) |
4 (39) |
6 (43) |
9 (49) |
13 (56) |
17 (62) |
17 (62) |
13 (55) |
8 (47) |
4 (39) |
1 (34) |
7.8 (46.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 28 (1.1) |
46 (1.8) |
50 (2) |
46 (1.8) |
33 (1.3) |
23 (0.9) |
3 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
30 (1) |
41 (1.6) |
48 (1.9) |
33 (1.3) |
384 (14.9) |
| Source: Weatherbase [1] | |||||||||||||
Education [edit]
Ciudad Real has 24 Primary Schools and 13 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 the opportunity to become a bilingual school. In the year 2005 the first bilingual group arrived.
People [edit]
- Manolo el del bombo (born January 15, 1949) or Manuel Cáceres Artesero; the most famous football fan in the world
- Manuel Marín (born October 21, 1949), politician and former president of the Spanish Congress
- José María Barreda (born February 4, 1953), President of Castile–La Mancha
- Fernando Luna (born April 24, 1958), professional tennis player
- Juande Ramos (born 1954), former manager of Real Madrid Football Club
References [edit]
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Ciudad Real, Spain". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
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