Castellón de la Plana/ Castelló de la Plana
—  Municipality  —
El Fadrí.
Flag Coat of arms
Location in the Valencian Community
Castellón de la Plana/ Castelló de la Plana Location in Spain
Coordinates: 39°58′59″N 0°1′59″W / 39.98306°N 0.03306°W / 39.98306; -0.03306Coordinates: 39°58′59″N 0°1′59″W / 39.98306°N 0.03306°W / 39.98306; -0.03306
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	22x20px Valencian Community
Province	Castelló
Comarca	Plana Alta
Judicial district	Castelló de la Plana
Government
• Alcalde	Alfonso Bataller Vicent (2011) (PP)
Area
• Total	108.80 km2 (42.01 sq mi)
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population (2009)
• Total	180,005
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Demonym	Castellonenc, Castellonenses
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code
Official language(s)	Valencian, Spanish
Website	Official website

Castelló de la Plana and Desert de les Palmes mountains from the air, 2011.

Castellón de la Plana (Spanish: [kasteˈʎon de la ˈplana]) or Castelló de la Plana (Valencian: [kasteˈʎo ðe la ˈplana]) is the capital city of the province of Castelló, in the Valencian Community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. The mountain range known as Desert de les Palmes rises inland north of the town.

History[link]

The first known building in the area was the Moorish castle of Fadrell, near the Alqueries de La Plana. The town proper was officially founded in 1251, after the conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia by King James I of Aragon in 1233. James granted royal permission to move the town from the mountain to the plain on September 8, 1251, and tradition claims that the move was completed by the third Sunday of Lent, 1252. During the Middle Ages, the city was protected by moats, walls and towers, and a church was built, later becoming a cathedral. In the 17th century the town was one of the last strongholds in the Revolta de les Germanies (local guilds). It also supported Archduke Charles of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), but was later taken by the troops of Philip d'Anjou.

In the 19th century, the city walls were torn down and it slowly began to expand, a process interrupted by the War of Independence against Napoleon (1804–14) and the Carlist Wars (1833–63). In 1833 Castelló became the capital of the newly constituted province. In the second half of the 19th century, the city again began to expand, marked by the arrival of the railway, the enlargement of the port and the construction of representative buildings (Provincial Hospital, Casino, Theater) and parks.

In 1991 a university (Jaume I University) was established, set upon a modern campus. The local economy is based on industry, tourism and craft-work.

Main sights[link]

Most of the historical buildings are located in the diminutive old town, around the Plaça Major (Main Square). These include:

• The Gothic Concatedral de Santa Maria (co-cathedral of Saint Mary), built in the 13th century and reconstructed one century later after destruction by fire. The present building is another reconstruction after the demolition ordered by the council during the Spanish civil war (1936).^[1]
• The Ajuntament (City Hall), erected at the beginning of the 18th century. It features a pretty Tuscan-style façade rising up over a colonnade.
• The standing alone bell-tower of the procathedral, known as El Fadrí (the single man), built in the 15th century.
• The Llotja del Cànem (Hemp Exchange Market), built during the first half of the 17th century to be used by traders in hempen cloth and ropes, a very important activity in the area at the time. Today the building is used by the University for cultural events and temporary exhibitions.
• On the northeast edge of the town, at the end of a broad avenue decorated with orange trees, stands the Basílica of Santa Maria del Lledó (European Hackberry or Celtis australis), a basilica devoted to an image of the Virgin Mary found in 1366 by a farmer when he was ploughing his lands. The original 14th-century chapel was extended to its present Baroque form during the 16th century. The complex is surrounded by a landscaped garden.
• Bishop's Palace (18th century)

Twin towns[link]

• Châtellerault, France

Notable people[link]

• José Luis Ballester (born 1969), Olympic butterfly swimmer
• Manuel Brancal (born 1968), musician and composer.
• Pablo Hernandez Dominguez (born 1985), footballer at Valencia CF
• Sergio García (born 1980), professional golfer
• Matilde Salvador (born 1918, died 2007), musician, composer and painter artist.
• Sergio Aragonés (born 1937), comics cartoonist.
• Jorge Monreal Forcada (born 1984), painter artist, illustrator.
• Xavi Valero (born 1973), Goalkeeping Coach at Liverpool F.C.
• Miguel Angel Silvestre, (born 1982), actor
• Félix Porteiro Perez, (born 1983), racing driver
• Wenceslao Rambla Zaragoza, (born 1948), painter artist, aesthetics professor.

Climate[link]

See also[link]

• Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón.
• Columbretes Islands

References[link]

External links[link]

• Castelló : A virtual trip
• Castellón de la Plana at Google Maps
• University Jaime I of Castelló de la Plana
• News of Castellón. Noticias de Castellón
• News of CD Castellón.Soccer team. Noticias del CD Castellón
• News of Club Rugby Castelló.

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