''El Calpense'' was a Spanish language newspaper that was published in the then

Crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

(now

British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

) of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

between 1868 and 1982. Its name is synonymous, in Spanish, to "The Gibraltarian" (

Calpe Calpe () or Calp () is a coastal municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of and a population density of . The city lies at the foot ...

being an ancient name for Gibraltar, as it was the name given to the

Rock of Gibraltar The Rock of Gibraltar (from the Arabic name Jabel-al-Tariq) is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterr ...

as one of the Pillars of Hercules). ''El Calpense'' (subtitled ''a political, commercial and advertising daily'', es, Diario político, mercantil y de anuncios) was founded as a dailyLa frontera estéril: la literatura en español en Gibraltar
(in Spanish) and was the first Spanish language newspaper published in Gibraltar. Owned and run by

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

, its emergence was at first resisted by the

Governors of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

, who worried about possible troubles with Spain and disruption in the town. Its audience was not only among the Spanish-speaking community in Gibraltar, but also in the surrounding area, the

Campo de Gibraltar Campo de Gibraltar (, "Gibraltar Countryside") is a comarca (county) in the province of Cádiz, Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia, the southernmost part of mainland Europe. It comprises the municipalities of ...

. Its contents was rather similar to those of the '' Gibraltar Chronicle'', but in Spanish. It also included reviews of Madrid-based Spanish press as well as the British press.

History

Gibraltar's oldest newspaper, the '' Gibraltar Chronicle'' (1801), was published in English at a time when much of the civilian population spoke mainly Spanish with some Genoese and

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

also used. Although the ''Chronicle'' remained popular among the garrison, a large proportion of the population would have not have benefited from a paper published in English. ''El Calpense'' fulfilled this purpose once it had established itself as a daily but its founders, the Parral family, fought long and hard before they were permitted a licence to publish their paper. It was one of the leading newspapers of the territory. In 1878 it had a daily circulation of 500 copies (the '' Gibraltar Chronicle'' and ''

El Anunciador ''El Anunciador'' was a Spanish language newspaper that was published in the then Crown colony (now British overseas territory) of Gibraltar between 1885 and 1940. It was the most read newspaper in Gibraltar and in the Campo de Gibraltar Camp ...

'' had 400 each). During the first third of the 20th century, it had about 1,250 (1,200 for the '' Gibraltar Guardian'' and 1,000 for ''

''). During the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) (when its editorial sympathies lay with the Republican side) it reached 20,000, stabilising at 3,000 during the Second World War, when it enthusiastically supported the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

cause. Copies of ''El Calpense'' were smuggled into Francoist Spain, becoming "a beacon and herald of democracy and liberty". The paper started its decline with the worsening of relationships with Spain. In the 1960s it became a weekly newspaper. When the border between Spain and Gibraltar was eventually closed by Spain in 1969, the newspaper changed its ownership and begun to be published in English. It later closed in 1982.

Gallery

File:El Calpense 1894, notices.jpg, Notice page from ''El Calpense'' of 15 May 1894. File:Calpense House plaque.jpg, Plaque at the entrance to Calpense House.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calpense Spanish-language newspapers Newspapers established in 1868 Publications disestablished in 1982 Newspapers published in Gibraltar