Orihuela (; ''Corpus Toponímic Valencià''.

Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua ("Valencian Academy of the Language"), also known by the acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of ...

. 2009, València.) is a city and municipality located at the foot of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of

Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The city is in one of the only Spanish-speaking areas of the Valencian Community. The city of Orihuela had a population of 33,943 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013. The municipality has an area of 367.19 km², and stretches all the way down to the Mediterranean coast, west of

Torrevieja Torrevieja (; is a Mediterranean-seaside city and municipality on the Costa Blanca, in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, in southeastern Spain. The city is in one of the only Spanish-speaking areas of the Valencian Community. Tor ...

, and had a total population of 92,000 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013. This includes not only the city of Orihuela, but also the coastal tourist development hub (''urbanización turística'') of

Dehesa de Campoamor Dehesa de Campoamor is a village in the Orihuela Costa district in the municipality of Orihuela. It is located in the south of Province of Alicante, Alicante province and in the autonomous Valencian Community, Valencian community, near the boundar ...

with 33,277 inhabitants (2013) and a few other villages. The

river Segura Segura (Spanish and Valencian: ; ; , or ) is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain. It has its source in the Sierra de Segura. Course The 325-km (202 mi) long river begins at Santiago Pontones ( province of Jaén), passes Calaspa ...

flows through Orihuela. The city was settled by

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

who called it ''Orcelis'' and subsequently ''Aurariola'' (Latin: "breeze").

History

Orihuela is the capital of the region of the

Vega Baja del Segura Vega Baja del Segura (; Mapa temàtic comarcal de la Comunitat Valenciana, serie CV350. Institut Cartogràfic Valencià. 2022, Col·leccions AutonòmiquesPDF/ref> ), simply known locally and regionally as Vega Baja (in Spanish), is a ''comarca'' ...

(floodplain of the

Segura River Segura (Spanish and Valencian: ; ; , or ) is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain. It has its source in the Sierra de Segura. Course The 325-km (202 mi) long river begins at Santiago Pontones (Jaén Province, Spain, province of J ...

), located near its mouth; it has been the capital of a province and even of a kingdom. The city was named the first city of the province of

, 11 September 1437. In 576 Orihuela was the capital of the

Visigothic The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

province of ''Aurariola'', to which it gave its name. In 713 (5 April) the military man and Count Teodomiro, proclaimed himself King of

Tudmir Theodemir or Theudimer (died 743) was a Visigothic ''comes'' (count) prominent in the southeast of Carthaginensis (the region around Murcia) during the last decades of the Visigothic kingdom and for several years after the Arab conquest. He ruled ...

. At the end of the 9th century, the city was attacked by the Vikings in the first Viking wave across the Mediterranean (858-861). In 825 the

Kingdom of Tudmir Theodemir or Theudimer (died 743) was a Visigothic ''comes'' (count) prominent in the southeast of Carthaginensis (the region around Murcia) during the last decades of the Visigothic kingdom and for several years after the Arab conquest. He ruled ...

became a dependent kingdom under

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

control, and the capital was moved to Murcia. In 910 the Kingdom of Tudmir passed to the Emirate of Cordova. In 1053 the principality of Murcia, part of the Kingdom of Denia, was created. In 1086 it become independent from Denia. In 1212 the area passed to the Kingdom of Murcia. In 1304 Orihuela was considered to be on the border between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragón. In 1366 it passed to the

kingdom of Valencia The Kingdom of Valencia (; ; ), located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. The Kingdom of Valencia was formally created in 1238 when the Moorish taifa of Valencia was taken in ...

. In 1437, it was declared a city and in 1507,

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

made Orihuela capital of the province of Orihuela. In 1737

Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,

, Monforte, Jijona,

Villajoyosa Villajoyosa (), in Valencian: (), meaning "The Joyful Town", and officially / , is a coastal town and municipality in the south of the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It is the historic and administrative capital of Mar ...

, Agost, Busot,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

Mutxamel Mutxamel (; ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alacantí, Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring ...

became independent from the province of Orihuela, forming the one of

. In the Middle Ages, a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community was present in Orihuela until its expulsion in 1492. 1799 Orihuela was part of the province of Alicante. In 1810, Napoleon made Orihuela part of the Department of Segura with the capital at Murcia. In 1822, Orihuela passed to the province of Murcia. 1833 it became part of the province of Alicante. In 1873, during the Cantonal Rebellion, it became an independent canton after the Battle of Orihuela. In 1920 nationalistic movements spoke of Orihuela as belonging to the "country of Murcia." Between 1988 and 2006 various research studies from the Universities of Andalusia, Castile and Murcia demonstrated that Orihuela was more culturally part of Murcia than Valencia in terms of phonetics, lexicon, architecture, agriculture, folklore, musical celebrations, instruments, language, burial customs, gastronomy and ''varieties''. In recent years, there has been growing support for the "independence" of Orihuela Costa (Dehesa de Campoamor) from Orihuela itself. This is due to the perception among the largely foreign born population of Orihuela Costa that they are being unfairly treated by the local government. For example, the Orihuela Costa's share in the 2010-2014 municipal budget was 6x less than that for the city itself, or 4,2% of the 295 million € budget, even though the Costa creates around 30% of municipal tax income.

City and suburbs

The municipality had a total population of 92,000 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013, of which the city of Orihuela accommodated 33,943. Another major locality within the municipality is the tourist centre of

, also known as Orihuela Costa, located on the coast, more than 20 km from Orihuela. It had 33,277 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013. Only 59.6% of the local population are Spanish; the British account for almost 20%, followed by the Irish, Bulgarians and Moroccans, with around 3% each. In total there are 106 people of different nationalities were living in Orihuela as of 2013. The

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

of Orihuela includes the eleven municipalities of

: Benejúzar, Benferri, Beniel, Bigastro, Callosa de Segura,

Cox Cox or COX may refer to: Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** Cox Automotive, an Atlanta-based busines ...

, Jacarilla, Rafal,

Redován Redován is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Vega Baja del Segura in the Valencian Community, Spain. This town is located at the feet of the Sierra de Callosa Sierra de Callosa ()Vicenç M. Rosselló i Verger, ''Toponímia, geografia i ca ...

and Santomera. It had a total population of 151,358 inhabitants at the beginning of 2006, and a total area of 510.3 km². The municipality of Orihuela includes the following villages: * Arneva * Barbarroja * Camino de Beniel * Correntías Altas * Correntías Bajas * Correntías Medias * El Escorratel *

El Mudamiento El Mudamiento is a village in Alicante, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Orihuela Orihuela (; ''Corpus Toponímic Valencià''. Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. 2009, València.) is a city and municipality located at the foot of the ...

* Hurchillo *

La Aparecida La Aparecida is a village in Province of Alicante, Alicante, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Orihuela. Towns in Spain Populated places in the Province of Alicante Vega Baja del Segura {{Valencia-geo-stub ...

* La Campaneta * La Murada The metropolitan area of Orihuela is also part of the larger

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

-Orihuela

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

, with a total population of 727,741 inhabitants (2006) and an area of 1,743.5 km².

Economy

The agriculture of Orihuela is based on lemons, oranges, almonds, olives, palm trees,

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

s, cotton,

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

and vegetables. It also has an important industry of

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and preserved food. The tourism industry is today the single most important sector in the economy, and has been the main engine of growth for Orihuela in the 21st century.

Main sights

Orihuela Cathedral Orihuela Cathedral (''Catedral de Orihuela'') is the main Roman Catholic church of Orihuela, Valencian Community, southern Spain. History It was built above a pre-existing Muslim mosque as a simple parish church and was later converted into main ...

- built between the 14th and 16th centuries * Orihuela Castle - ruins of a mountaintop Arab castle * Church of Santa Justa y Rufina *

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church of ''Santo Domingo''. * Santiago Apostol - a 15th-century Catholic church. The medieval town center houses five National Monuments and an urban layout that is the result of its former rank as a University Centre and Episcopal See. The holiday celebrations: the processions of Holy Week, and the parades of Moors and Christians, in July, are well-known celebrations. In September 2012 the shopping mall La Zenia Boulevard opened and became the largest shopping mall in the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida region with 150 stores and 20 restaurants and bars. The city is home to the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

convent of Santa Ana.

Notable people

Miguel Hernández Miguel Hernández Gilabert (30 October 1910 – 28 March 1942 ) was a 20th-century Spanish-language poet and playwright associated with the Generation of '27 and the Generation of '36 movements. Born and raised in a family of low resources, he ...

(1910–1942), poet and playwright *

Carolina Pascual Carolina Pascual Gracia (born 17 June 1976 in Orihuela, Alicante) is a former Spanish Individual Rhythmic gymnastics, Rhythmic Gymnast. She is the Gymnastics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's rhythmic individual all-around, 1992 Olympics s ...

(born 1976), rhythmic gymnast

Notes

References

External links

Official Web of Dehesa de Campoamor

Dehesa de Campoamor
One of the best beaches of Spain. White and fine sand beaches on the Mediterranean coast.
ocmdigital.com
English language edition of ocmdigital.com Digital newspaper in the English language. Local news from Orihuela Costa, Orihuela and surrounding areas, updated daily.
orihueladigital.es
Up to date local news, culture and information site in the Spanish language

Day by day in Orihuela. Website for local newspaper in Spanish language.
Orihuela.com
News and Guide of the city.

Overview of the City of Orihuela including a video with most important sightseeing attractions.

Official tourism site for the region of Valencia.
Ociopia Shopping Center
In Orihuela city. {{Navboxes , title = Articles related to Orihuela , list = {{ElBaixSegura {{Municipalities in Alicante, state=autocollapse {{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Alicante Vega Baja del Segura