Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, "Port of the Cross", although now it is known by its Spanish name in all languages. Puerto de la Cruz is located on the northern coast, northwest of

La Orotava La Orotava is a town and a municipality in the northern part of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. The area of the municipality stretches from the north coast to the mountainous interior, and includes the summit of the Teide volcano, ...

and west of

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

. The TF-5 motorway passes through the municipality. The population is 30,483 (2018). In Spanish, the local inhabitants are known as ''Portuenses''. With an area of , the municipality is the smallest in Tenerife. The elevation of the town's centre is above sea level and the highest point being Las Arenas, a

volcanic cone Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and ...

with an elevation of .

Historical population

Economy

Puerto de la Cruz occupies a prominent place in the history of tourism of the islands. The export economy established by the European colonizers after the conquest in the 15th century generated large commercial and passenger movements for decades. The first foreign visitors quickly felt drawn to the beneficial qualities of the weather in the Taoro Valley. Before mass tourism existed in Puerto de la Cruz, minority tourism catered for privileged elites who were interested in climatology, botany and the tranquillity of the location. The proximity of the

to Europe meant that travel for health reasons was a primary driver for launching modern tourism here. At the beginning of the 19th century, the environment of Puerto de la Cruz meant that it attracted many researchers and exclusive high-class groups from Europe. At this stage Puerto de la Cruz was a leading cultural center accommodating many travellers and writers, including

William Wilde Sir William Robert Wills Wilde FRCSI (March 1815 – 19 April 1876) was an Irish oto- ophthalmologic surgeon and the author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore, particularly concerning his native Ireland. He was the fat ...

and

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

Olivia Stone (Tenerife and its Six Satellites). Puerto de la Cruz therefore gained an illustrious reputation in Europe, and when it came to the subsequent advent of modern tourism, the city was at an advantage compared with other tourist sites.

Climate

Puerto de la Cruz enjoys a hot semi-arid climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

: ''BSh'') bordering a tropical wet and dry climate, with warm winters and hot, dry summers.

History

The city's origins date back to the early 16th century. It existed in 1502 as a coastal port, and as the dependent population center of

. In 1603 a church and its corresponding square were built. It was originally a fishing village that grew as local trade was increasing. The port became the most important in the island when a volcano eruption destroyed

Garachico Garachico is a municipality and town on the northern coast of Tenerife, about 52 km West of the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 50 km from Tenerife North Airport and 67 km from Tenerife South Airport. The town itself nestles below a ...

in 1706. The sugar trade gave way to wine, resulting in large scale social and economic development. In the mid-17th century the inhabitants began to express their desire to form their own community, receiving the Royal Provision of

Felipe IV Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

on 3 May 1651, which empowered them to appoint a village head. It belonged to the municipality of

, and in 1772, a municipal corporation was elected by the residents. It was known as Puerto de La Orotava, and it was not until 1808 that it obtained full municipal autonomy, changing its name to the current Puerto de la Cruz. Tourism began to have an important role in the local economy in the late 19th century. It was in those years that the

Grand Hotel Taoro Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

was built and that old family houses began to be remodelled, for example as Marquesa or Monopol, transforming them into the first hotels in the city center. Finally, the real tourism boom came in the 1950s, when the city began its transformation into the tourist reference point of the island and of the archipelago. During the second edition of the

Ecological Film Festival of Nature Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...

in Puerto de la Cruz, at which guests were invited to give lectures and provide round tables, the

Tenerife Manifesto Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Jan ...

was announced (29 May 1983). This text was a precursor of political ecology in Spain, and would initiate a process leading to the founding of the political party of the Greens.

Sites of interest

Lago Martianez-Monumento a las olas-Tenerife

* Martiánez Pools (Lago Martiánez) completed and designed by the famous Canary architect

César Manrique César Manrique Cabrera ( or ) (24 April 1919 – 25 September 1992) was a Spanish artist, sculptor, architect and nature activist from Lanzarote. Early life Manrique was born in Arrecife, Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands. His father G ...

. * Jardín Beach in Puerto de la Cruz, a famous beach filled with

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm ...

s and hotels. * Plaza del Charco, in the town centre. *

Loro Parque Loro Parque (Spanish for "parrot park") or 'Loro Park' is a 135,000 m² (13.5 ha) zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife, Spain where it houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived a ...

, a famous park and zoo located on the outskirts of the city. * Ermita de San Amaro, dedicated to the semi-legendary

Saint Amaro According to Catholic tradition, Saint Amaro or Amarus the Pilgrim ( es, San Amaro, pt, Santo Amaro, gl, Santo Amaro) was an abbot and sailor who it was claimed sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to an earthly paradise. There are two historical fi ...

. *

Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz The Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz ( es, Museo Arqueológico del Puerto de la Cruz) is a small archaeological museum located in the town of Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). One of the most important local museums, ...

, with important pieces of

prehistory Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

of the island, which also houses the idol

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands *Guanche language, an extinct Berber language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century *''Conus guanche ''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a ma ...

, called

Guatimac Guatimac or the Idol of Guatimac is an owl-shaped Guanche cult image, found in 1885, hidden in a cave between the municipalities of Fasnia and Güímar (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain) wrapped in goat hide. Characteristics The idol, made from ...

. * Anglican Church of Puerto de la Cruz The Church of All Saints, located within the Taoro Park, was built by British residents in the city. Puerto de la Cruz has the oldest Anglican cemetery in the Canary Islands. * Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, located in the town centre. * Botanical Garden in the El Botánico district, opened in 1788, it's the second-oldest Botanical garden in Spain. * Castillo San Felipe, a small stone castle next to Playa Jardín. * La Ranilla, a fisherman's neighborhood (recently renovated).

Tourism

Tourism is an important industry in Puerto de la Cruz, as evidenced by the number of large hotels visible on the skyline. Puerto de la Cruz is frequented by

Northern Europeans The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

during the winter months, due to its mild climate, and is particularly popular over Christmas and the New Year periods. The

Western European Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

tourist contingent to Puerto de la Cruz tends to consist more of mature couples, in contrast to resorts such as Playa de las Americas. The summer months see more Spanish tourists, particularly during August, when conditions on the Spanish mainland can be excessively hot.

Education

The British School of Tenerife has its Yeoward Campus in Puerto de la Cruz.Find Us
." British School of Tenerife. Retrieved 13 February 2016. "YEOWARD C/ Irlanda, 1; Parque Taoro; 38400 Puerto de la Cruz"

Events

The Tenerife Airshow (Festival de Aeromodelismo) (Spanish for 'Aeromodelling festival') is held every year near the harbour, usually in Europa Square. The

airshow An air show (or airshow, air fair, air tattoo) is a public event where aircraft are exhibited. They often include aerobatics demonstrations, without they are called "static air shows" with aircraft parked on the ground. The largest air show ...

celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006. ''El Carnaval'', held every year.

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...

is in the middle of Carnival. "La Embarcacion de la Virgen del Carmen" (The Sea-setting of the Virgin Carmen), is held on 16 July. In latter years it has become "la Fiesta del Agua" (The Water Party), where copious amounts of water are thrown during the festivities. It is preceded by "La Sardinada" (The Sardine Festival), where sardines are fried and sold the night before at San Telmo. Hundreds of people congregate in Charco Square and its fishing port, where festival goers participate in games, like the popular 'run-along-the grease-pole', which involves participants having to run along a greased pole and catch a flag to win the game. Because of the normally mild July weather, people go in T-shirt and shorts, or just bathing suits, and enjoy a quick dip in the waters of the port to help cool themselves down. The event starts around 12-1 o'clock in the afternoon and lasts until around 10–12 o'clock at night. A few days before the main carnival procession a large

papier mache Papier may refer to : *paper in French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Polish or German, word that can be found in the following expressions: **Papier-mâché, a construction material made of pieces of paper stuck together using a wet paste **Papier collé, a p ...

sardine is wheeled through the streets, brought to the waterfront and "blessed" with "holy water" (normally petrol or lighter fluid) by a man dressed as a bishop. The sardine is then set alight, to huge applause. After this, a huge

firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

display ensues. The event is known as the "Burial of the Sardine". Amongst the crowd at this event, "professional mourners" can be seen; these are invariably men in drag, who wail for comic effect. Although the Burial of the Sardine rarely starts on time, the event always attracts crowds, and it is advised to arrive early at the harbour.

Photos

File:Vista del Puerto de la Cruz 2010.jpg, Puerto de la Cruz File:Place in Puerto de la Cruz.jpg, Charco Square File:Casa de la Aduana Puerto de la Cruz.jpg, Casa de la Aduana File:puertod2.jpg, Old harbour File:puertod13.jpg, Typical houses File:Pto-cruz.jpg, Playa de Martianez File:Atlántico Puerto Cruz.jpg, Views of Atlantic Ocean from Puerto de la Cruz File:Calle Quintana Tenerife.jpg, Quintana Street File:Teide desde Puerto Cruz.jpg,

Teide Teide, or Mount Teide, ( es, El Teide, Pico del Teide, , "Peak of Teide") is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit (at ) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the List of islands in th ...

seen from Puerto de la Cruz File:Lago Martianez-Monumento a las olas-Tenerife.jpg, Complejo Lago Martiánez File:Iglesia Peña de Francia.jpg, Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia Church File:Ermita de San Telmo.jpg, San Telmo Hermitage File:Puerto IglesiaInglesa 01.jpg, All Saints Church (

anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

worship)

People

Tomás de Iriarte Tomás may refer to: * Tomás (given name) Tomás is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Irish (also in the archaic forms ''Thomaz'', ''Thomás'' and '' Tomaz'') given name equivalent of ''Thomas''. It may refer to: * Tomás de Anchorena (1783–1847), ...

(1750-1791), poet *

Agustín de Betancourt Agustín de Betancourt y Molina ( rus, Августин Августинович де Бетанкур, r=Avgustin Avgustinovich de Betankur; french: Augustin Bétancourt; 1 February 1758 – 24 July 1824) was a prominent Spanish engineer, who wo ...

(1758-1824), engineer *Agustín Espinosa (1897-1939), poet *

Tom Hernández Domingo Tomás Hernández Bethencourt (October 9, 1915 – June 2, 1984), known professionally as Tom Hernández (or Tommy Hernandez), was an American theater, films, and television actor, who played supporting roles, usually Hispanics, throughou ...

(1915-1984), actor * Domingo Vega de la Rosa (b. 1953), a painter of the movement:

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

* Andi Deris (b. 1964), a German singer * Michael Weikath (b. 1962), a German musician *

Michael Hennet Sotomayor Michael "Mikel" Hennet Sotomayor (born 20 January 1983) is a member of the boyband D'NASH D'Nash (often stylized as D'NASH, originally Nash) was a Spanish vocal group, best known for representing Spain in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. ...

(b. 1983), known as Mikel, singer, member of the Spanish band

D'NASH D'Nash (often stylized as D'NASH, originally Nash) was a Spanish vocal group, best known for representing Spain in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest. Members * Basty - real name: Esteban Piñero Camacho - born 28 February 1981, Cádiz * Mikel - ...

* Sagar Prakash Khatnani (b. 1983), is a Spanish writer of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

origin.

Sister cities

Almuñécar Almuñécar () is a Spanish city and municipality located in the southwestern part of the comarca of the Costa Granadina, in the province of Granada. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean sea and borders the Granadin municipalities of ...

, Spain *

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

(2003), Germany * Flag of Italy

Martinsicuro Martinsicuro ( la, Truentum or ''Castrum Truentinum'') is a town and ''comune'' in province of Teramo, Abruzzo, central Italy. It is located on the right of the mouth of Tronto River. History Remains of a Bronze Age (10th-9th centuries BC) settle ...

Italia Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

(2000), Italy * Flag of Venezuela