Xirivella () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

, Spain. It borders the city of Valencia, Alaquàs, Picanya and

Mislata Mislata is a city in the Valencian Community, Spain. It has borders with the city of Valencia and Quart de Poblet in the west and Xirivella in the south. Population In recent decades it has gone from being a village in the Horta region of the Va ...

. The municipality is divided by the V-30 motorway and the river Turia, with the La Luz district on the eastern part of the river. Since June 2012, a bridge across the motorway has connected both parts. Local issues include

noise pollution Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is main ...

, caused by the nearby

Valencia Airport Valencia Airport ( es, Aeropuerto de Valencia, ca-valencia, Aeroport de València) , also known as ''Manises Airport'', is the tenth-busiest Spain, Spanish airport in terms of passengers and second in the region after Alicante Airport, Alicante ...

Transport

It is connected to central Valencia by bus routes and a railway station. Metro links exist in the nearby town of

. The proposed Line 14 of

Metrovalencia Metrovalencia is an urban rail system serving a large part of the metropolitan area of Valencia. The network is a modern amalgamation of former FEVE narrow gauge electric operated suburban railways. It is a large suburban network that crosses ...

is due to link the town to the rest of the metro network after 2030.

Toponymy

The name Xirivella may come from the Latin word Silvella (little forest).

History

Archeological remains have been found in Xirivella dating since Roman times. During the Middle Ages the area was inhabited by farmers that cultivated the land. The silk industry also developed during this period. Xirivella had a population of 29,409 inhabitants in 2014.

Sister cities

Xirivella has town twinned with Casas de Benítez in Cuenca province (Spain), the

Dunavarsány Dunavarsány is a town in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. Twin towns – sister cities Dunavarsány is twinned with: * Gemmingen, Germany (1997) * Slavec Slavec ( hu, Szalóc) is a village and municipality in the Rožňav ...

city of Hungary and the city of Habana Vieja in Cuba.

Cultural heritage

Xirivella has an interesting cultural heritage. The old city maintains the urbanism from the Arabic era. This is a list of the main historical buildings: - Virgen de la Salud Church (Església de la Verge de la Salut): The only parish until 1953. It was built at the end of the 17th century. - Virgen de la Salud Chapel (Ermita de la Verge de la Salut) - La Closa: 14th century building. It was restored in 2003. - Dau House: 14th century building. It was the place where taxes could be paid. - Tithe House (Casa del Delme): 14th century house, but it was demolished around 2000. - Alquería del Castillo (Alqueria del Castell): It has also been demolished. It was located on the site of a Roman villa.

Cultural life

Xirivella has a very active cultural life. There are several cultural associations that include the wind orchestra (banda) called CIM Xirivella, the choir (Escola Coral Andarella), the International Clowns Festival (Mostra Internacional de Pallassos), the music school, the Culture House where are held concerts, shows, exhibitions, and a theater. Xirivella also organize the

Xirivella Award The Xirivella Award is a recognition created in 2006 by Xirivella town (Valencia - Spain) to honour its outstanding citizens. The city council holds a ceremony where their achievements are publicly recognised. There are three categories: individuals ...

, a recognition to honor its outstanding citizens. Banda del CIM y Escuela Coral Andarella de Xirivella

Local politics

The municipality had been governed by the

Spanish Socialist Workers Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

since the 1970s, either alone or with the support of United Left. However at the 2011 local elections, the People's Party won a majority of seats for the first time.

Summary of council election results

Source:Xirivella local results, pre.gva.es
accessed 2 January 2011

References

{{authority control Municipalities in the Province of Valencia Horta Oest