Alcoy ( ca-valencia, Alcoi) is an industrial and university city, region and

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 ...

located 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 wi ...

, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 residents in 2018.

History

The first traces of human presence in the area date to c. 60,000 years ago, when

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...

hunters settled here, in a site now called El Salt. A site with rock paintings, dating to c. 10,000/6,500 years ago, has been discovered near la Sarga. From around the mid-3rd millennium BC people started to move from the caves to the plain where

cereal A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food ...

s were grown, while mountain fortifications were erected (''Mola Alta de Serelles'', ''Mas del Corral'', ''Mas de Menente'', ''El Puig''). After the Roman conquest of the

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese language, Aragonese and Occitan language, Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a pe ...

ns, several rural villas were built in the area, as well as a necropolis. The town was established in 1256 by

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 12 ...

, with the construction of a castle on a strategic position over the Serpis river, to secure the southern frontier of the

Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

during the

Reconquista The ' ( Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the N ...

. In 1291 the town was donated by King

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Spanish: ''Jaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just,, an, Chaime lo Chusto, es, Jaime el Justo. was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He ...

to the Sicilian admiral

Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305) was a Neapolitan admiral in Aragonese service, who was the commander of the fleet of the Crown of Aragon during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and tal ...

; it will not return a royal possession until 1430. During the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...

, Alcoy sided for the cause of archduke Charles, and was therefore besieged and stripped of numerous privileges, which started a period of decline. In 1873 the workers of Alcoy revolted in the Petroleum Revolution.

Main sights

Many outdoor

rock painting In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

s exist in Alcoy, and there are some ruins of an Iberian settlement with fragments of Greco-

Roman 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

pottery.

Buildings with an artistic or historical interest in the city include: * Casa del Pavo (Turkey's house), Art Nouveau work of Vicente Pascual Pastor, (1909). * Cercle Industrial, Art Nouveau work of

Timoteo Briet Montaud Timoteo Briet Montaud (Cocentaina, March 3, 1859 – Alcoy, January 30, 1925) was a Spanish architect, one of the main architects of the Art Nouveau in Alcoy and the Valencian Art Nouveau. Biography In 1876 he finishes his studies in Alcoy's ...

, (1909-1911). * Casa d'Escaló, Art Nouveau work of Vicente Pascual Pastor, (1906-1908). * Casa Laporta, Art Nouveau work of

, (1904). * Casa Vilaplana, Art Nouveau work of Vicente Pascual Pastor, (1906). *

Casa Briet The Casa Briet ''(''Briet house'')'' is a private building at 24 Sant Josep Street, in the city center of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain. Building The building was designed by the Valencian architect Timoteo Briet Montaud in 1910 ...

, Art Nouveau work of

, (1910). * Llotja de Sant Jordi, designed by the architect

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spanish architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stadiums, and museums, whose sculp ...

. Made during the years 1992–1995. * Pont de Sant Jordi, of art déco style, is considered to be the most popular image of the city. * Plaça de Dins, a neoclassical square in the city center of Alcoy. * Església arxiprestal de Santa Maria, in Valencian

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

style. * Hermitage of St. Anthony the Abbot (14th-18th centuries). * ''Torre de Na Valora'', a watchtower from the 13th century. * Barxell Castle (13th century), of likely Muslim origin. It has a rectangular keep and a court with a rainwater tank. * Alcoy Cemetery, considered to be one of the most interesting in the Valencian Community, due to its unusual architecture and examples of

Valencian Art Nouveau Valencian Art Nouveau ( es, modernismo valenciano, ca-valencia, modernisme valencià), is the historiographic denomination given to an art and literature movement associated with the Art Nouveau in the Valencian Community, i ...

period funerary sculpture. It is listed on the European Cemeteries Route. *

Convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

of ''Sant Agustí'', reconstructed in the 18th century with paintings of the 16th century.

Museums

* Museu Alcoià de la Festa, a museum dedicated to the

Moors and Christians of Alcoy The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

, where the visitors can experience all the details, aspects and feelings surrounding this international festival. * Archaeological Museum Camil Visedo, established in 1945. *

Shelter of Cervantes The Shelter of Cervantes is an air raid shelter built during the Spanish Civil War, located next to the Parque de Cervantes (''Cervantes Park'') in the city of Alcoy (Alicante), Valencian Community, Spain. It was refurbished and opened to the publi ...

, an air-raid bunker of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

(1938). * Firefighters Museum of Alcoy

Natural parks

Font Roja Natural Park The Font Roja Natural Park ( ca-valencia, Parc Natural del Carrascar de la Font Roja, es, Parque Natural del Carrascal de la Fuente Roja) is a natural park (Spain), natural park situated in Alcoy, Spain, Alcoy, in the Valencian Community, autonomo ...

Serra Mariola Natural Park The Serra Mariola Natural Park (, es, Parque Natural de la Sierra de Mariola) is a mountain range in the Valencian Community, Spain, one of the most peripheral offsprings of the Baetic System. Most of its territory is included in a natural park f ...

Economy

Alcoy has important industries related to

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, different #Fabric, fabric types, etc. At f ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distribu ...

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...

and

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

. Furthermore, Alcoy has many factories that manufacture

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden mat ...

es. Today, Alcoy is the financial, commercial and cultural center of the surrounding area.

Celebrations

Alcoy hosts the oldest

Cavalcade of Magi The Cavalcade of the Magi is a traditional parade with floats carrying the wise men taking place in practically all Spanish cities and villages (known in Spanish as ''Cabalgata de Reyes Magos'', in Galician as ''A Cabalgata dos Reis Magos'' and ...

in the world. The Jesuset del Miracle is commemorated on the last day of January. The most important touristic celebration is '' Moros i Cristians'', in April.

Sport

The local football club CD Alcoyano is famous across Spain for a proverbial match in which they were facing a very adverse score. When the referee was about to close, the Alcoyano players kept asking for more time to score back and reach a draw.Notas de fútbol
Tienes más moral que el Alcoyano Thus the phrase ''tener más moral que el Alcoyano'' ("to have greater morale than Alcoyano") ponders an undefatigable person. Currently, they play in the

Segunda División B Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...

at El Collao Stadium. The city is also home to PAS Alcoy, a Spanish roller hockey club, which plays in the OK Liga, the first division of roller hockey in Spain.

Notable residents

Camilo Sesto Camilo Blanes Cortés (16 September 1946 – 8 September 2019), known professionally as Camilo Sesto "El Rey del Amor", was a Spanish singer, songwriter and music producer. There are various sales figures for him, ranging from 70 to 200 million ...

(1946-2019), singer * Vicente Pascual Pastor

Notes

References

External links

Alcoi Foto
Pictures of Alcoy and ''Moors and Christians'' festivity in Alcoy.
Christians & Moors Festival
Images and a video.
Alcoi
Text, Images and Video. {{Navboxes , title = Articles related to Alcoy / Alcoi , list = {{Alcoia {{Municipalities in Alicante, state=autocollapse {{Authority control Alcoy Alcoià Municipalities in the Province of Alicante Populated places in the Province of Alicante