Orihuela (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the

Sierra de Orihuela Sierra de Orihuela ( ca-valencia, Serra d'Oriola) is a long mountain range in the Vega Baja del Segura ( ca-valencia, Baix Segura) comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Peña de Orihuela (634 m). This range is named after the t ...

mountains in the province of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, Spain. The city of Orihuela had a population of 33,943 inhabitants at the beginning of 2013. The municipality has a total area of 367.19 km², and stretches all the way down to the Mediterranean coast, west of

Torrevieja Torrevieja (; ca-valencia, Torrevella ) is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in the southern part of the Valencian Community, on the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Torrevieja l ...

, 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 Alicante province and in the autonomous Valencian community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valencia ...

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

Segura Segura (, ; la, Thader; ar, شقورة, Shaqūrah, or ) is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain. It has its source in the Sierra de Segura. Course The river begins at Santiago Pontones ( province of Jaén), passes Calasparra, C ...

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

who called it ''Orcelis'' and subsequently ''Aurariola''.

History

Orihuela is the capital of the region of the "

Vega Baja del Segura Vega Baja del Segura (in Spanish) or Baix Segura (in Valencian) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain. To the north its neighbouring ''comarcas'' are the Baix Vinalopó and Vinalopó Mitjà. Its southern limits ...

" (natural region of the

Segura River Segura (, ; la, Thader; ar, شقورة, Shaqūrah, or ) is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain. It has its source in the Sierra de Segura. Course The river begins at Santiago Pontones ( province of Jaén), passes Calasparra, Cie ...

); 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 it was the capital of the

Visigothic The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

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 Moorish conquest. He ru ...

. 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 Moorish conquest. He rul ...

, became a dependent kingdom under

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

control, and the capital was moved to Murcia. In 910 the Kingdom of Tudmir passed to the

Emirate of Cordova An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...

. In 1053 the principality of Murcia, part of the Kingdom of Denia, is created. In 1086 the principality of Murcia becomes 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 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 ...

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

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...

made Orihuela capital of the province of Orihuela. In 1737

Elche Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,Monforte,

Jijona Jijona () or Xixona () is a town and municipality in the Valencian Community on the eastern coast of Spain. Turrón The town is famous for a type of soft nougat, known in Spanish as '' Turrón de Jijona'' and in Valencian as ''Torró de Xixona'' ...

Villajoyosa La Vila Joiosa () is a coastal town and municipality in the Province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. The town is known to the locals simply as La Vila. It is the historic and administrative capital of the '' c ...

Agost Agost () is a Valencian town and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain, at a distance of about from Alicante, the capital of the province. Due to its relative distance from the Mediterranean Sea, Agost was not directly affected ...

Busot Busot (, ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alacantí 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 populo ...

, San Juan or

Mutxamel Mutxamel ()Spanish exonym: Muchamiel or Muchamiel (in Spanish) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alacantí, Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de Espa� ...

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

. 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 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 only accommodated 33,943 of them. 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 people from 106 different nationalities currently living in Orihuela. The

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

of Orihuela includes the eleven municipalities of

Benejúzar Benejúzar () is a town and municipality located in the ''comarca'' of Vega Baja del Segura, in the province of Alicante, Spain. Benejúzar has an area of 9.3 km² and, according to the 2005 census, a total population of 5,249 inhabitants. Th ...

Benferri Benferri () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Vega Baja del Segura in the Valencian Community, Spain. This town is located to the north of the Sierra de Orihuela Sierra de Orihuela ( ca-valencia, Serra d'Oriola) is a long mountain range ...

Beniel Beniel () is a municipality in the autonomous Region of Murcia in southeastern Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (La ...

Bigastro Bigastro () is a municipality in the Valencian Community (Spain) situated in the south of the province of Alicante, in the comarca of Vega Baja del Segura. It had a population of 6,450 at the time of the 2005 census. History In La Loma there is ...

Callosa de Segura Callosa de Segura () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Vega Baja del Segura in the Valencian Community, Spain. It contains the historic monument of the Church of St Martin. Callosa de Segura is a traditional Spanish-speaking town locat ...

Cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

Jacarilla Jacarilla (Valencian: ''Xacarella'') is a municipality and village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado) ...

, Rafal, Redován and

Santomera Santomera is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 16,105 (2018) and an area of 44.2 km2. It shares borders with Fortuna in the north, with Murcia in its west and south and with the province of ...

. 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 include all these villages: *

Arneva Arneva is a village in Alicante, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Orihuela Orihuela (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spain. The ...

* Barbarroja *

Camino de Beniel Camino de Beniel is a village in Alicante, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Orihuela Orihuela (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spa ...

* 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 (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spain ...

* Hurchillo *

La Aparecida La Aparecida is a village in Alicante, Spain. It is part of the municipality of Orihuela Orihuela (; ca-valencia, Oriola ) is a city and municipality located at the feet of the Sierra de Orihuela mountains in the province of Alicante, Spain. ...

* 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 and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

-Orihuela

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising 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 ca ...

, 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 Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean re ...

s, cotton,

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

and vegetables. It also has an important industry of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

wool Wool is the textile fibre 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 properties similar to animal wool. As ...

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 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 t ...

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.

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, h ...

(1910–1942), poet and playwright *

Carolina Pascual Carolina Pascual Gracia (born 17 June 1976 in Orihuela, Alicante) is a former Spanish Individual Rhythmic Gymnast. She is the 1992 Olympics silver medalist and the 1993 European all-around bronze medalist. Career Pascual was doing ballet w ...

(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.
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