Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city 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 ...
in the
Valencian Community,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
. 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 the
Valencian Community.
Toponymy
The name of the city echoes the Arabic name ''Laqant'' () or ''al-Laqant'' (), which in turn reflects the Latin ''
Lucentum'' and Greek root ''Leuké'' (or ''Leuka''), meaning "white".
History
The area around Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The first tribes of
hunter-gatherers moved down gradually from Central Europe between 5000 and 3000 BC. Some of the earliest settlements were made on the slopes of
Mount Benacantil. By 1000 BC
Greek and
Phoenician traders had begun to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports and introducing the native Iberian tribes to the alphabet, iron, and the pottery wheel. The Carthaginian general
Hamilcar Barca
Hamilcar Barca or Barcas ( xpu, 𐤇𐤌𐤋𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤟𐤁𐤓𐤒, ''Ḥomilqart Baraq''; –228BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago. He was also father-i ...
established the fortified settlement of ''Akra Leuké'' (
Greek: , meaning "White Mountain" or "White Point"), in the mid-230s BC, which is generally presumed to have been on the site of modern Alicante.
Although the Carthaginians conquered much of the land around Alicante, the Romans would eventually rule
Hispania Tarraconensis for over 700 years. By the 5th century AD, Rome was in decline and the Roman predecessor town of Alicante, known as ''
Lucentum'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
), was more or less under the control 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 ...
warlord
Theudimer Theodemir, Theodemar, Theudemer or Theudimer was a Germanic name common among the various Germanic peoples of early medieval Europe. According to Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel (9th century), the form ''Theudemar'' is Frankish and ''Theudemir'' is Goth ...
and thereafter under Visigothic rule from 400 to 700 A.D. The Goths did not put up much resistance to the
Arab conquest
The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territories ...
of ''Medina Laqant'' at the beginning of the 8th century. The Moors ruled southern and eastern Spain until the 13th century ''
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 ...
'' (Reconquest). Alicante was conquered again in 1247 by the
Castilian king
Alfonso X
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...
, but later passed to the
Kingdom of Valencia in 1296 with King
James II of Aragon. It gained the status of Royal Village (''Vila Reial'') with representation in the medieval
Valencian Parliament (''Corts Valencianes'').
After several decades of being the battlefield where the
Kingdom of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th ce ...
and the
Crown of Aragon clashed, Alicante became a major Mediterranean trading station exporting rice, wine, olive oil, oranges, and wool. But between 1609 and 1614
King Felipe III expelled thousands of
Moriscos who had remained in Valencia after the Reconquista, due to their cooperation with
Barbary pirates who continually attacked coastal cities and caused much harm to trade. This act cost the region dearly; with so many skilled artisans and agricultural labourers gone, the feudal nobility found itself sliding into bankruptcy.
Conditions worsened in the early 18th century; after the
War of Spanish Succession, Alicante went into a long, slow decline, surviving through the 18th and 19th centuries by making shoes and growing agricultural produce such as oranges and almonds, and thanks to its fisheries. The end of the 19th century witnessed a sharp recovery of the local economy with increasing international trade and the growth of the city harbour leading to increased exports of several products (particularly during World War I when Spain was a neutral country).
During the early 20th century, Alicante was a minor capital that took profit from the benefit of Spain's neutrality during World War I, and that provided new opportunities for local industry and agriculture. The
Rif War in the 1920s saw numerous ''alicantinos'' drafted to fight in the long and bloody campaigns in the former Spanish protectorate (northern Morocco) against the Rif rebels. The political unrest of the late 1920s led to the victory of Republican candidates in local council elections throughout the country, and the abdication of
King Alfonso XIII. The proclamation of the
Second Spanish Republic was much celebrated in the city on 14 April 1931. 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 ...
broke out on 17 July 1936. Alicante was the last city loyal to the Republican government to be occupied by General Franco's troops on 1 April 1939, and its harbour saw the last Republican government officials fleeing the country. Vicious air bombings were targeted on Alicante during the three years of civil conflict, most notably the bombing by the Italian ''
Aviazione Legionaria
The Legionary Air Force ( it, Aviazione Legionaria, es, Aviación Legionaria) was an expeditionary corps from the Italian Royal Air Force that was set up in 1936. It was sent to provide logistical and tactical support to the Nationalist facti ...
'' of the
Mercado (''Mercat'') on 25 May 1938 in which more than 300 civilians perished.
From 1954 onwards many ''
pied-noirs'' settled in the city (as many as 30,000, although other sources decrease the amount tenfold). Alicante had fostered strong links with
Oran in the past, and a notable share of the population of the latter city during the French colonial period had ancestry in the province of Alicante. The immigration process accelerated after the
independence of Algeria in 1962.
The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the onset of a lasting transformation of the city by the tourist industry. Large buildings and complexes rose in nearby
Albufereta, e.g.
El Barco, and
Playa de San Juan (''Platja de Sant Joan''), with the benign climate being the biggest draw to attract prospective buyers and tourists who kept the hotels reasonably busy. New construction benefited the whole economy, as the development of the tourism sector also spawned new businesses such as restaurants, bars, and other tourist-oriented enterprises. Also, the old airfield at Rabassa was closed and air traffic moved to the new
El Altet Airport, which made a more convenient and modern facility for charter flights bringing tourists from northern European countries.
When Franco died in 1975, his successor
Juan Carlos I played his part as the living symbol of the transition of Spain to a democratic constitutional monarchy. The governments of regional communities were given constitutional status as ''
nationalities'', and their governments were given more autonomy, including that of the Valencian region, the ''
Generalitat Valenciana''.
The
Port of Alicante has been reinventing itself since the
industrial decline
Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry.
There are different interpre ...
the city suffered in the 1980s (with most mercantile traffic lost to Valencia's harbour). In recent years, the Port Authority has established it as one of the most important ports in Spain for cruises, with 72 calls to port made by cruise ships in 2007 bringing some 80,000 passengers and 30,000 crew to the city each year. The moves to develop the port for more tourism have been welcomed by the city and its residents, but the latest plans to develop an
industrial estate in the port have caused great controversy.
Geography
Alicante is located in the southeast of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
, on the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea. Some orographic features rise over the largely flat terrain where the city is built on including the
Cap de l'Horta, the
Serra Grossa
Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to:
People
* Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer
* Serra (surname)
* Serra (given name)
Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil
*Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area
* Amp ...
, the
Tossal and the
Benacantil hills.
Located in an arid territory, Alicante lacks any meaningful permanent water stream. There are however several stream beds correspondent to intermittent
''ramblas''. There was a swamp area in the northeast of the municipality, ''l'Albufereta'', yet it was dried up in 1928.
The municipality has two exclaves in the mainland: Monnegre (between the municipalities of
San Vicente del Raspeig,
Mutxamel,
Busot and
Xixona), and
Cabeçó d'Or; the latter comprises part of the namesake Cabeçó d'Or mountain (including the summit, 1209 metres above sea level). The small island of
Tabarca
Tabarca (, ), officially Nueva Tabarca and also known as ''Isla Plana'' (Spanish) and as ''Nova Tabarca'' and ''Illa Plana'' in Valencian, is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alic ...
, 8
nautical miles to the south of the city, also belongs to the municipality.
The foot of the main staircase of the City Hall Building (''
Ayuntamiento'') is the zero point (''cota cero''), used as the point of reference for measuring the height above or below sea level of any point in Spain, due to the marginal tidal variations of the Mediterranean sea at Alicante.
Economy
Until the
global recession which started in 2008, Alicante was one of the fastest-growing cities in Spain. The boom depended partly on tourism directed to the beaches of the
Costa Blanca and particularly on the second residence-construction boom which started in the 1960s and revived again by the late 1990s.
Services and public administration also play a major role in the city's economy. The construction boom has raised many environmental concerns and both the local autonomous government and city council are under scrutiny by the European Union. The construction surge was the subject of hot debates among politicians and citizens alike. The latest of many public battles concerns the plans of the Port Authority of Alicante to construct an industrial estate on reclaimed land in front of the city's coastal strip, in breach of local, national, and European regulations. (See
Port of Alicante for details).
The city serves as the headquarters of the
European Union Intellectual Property Office
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO; french: links=no, Office de l'Union européenne pour la propriété intellectuelle), founded in 1994, is the European Union Agency responsible for the registration of the European Union trad ...
and a sizeable population of European public workers live there.
The campus of the
University of Alicante lies in
San Vicente del Raspeig, bordering the city of Alicante to the north. More than 25,000 students attend the university.
Between 2005 and 2012
Ciudad de la Luz (''Ciutat de la Llum''), one of the largest film studios in Europe, had its base in Alicante. The studio shot Spanish and international movies such as
''Asterix at the Olympic Games'' by Frédéric Forestier and Thomas Langmann, and
''Manolete'' by
Menno Meyjes. It was shut down in 2012 for violating European competition law.
Government and administration
Luis Barcala
Luis José Barcala Sierra (born in 1962) is a lawyer and the current mayor of Alicante, Spain since 19 April 2018.
Biography
Luis Barcala was born in Sant Joan d'Alicante. His father, Luis Barcala Muñoz, captain in the Spanish Air Force, d ...
of the
People's Party has been the mayor of Alicante since 19 April 2018. He became mayor after the resignation of Gabriel Echávarri, when the councillor Nerea Belmonte defected from Guanyar Alacant and refused to support the Socialist Party replacement candidate Eva Montesinos.
Gabriel Echávarri of the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
(PSOE) was the mayor of the city from 13 June 2015 until April 2018, following the
municipal elections on 24 May 2015. He was supported by the votes from his group (6), plus those from leftist parties
Guanyar Alacant (6) and
Compromís (3), as well as from the centre-right party
Ciudadanos (6). The
People's Party (''Partido Popular'', PP), with only 8 elected seats, lost the majority. On April he resigned due to various judicial issues and was temporarily substituted by the councillor Eva Montesinos.
In the previous
municipal elections of May 2011,
Sonia Castedo of People's Party won the elections with an
absolute majority, but resigned in December 2014 due to her involvement in several corruption scandals, at present being under investigation. Her fellow party member
Miguel Valor went on to become mayor up until Echávarri's election.
Climate
Alicante has mild winter temperatures, hot summers, and little rain, concentrated in equinoctial periods. Like much of the
Province of Alicante itself, the city has a
hot semi-arid climate (''BSh'') according to the
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, nota ...
. Daily variations in temperature are generally small because of the stabilising influence of the sea, although occasional periods of westerly wind can produce temperature changes of or more. Seasonal temperature variations are also relatively small, meaning that winters are mild and summers are hot.
The average rainfall is per year. The
cold drop means that September and October are the wettest months. Rarely, the rainfall can be torrential, reaching over in a 24-hour period, leading to severe flooding. Because of this irregularity, only 35 rainy days are observed on average per year, and the annual number of sunshine hours is 2,851.
The record maximum temperature of was observed on 13 August 2022. The record minimum temperature of was recorded on 12 February 1956. The worst flooding in modern history occurred on 30 September 1997 when of rain fell within six hours.
Temperatures under are very rare. Snow is unknown since 1926. Alicante enjoys one of the sunniest and warmest winter daytime temperatures in mainland Europe.
Demographics
The official population of Alicante in 2020 was 337,482 inhabitants and 768,194 in the metropolitan area "Alicante-
Elche".
As of 2020, about 20–25% of the population is foreign, most of them immigrants from
North Africa,
South America and
Eastern Europe. Leading by
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
(9,258),
Colombia (8,525),
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
(5,696),
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
(5,583),
Ecuador (3,800) and
Venezuela (3,698) who have arrived in the previous 20 years. There are also important amounts of immigrants from other countries such as
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
(3,012),
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(2,460),
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
(2,277),
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
(1,858),
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
(1,833),
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
, (1,628),
Brazil (1,231),
Italy
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 ...
(1,164),
Uruguay (1,061) and
Paraguay,
Bolivia,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
and
Dominican Republic. There is an estimation of additional thousands coming from countries outside the
EU (mostly from the
African continent) that are under illegal alien status and therefore are not accounted for in official population figures. The real percentage of foreign residents is higher, since the Alicante metropolitan area is home to many Northern European retirees who are officially still residents of their own countries. A sizable number of semi-permanent residents are Spanish nationals who officially still live in
Madrid,
Castilla y León, the
Basque country, or other areas of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
.
Transportation
Alicante Airport
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 the ...
outranks its
Valencian counterpart, being among the busiest airports in Spain after
Madrid,
Barcelona,
Palma de Mallorca and
Málaga. It is connected with Madrid and Barcelona by frequent
Iberia and
Vueling
Vueling S.A. is a Spanish low-cost airline based at El Prat de Llobregat in Greater Barcelona with hubs at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (main), Paris-Orly Airport in Paris, France and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy (sec ...
flights, and with many Western European cities through carriers such as
Ryanair,
Easyjet and
Jet2.com
Jet2.com Limited is a British low-cost leisure airline offering scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom. As of 2022, it is the third-largest scheduled airline in the UK, behind EasyJet and British Airways. Jet2 is also official ...
. There are also regular flights to
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
.
Alicante railway station
Alicante Terminal ( ca-valencia, Alacant Terminal) is the central railway station of Alicante, Spain. Commonly referred locally as the RENFE station, the station is part of Adif system, and is a terminal station.
The station accommodates RENFE ...
is used by
Cercanías Murcia/Alicante
Cercanías Murcia/Alicante ( ca-valencia, Rodalia de Múrcia/Alacant) is a commuter rail service (''cercanías'') in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia. The line connects Alicante and Murcia with San Vicente del Raspeig, Elche, Orihuela, Totan ...
commuter rail services linking Alicante with suburbs and
Murcia. Long-range
Renfe trains run frequently to
Madrid,
Barcelona, and
Valencia. In 2013, the
Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network was extended to Alicante station, allowing
AVE high-speed rail services to link to
Madrid via
Villena AV,
Albacete-Los Llanos and
Cuenca-Fernando Zóbel.
Alicante Tram connects the city with outlying settlements along
Costa Blanca. , electric
tram-train
A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This al ...
s run up to
Benidorm, and diesel trains go further to
Dénia.
The city has regular
ferry services to the
Balearic Islands and
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
. The city is strongly fortified, with a spacious harbour.
Main sights
Amongst the most notable features of the city are the
Castle of Santa Bárbara and the
port of Alicante. The latter was the subject of bitter controversy in 2006–2007 as residents battled, successfully, to keep it from being changed into an industrial estate.
The Santa Bárbara castle is situated on
Mount Benacantil, overlooking the city. The tower (''La Torreta'') at the top, is the oldest part of the castle, while part of the lowest zone and the walls were constructed later in the 18th century.
The promenade ''Explanada de España'', lined by palm trees, is paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form, and is one of the most lovely promenades in Spain. The Promenade extends from the Port of Alicante to the Gran Vía and ends at the famous statue of Mark Hersch. For the people of Alicante, the promenade is the meeting place for the traditional Spanish ''paseo'', or stroll along the waterfront in the evenings, and a venue for outdoor musical concerts. At the end of the promenade is a monument by the artist Bañuls of the 19th century.
''Barrio de la Santa Cruz'' is a colourful quarter of the old city, situated southwest of Santa Bárbara castle. Its small houses climb up the hill leading to the walls and the castle, through narrow streets decorated with flags and tubs of flowers.
''L'Ereta Park'' is situated on the foothills of Mount Benacantil. It runs from the Santa Bárbara castle down to the old part of Alicante and consists of several levels, routes, decks, and rest stops which offer a panoramic view overlooking the city.
''El Palmeral Park'' is one of the favourite parks of Alicante's citizens. It includes walking trails, children's playgrounds, ponds and brooks, picnic tables, and an auditorium for concerts.
Just a few kilometers from Alicante on the Mediterranean Sea lies
Tabarca
Tabarca (, ), officially Nueva Tabarca and also known as ''Isla Plana'' (Spanish) and as ''Nova Tabarca'' and ''Illa Plana'' in Valencian, is an islet located in the Mediterranean Sea, close to the town of Santa Pola, in the province of Alic ...
island. What was once a haven for Barbary pirates is now a beautiful tourist attraction.
Other sights include:
*
Basilica of Santa María (14th–16th centuries), built-in
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style over the former main mosque. Other features include the high altar, in Rococo style, and the portal, in
Baroque style, both from the 18th century.
*
Co-cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari (15th–18th centuries), also built over a mosque. It is the main church of Alicante and the bishop's seat.
* Monastery of ''Santa Faz'' (15th century), located outside the city, in Baroque style.
* Defence towers of the ''Huerta de Alicante'' (15th–18th centuries), built to defend against the Barbary pirates. Today some 20 towers are still extant.
* Baroque ''Casa de La Asegurada'' (1685), the most ancient civil building in the city. (c. XVII). Today it is home to the
Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante.
* ''Casa consistorial de Alicante'' (18th century), also in Baroque style.
* Convent of the ''Canónigas de San Agustín'' (18th century).
* Gravina Palace (1748–1808), nowadays hosting
Gravina Museum of Fine Arts.
* Castle of San Fernando.
There are a dozen museums in Alicante. On exhibition at the
Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ) are local artifacts dating from 100,000 years ago until the early 20th century. The collection is divided into different rooms representing three divisions of archaeological methodology: ground, urban and underwater archaeology, with
dioramas, audiovisual and interactive zones. The archaeological museum won the
European Museum of the Year Award in 2004.
Gravina Museum of Fine Arts presents several paintings and sculptures from the 16th century to the 19th century.
Asegurada Museum of Contemporary Art houses a major collection of twentieth-century art, composed mainly of works donated by
Eusebio Sempere.
Festivals
The most important festival, the ''
Bonfires of Saint John
The Bonfires of Saint John ( ca, Fogueres de Sant Joan, es, link=no, Hogueras de San Juan, gl, Fogueiras de San Xoán, ast, Fogueres de San Xuán, pt, Fogueiras de São João) are a traditional and popular festival celebrated around the world ...
'' (''Hogueras de San Juan'' / ''Fogueres de Sant Joan''), takes place during the summer
solstice. This is followed a week later by five nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests between companies on the urban beach ''Playa del Postiguet''. Another well-known festival is ''
Moors and Christians'' (''Moros y Cristianos'') in Altozano or ''San Blas'' district. Overall, the city boasts a year-round nightlife for the enjoyment of tourists, residents, and a large student population of the
University of Alicante. The nightlife social scene tends to shift to nearby Playa de San Juan during the summer months.
Every summer in Alicante, a two-month-long programme of music, theatre and dance is staged in the Paseo del Puerto.
Sport
Alicante had two football teams, but now has only one,
Hércules CF, which currently competes in the
Second Division B - Group 3. The other team,
Alicante CF
Alicante Club de Fútbol was a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1918, it played its home matches at ''Estadio Alicante CF'', with a 4,000-seat capacity.
History
''Alicante Club de Fútbol'', under t ...
, which played in the
Third Division was dissolved in 2014 due to economic problems. Hércules CF is well known as it played in
La Liga (the Spanish Premier Division) during the 1996/1997 season and again in 2010/2011 and has had many famous players such as
David Trezeguet,
Royston Drenthe and
Nelson Valdez. Hércules is also known for its victory over Barcelona in 1997 which led to Real Madrid winning the league. Home games are played at the 30,000-capacity
José Rico Pérez Stadium.
Basketball club (HLA Alicante)
Lucentum Alicante participates in the
Spanish basketball league. It plays in the
Centro de Tecnificación de Alicante.
Alicante serves as headquarters and the starting point of the
Volvo Ocean Race, a yacht race around the world. The
latest race sailed in October 2017.
Twin towns – sister cities
Alicante is
twinned with:
*
Alexandria, Egypt
*
Brighton and Hove, England, UK
*
Carloforte
Carloforte (''U Pàize'' in Ligurian, literally: ''the village, the town'') is a fishing and resort town
located on Isola di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Island), approximately off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, in the Province of South Sar ...
, Italy
*
Herzliya
Herzliya ( ; he, הֶרְצְלִיָּה ; ar, هرتسليا, Hirtsiliyā) is an affluent city in the central coast of Israel, at the northern part of the Tel Aviv District, known for its robust start-up and entrepreneurial culture. In i ...
, Israel
*
León, Nicaragua
*
Matanzas, Cuba
*
Nice, France
*
Oran, Algeria
*
Toyooka, Japan (1996)
*
Wenzhou
Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou �y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east o ...
, China
See also
*
List of Alicante citizens
This is a list of notable people from the city of Alicante, Alicante, Spain or notable foreigners who live or lived there:
*George Washington Montgomery (1804–1841), United States diplomat and editor/publisher of the first Spanish-language tran ...
*
Castrum Album
*
St Nicholas Day
Saint Nicholas Day, also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, observed on 5 December or on 6 December in Western Christian countries, and on 19 December in Eastern Christian countries using the old church Calendar, is the feast day of Saint Nic ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Official website of AlicanteOfficial website of the Diputación Provincial de AlicantePostal codes in Alicante
{{Navboxes
, title=Articles related to Alicante / Alacant
, list=
{{Alacantí
{{Cities in Spain
{{Capitals of Provinces in Spain
{{Costas
{{European Capital of Sport
{{Phoenician cities and colonies
{{Municipalities in Alicante, state=autocollapse
{{Greek colonies of the Iberian peninsula
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Province of Alicante
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Spain
Municipalities in the Province of Alicante
Seaside resorts in Spain
Tourism in Spain
Greek colonies in Iberia
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Spain
Populated coastal places in Spain
Populated places established in the 4th century BC
Roman sites in Spain
324 BC
320s BC establishments