Alcoy (; ; officially: / ) is an industrial and university city, region and

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

located in the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

, 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 ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...

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 a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

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 ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

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 ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

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

Kingdom of Valencia The Kingdom of Valencia (; ; ), located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. The Kingdom of Valencia was formally created in 1238 when the Moorish taifa of Valencia was taken in ...

during the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

. In 1291 the town was donated by King

James II of Aragon James II (Catalan: ''Jaume II''; Aragonese: ''Chaime II;'' 10 April 1267 – 2 or 5 November 1327), called the Just, was the King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. He was also the King of Sicily (as James I) f ...

to the Sicilian admiral

Roger of Lauria Roger of Lauria (''c''. 1245 – 17 January 1305), was a Calabrian knight who served the Crown of Aragon as admiral of the Aragonese navy during the War of the Sicilian Vespers. He was probably the most successful and talented naval tacticia ...

; it did not return to royal possession until 1430. During the

War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...

, 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 paintings 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

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, (1909-1911). * Casa d'Escaló, Art Nouveau work of Vicente Pascual Pastor, (1906-1908). * Casa Laporta, Art Nouveau work of Timoteo Briet Montaud, (1904). * Casa Vilaplana, Art Nouveau work of Vicente Pascual Pastor, (1906). * Casa Briet, Art Nouveau work of Timoteo Briet Montaud, (1910). * Llotja de Sant Jordi, designed by the architect

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...

. 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 Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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

Convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

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, 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, an air-raid bunker of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

(1938). * Firefighters Museum of Alcoy

Natural parks

* Font Roja Natural Park * Serra Mariola Natural Park

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, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

and

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

. 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 matc ...

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

Celebrations

* Moors and Christians of Alcoy Alcoy hosts the oldest Cavalcade of Magi 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 indefatigable person. Currently, they play in the

Segunda División B Segunda División B (English: 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 ...

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 Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using wheeled skates. It can be played with traditional roller skates (quad skates) or with inline skates and use either a ball or puck. Combined, roller hockey is played in nearly 60 cou ...

in Spain.

Notable residents

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

(1946-2019), singer * Vicente Pascual Pastor (1865–1941), architect * Carmen Jordá (born 1988), racing driver

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 Alcoià Municipalities in the Province of Alicante Populated places in the Province of Alicante