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| Monteagudo Castle, Múrcia |
The region of Murcia is an autonomous community in southeastern Spain. About 1.4 million people live in this community. It consists of a single province. The regional and provincial capital is the city of Murcia. About 450,000 people live in Murcia. Roughly 215,000 people reside in the second largest city in the community, Cartagena. The region is known for having its own micro-climate, drier than most of the rest of the Mediterranean coastline, and for having searingly hot summers.
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| Catedral de Murcia |
One of the main sights in the city of Múrcia is the town´s cathedral. Built on the site of a former mudéjar Mosque, first stone was laid in 1388, yet it would take almost seventy years for it to be finished. During that period, the construction went through different architectural styles. The inside of its three naves are mainly built in mainly Gothic style, but the facade was given an overhaul in an unique Baroque style in the 18th century. A mere five kilometres outside Múrcia is the Monteagudo Castle with its statue of Jesus overlooking the city.
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| Galeria Interior, Real Casino de Múrcia |
Another landmark not to miss in the city is the Casino Real. Originally built as a gentleman´s club in 1847, it is now open as a cultural centre for visitors wanting to have a look at 19th century aristocratic opulence. Apart from the impressive interior decor, the building has an invaluable collection of 19th century paintings by Spanish artists.
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| Roman Theatre, Cartagena |
Cartagena is a very historical city with great archaeological importance. One of the most impressive sights in Cartagena is the Roman Theatre, dating back to the end of the 1st century BC. This amazing archaeological site was discovered only in 1988 underneath the ruins of the city's old cathedral. The site's museum has an extraordinary collection of the artefacts found in the excavation. Cartagena's history as an important harbour in ancient times has also made it the obvious location for the ARQUA, a museum for marine archaeology. There are several interesting museums in Cartagena, including an archaeological museum, the unusual Casa de la Fortuna, as well as a few exhibiting Cartagenas more recent past in the form of anaval, military, and civil war museum.
Interestingly, the town centre itself is quite modern by Spanish standards. Much of Cartagena was destroyed in the Cantonal Rebellion in 1874. This gave rise to a rebuilding in art noveau style, which in its own right also makes Cartagena stand out. The most impressive of the sort is probably the town hall building, Palacio de Consistoria.
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Cartagena, Region de Múrcia
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