Calasparra

Calasparra municipality
Calasparra - View of the town with Castillo de San Juan
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Murcia
Province :	Murcia
Comarca :	Noroeste
Coordinates	38 ° 14 ′  N , 1 ° 42 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 14 ′  N , 1 ° 42 ′  W
Height :	340  msnm
Area :	184.9 km²
Residents :	10,178 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	55.05 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	30420
Municipality number  ( INE ):	30013
administration
Website :	Calasparra

Calasparra is a southern Spanish city ​​and a municipality ( municipio ) consisting of the capital and several villages or hamlets with a total of 10,178 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the northwest of the province of Murcia in the autonomous region of Murcia of the same name .

location

The place Calasparra lies between the Río Argos and the Río Segura a good 75 km (driving distance) northwest of the city of Murcia at an altitude of 320 to 350 m above sea level. d. The climate in winter is temperate, in summer it is warm to hot; the low amounts of precipitation (approx. 320 mm / year) fall - with the exception of the almost rainless summer months - distributed over the whole year.

Population development

year	1857	1900	1950	2000	2016
Residents	3,614	6,442	10,371	8,888	10,268

The continuous increase in population is mainly due to the ongoing immigration from the rural area.

economy

Calasparra is located in the rural area of ​​the province of Murcia; The rice cultivation in fields near the banks of the Río Segura is particularly characteristic of the community. Along with the Ebro Delta and Valencia, it is the third rice-growing region in Spain with Denominación de Origen . In addition, fruit trees were also planted. Small traders, craftsmen and service companies of all kinds have settled in the village.

history

The oldest finds that testify to the presence of man in the region are dated to the Neolithic ; At Abrigo del Pozo there are remains of rock paintings that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage of rock paintings in the Spanish Levant . Iberian finds are rare. A few finds at Gilico and Arco de la Rambla date from Roman times . In the years after 711 the area was overrun by the Moors ; they built a fortress (hisn) on the neighboring castle hill and named the nearby river Qalasbarra . After the recapture ( reconquista ) of the region by Castilian troops under Alfonso X in 1243, the quasi-independent was Taifa Kingdom of Murcia in a Christian kingdom converted, which, however closely with the Crown of Castile was intertwined, but it came up to the year 1266 repeated Moorish attacks. In the years from 1296 to 1304, the province temporarily came under Aragonese rule .

Attractions

Rock church of the Santuario de la Virgen de la Esperanza

• The commingled with small stones rammed built fortress dates back to Almohad time. A keep (torre del homenaje) was added under Christian rule , but the complex became increasingly dilapidated.
• The martyrs Abdon and Sennen consecrated Iglesia de los Stos. Mártires Abdón y Senén comes from the early 17th century; however, it was restored several times between 1735 and 1803.
• The Iglesia de San Pedro originally belonged to the Order of Malta . In 1812 it was destroyed by Marshal Soult's troops, but then rebuilt. Renewed destruction took place in the Spanish Civil War .
• The 1730 in Mudéjartradition from bricks built former granary (Pósito de la Encomienda) holds today an Archaeological Museum .

Surroundings

• About 6 km north of the small town is the rock sanctuary Santuario de la Virgen de la Esperanza . The baroque natural stone decor on the outside facade and inside the church is interesting .
• The foundations of the village of Villa Vieja , which was built in the Moorish times, are located approx. 3 km south of today's village. The site was abandoned in the Middle Ages.

nature

• Cañón de Almadenes : Gorge of the Río Segura , hiking trail and accessible with canoes or rubber dinghies
• Paraje de Cañaverosa : remaining natural alluvial forest on the Río Segura
• Cueva del Puerto : cave
• Cerro Negro de Calasparra : extinct volcano

Web links

Commons : Calasparra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Calasparra - Photos + Info (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).
2. ↑ Calasparra - Map with altitude information
3. ↑ Calasparra - climate tables
4. ↑ Calasparra - population development
5. ↑ Calasparra - Rice Cultivation
6. ↑ Calasparra - Economy etc.
7. ↑ Calasparra History
8. ↑ Calasparra - Castle
9. ↑ Calasparra - Granary and Museum
10. ↑ Calasparra - Santuario de la Virgen de la Esperanza
11. ↑ Calasparra - Villa Vieja
12. ↑ Calasparra - Cañón de Almadenes ( Memento of the original from September 16, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
13. ↑ Calasparra - Sotos y Bosque de la ribera de Cañaverosa
14. ↑ Calasparra - Cueva del Puerto
15. ↑ Calasparra - Cerro Negro