Almeria

The title of this article is ambiguous. Other uses, see Almeria (disambiguation) listed

Almería municipality
Almería with port
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Province :	Almeria
Coordinates	36 ° 50 ′  N , 2 ° 26 ′  W Coordinates: 36 ° 50 ′  N , 2 ° 26 ′  W
Height :	23  msnm
Area :	296.21 km²
Residents :	198,533 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	670.24 inhabitants / km²
Municipality number  ( INE ):	04013
administration
Mayor :	Luis Rogelio Rodríguez-Comendador Pérez ( PP )
Address of the municipal administration:	Plaza de la Constitución s / n. 04003 Almería Tel .: [phone]
Location of the municipality

Almería is a port city in the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain . The city lies on the alluvial plain of the Río Andarax in a wide Mediterranean bay ( Costa de Almería ). The cityscape is reminiscent of North African cities: narrow streets, old, white houses, gardens and avenues of palm trees . Almería is the capital of the province of the same name .

The name of the city is derived from Arabic .

history

Estatua de la Caridad

Plaza de la Constitución

Puerta de Purchena

The Almería culture named after the place is a late Neolithic Iberian farming culture . Its late phase shows the influence of the Copper Age and points to relationships with the bell-cup culture . The successor to the Almería culture is the Los Millares culture.

Almería was founded in 955 by Abd ar-Rahman III. founded as a major port of his great empire. In 1489 the Catholic Kings ( Los Reyes Católicos ) Ferdinand and Isabel conquered the city as part of the reconquest of Spain ( Reconquista ). In 1492 Almería became a bishopric with the establishment of the diocese of the same name .

The 16th century was a century of natural disasters for Almería ; it suffered at least four major earthquakes (1512, 1522, 1529, 1550), of which the Almería earthquake in 1522 caused a lot of devastation. Moreover, in that century regular attacks found Berber - pirates held that until well into the 18th century stopped. Mainly residents of the coastal areas were deported into slavery in North Africa .

( see also: History of the Province of Almería )

climate

Almería is one of the cities with the most hours of sunshine in Spain, just under 3,000. The annual average temperature is 18 ° C to 19 ° C; in winter the water temperature is even higher than the air temperature. There is often a strong wind blowing.

According to a publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research , average temperatures in the region have decreased by 0.3 ° C per decade over the past 25 years, while in Spain as a whole they have increased by 0.5 ° C per decade. The reason for this is apparently the large number of greenhouses in the region, the roofs of which partially reflect the short-wave light of the sun, so that, theoretically, 2–3 percent less solar energy arrives over a square meter of greenhouse area than over a square meter of pasture land.

Almeria (21 m)
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     24   17th 8th     25th   18th 9     16   20th 11     17th   21st 13     12   24 15th     5   28 19th     1   31 22nd     1   31 22nd     14th   28 20th     27   25th 16     28   21st 12     30th   18th 10 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, period 1981-2010 ; wetterkontor.de (water temperature)

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Almería (21 m) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 16.9 17.6 19.6 21.4 24.1 27.9 30.5 31.0 28.4 24.5 20.5 17.9 O 23.4 Min. Temperature (° C) 8.3 9.0 10.6 12.5 15.3 18.9 21.7 22.4 20.0 16.3 12.3 9.6 O 14.8 Temperature (° C) 12.6 13.3 15.1 17.0 19.7 23.5 26.1 26.7 24.2 20.4 16.4 13.8 O 19.1 Precipitation ( mm ) 24 25th 16 17th 12 5 1 1 14th 27 28 30th Σ 200 Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 6.3 6.8 7.5 8.7 9.6 10.8 11.0 10.2 8.5 7.0 6.1 5.7 O 8.2 Rainy days ( d ) 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.6 1.9 0.6 0.3 0.3 1.5 2.8 3.6 3.3 Σ 25.3 Water temperature (° C) 14th 14th 14th 15th 17th 19th 22nd 23 22nd 20th 17th 15th O 17.7 Humidity ( % ) 67 67 65 62 63 61 60 63 65 68 67 67 O 64.6 Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, period 1981-2010 ; wetterkontor.de (water temperature)

Population development of the municipality

Source: INE archive - graphic processing for Wikipedia

economy

The port of the city of Almería is important for the export of agricultural products from the province of Almería and mineral products from the Sierra de Alhamilla .

politics

Historical development in the Almería Municipal Council

Political party	2007		2011		2015
	Be right %	Seats	Be right %	Seats	Be right %	Seats
PP	45.43%	13	58.5%	18th	40.36%	13
PSOE	36.91%	11	22.82%	7th	27.00%	9
IULV-CA	5.22%	1	8.64%	2	6.98%	2
GIAL	7.05%	2	-	-	-	-
C's	-	-	-	-	10.01%	3

traffic

About ten kilometers outside the city is one international airport , which, however, mainly for domestic flights in the winter tourist season, tourists from England and Germany on the road to Roquetas de Mar is used.

In addition to several inner-city bus routes, Almería has a multifunctional train station that is served by long-distance buses and trains.

Personalities

• Antonio de Torres (1817-1892), guitar maker
• Nicolás Salmerón (1838–1908), third President of the First Spanish Republic in 1873
• Abel Paz (1921–2009), resistance fighter and writer
• Manolo Escobar (1931-2013), singer
• José-María Siles (* 1951), journalist
• Tomatito (* 1958), flamenco guitarist
• Jesús Padilla Gálvez (* 1959), philosopher
• Niño Josele (actually Juan José Heredia, * 1974), flamenco guitarist
• David Bisbal (* 1979), singer

Culture

Alcazaba - inner courtyard

Almería, as seen from the Alcazaba

Old town

Alcazaba

The Alcazaba is a hilltop Moorish fortress from which you can overlook the whole city. Its construction began in 955 at the behest of Abd ar-Rahman III, while the Caliphate of Cordoba existed. The work was finished in the 11th century during the reign of Hairán , who was king of the small empire of Almería. The fortress consists of three districts. Noteworthy are the Homage Tower, the Tower of Justice and the Tower of Mirrors, the El Espolón bulwark, as well as the Chapel of San Juan Evangelista, built by the Christians, and the Torre de la Vela tower. From the fortress rise strong defensive walls, fortified by towers, which stretch through the valley of La Hoya to the hill of San Cristobal. The fortress has been built over the centuries by the respective rulers of the city, so that parts of the Alcazaba are also characterized by Christian architecture. When large parts of the city fell victim to an earthquake in 1522, the Alcazaba was also damaged. The restoration work continues to this day.

Cabo de Gata

The nearby Cabo de Gata Natural Park is a stony semi-desert with sparse vegetation and lovely beaches.

cathedral

The Cathedral of Almeria is located in the city center. Construction began in 1524 after the previous church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1522. It is a real fortified church , which became necessary due to the constant attacks by Berber pirates . Four towers built from large ashlar stones stand out on the facade, and even the apse is in the shape of a square defensive tower. The Renaissance and Gothic styles predominate in the building, although Baroque and Classicist elements can be identified. The two portals , the transept , the sacristy , the high altar and the various chapels as well as the choir and the room behind are particularly interesting . The cloister was built in the classical style in the 18th century . The building is completed by valuable paintings and sculptures by important artists from the 16th to the 18th century.

Municipal Auditorium "Maestro Padilla"

Auditorio Municipal Maestro Padilla (opera, theater and concert hall)

The Auditorio Municipal “Maestro Padilla” in Almería was named after the Spanish musician José Padilla Sánchez. It was designed by the architect José Seguí and was intended to set urban accents in Almería, both architecturally and due to the exposed location in the El Zapillo district, directly facing the beach. Functionally, it is used for theater, concert and congress events as well as art exhibitions. The concert hall is designed for 960 visitors. The inauguration takes place on May 6, 1992 in the presence of the then Queen of Spain, Sofia.

Bullring

The polygonal bullring of Almería dates back to 1888. It has 20 outer sides, which are separated from each other by building-high turrets with round arches. Three monumental entrance portals are integrated into the façade of the arena, one of which is the main portal above the entrance and is decorated with the head of a bull. The arena was designed by the architects Enrique López Rull and Trinidad Cuartara for 9050 spectators on two levels, which are placed around the circular interior; the possible number of spectators was increased to 9,800 through subsequent modifications. The decision to build the bullring for the private sector was preceded by bullfighting events from 1848 onwards at various places in Almería, where the number of spectators at that time, up to 2,600, proved to be insufficient. At present, bullfights still take place in the bullring several times a year.

Mediterranean Games

In 2005 Almería hosted the Mediterranean Games .

Other structures

Yucca City near Tabernas

You will find numerous buildings from the beginning of the industrial age in the city, such as B. the old train station.

Film history

Obviously, "Bully" Herbig was very impressed by the variety of landscapes around Almería, because his film The Shoe of Manitu can be seen as an homage to numerous westerns that took place in the dusty valleys and plains around the small desert town in the 1960s and 1970s Tabernas and in the Cabo de Gata Nijar National Park. Back then, the province of Almería was known as “European Hollywood” and it is estimated that nearly 500 western films were shot here. First and foremost, it was the directors David Lean ( Lawrence of Arabia ) and Sergio Leone ( For a handful of dollars , For a few dollars more , Two glorious scoundrels , Play me the song of death , Death melody ) , as well as Michael Winner with the film Chatos land which made the film land Almería known worldwide. Weathered rock formations, dusty desert canyons, dune landscapes, abandoned fincas and defiant fortifications on the coast made ideal backdrops for many western, war, adventure and fantasy films. Even for the western God forgives ... Django never! with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill , Almería served as the location.

Feria

A highlight of the year for the city of Almería is the Feria, which takes place in the second half of August. At the same time religious and sporting events, bullfights and Andalusian music and dance performances are held, which can be seen in the tents set up on the festival area.

Sports

The city has already been the starting point of a stage of the Vuelta a España 15 times .

Between 2013 and 2015, the city again had a representative in the Primera División , the first Spanish soccer league, with UD Almería . However, since 2015 the club has been playing second class again.

Town twinning

Europe Caspe , Spain  Jaca , Spain  Boulogne-Billancourt , France  Rastatt , Germany  Neuwied , Germany

America Ciego de Ávila , Cuba  Tecate , Mexico  Veracruz , Mexico  Ensenada , Mexico  Navojoa , Mexico  San Juan del Sur , Nicaragua  Cochabamba , Bolivia  San Rafael , Argentina  Ovalle , Chile

Africa Melilla , Spain  El Aaiún , Western Sahara  Ad-Dakhla , Western Sahara  Oran , Algeria  Asia Leyte , Philippines  Ajman , United Arab Emirates

See also

• List of municipalities in the province of Almería

Web links

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

Wikivoyage: Almería  - Travel Guide

Wiktionary: Almería  - explanations of meanings, origins of words, synonyms, translations

• www.andalucia.com/cities/almeria.htm

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. ↑ Almería, tierra de terremotos
3. ↑ http://umwelt.scienceticker.info/2008/10/08/treibhaeuser-kuehlen-almeria/
4. ↑ Election results 2011 Spanish Ministry of the Interior ( Memento of the original from July 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Election results 2015 Spanish Ministry of the Interior ( Memento of the original from July 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
6. ↑ Manuel Meyer (dpa): Cult film desert in Andalusia. Play me the song of Tabernas on Spiegel Online on June 18, 2011
7. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated September 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.