A Coruña

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A Coruña
coat of arms Map of Spain
A Coruña Coat of Arms
A Coruña (Spain)
Finland road sign 311 (1994-2020) .svg
Basic data
Autonomous Community : Galicia
Province : A Coruña
Coordinates 43 ° 22 ′  N , 8 ° 24 ′  W Coordinates: 43 ° 22 ′  N , 8 ° 24 ′  W
Height : 0  msnm
Area : 37.83 km²
Residents : 245,711 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density : 6,495.14 inhabitants / km²
Postal code : 15001-15011
Municipality number  ( INE ): 15030
Nearest airport : A Coruña Airport (Aeroporto de Alvedro)
administration
Mayoress : Inés Rey (PSdeG-PSOE)
Website : coruna.es

A Coruña [ a koˈɾuɲa ] (officially and in Galician language ; unofficially Spanish and formerly officially La Coruña ) is a city in the far north-west of Spain . It is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia belonging province of A Coruña . The city covers a total area of ​​37.83 km² and has 245,711 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019), including the suburbs, 407,150 inhabitants (as of January 2009).

history

The naturally protected port of A Coruña was used by the Phoenicians , Celts and later the Romans . Around 110 AD, they erected the Tower of Hercules in what was then Ardobicum Corunium , a lighthouse in the north of the city that still reminds us of that time and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since June 2009 .

During the rule of the Suebi in the 5th century, Corunium was temporarily the capital of the kingdom.

Statue of Maria Pita

The city was first mentioned in the 13th century under the Spanish name La Coruña. The heyday of the city was in the 14th and 15th centuries, when they become the target port English pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela developed. Today the Route des Camino Inglés is again marked with the scallop shell . In 1588, the city of Ferrol ( A Coruña province ) was the station of the Spanish Armada on their way to England. As a result, A Coruña was attacked in 1589 by an English naval formation under the leadership of Sir Francis Drake , but was not captured. According to tradition, the successful defense of the city is associated with the citizen María Pita, after whom the city's main square is still named today. María Pita, a butcher's wife, stood out for her tenacity in the fight against the English privateers around the pirate Sir Francis Drake in 1589. She is still seen today as a heroine and a symbol of freedom.

During the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814), the battle of A Coruña took place on January 16, 1809 . A French army under Marshal Soult and a British expeditionary army under Sir John Moore fought there . The battle ended in a draw.

Immediately at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War , the military coup d'état succeeded in gaining control of A Coruña. Republicans tried desperately to bring down the coup in bloody fighting. During these fighting, countless republicans without weapons tried in vain to storm the barracks of the Guardia Civil . Army officers, assault guards ( municipal police ) and 200 civil guards who opposed the military coup were killed by the military coup, as were the region's commander-in-chief , General Enrique Salcedo , the local commander of A Coruña, General Rogelio Caridad Pita and the civil governor Pérez Carballo with his pregnant wife Juanita Capdevilla. A Coruña became the center of the military coup and a bastion of nationalists in Galicia .

climate

The city of A Coruña is located directly on the Atlantic Ocean and is characterized by a correspondingly mild climate. Temperatures below 10 ° C are rare, but A Coruña is located in the wettest area of ​​Spain.

A Coruña (58 m)
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
112
 
14th
8th
 
 
88
 
14th
8th
 
 
75
 
16
9
 
 
88
 
16
10
 
 
74
 
18th
12
 
 
44
 
21st
14th
 
 
34
 
22nd
16
 
 
35
 
23
16
 
 
64
 
22nd
15th
 
 
130
 
19th
13
 
 
138
 
16
11
 
 
131
 
14th
9
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, period 1981-2010
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for A Coruña (58 m)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 13.5 14.1 15.5 16.2 18.1 20.6 22.1 22.8 22.0 19.1 16.0 14.1 O 17.9
Min. Temperature (° C) 8.1 8.0 9.2 9.9 12.0 14.3 15.9 16.4 15.2 13.0 10.5 8.9 O 11.8
Temperature (° C) 10.8 11.1 12.4 13.0 15.0 17.4 19.0 19.6 18.6 16.1 13.3 11.5 O 14.8
Precipitation ( mm ) 112 88 75 88 74 44 34 35 64 130 138 131 Σ 1,013
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 3.3 4.3 5.2 5.8 6.5 7.5 7.7 7.9 6.4 4.8 3.6 3.0 O 5.5
Rainy days ( d ) 14.0 12.0 11.5 13.3 11.1 6.7 5.5 5.7 7.9 12.9 14.3 14.6 Σ 129.5
Humidity ( % ) 75 73 72 73 75 76 77 77 76 77 77 75 O 75.3
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
13.5
8.1
14.1
8.0
15.5
9.2
16.2
9.9
18.1
12.0
20.6
14.3
22.1
15.9
22.8
16.4
22.0
15.2
19.1
13.0
16.0
10.5
14.1
8.9
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		112
88
75
88
74
44
34
35
64
130
138
131
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

present

In recent years, the city has been further developed through various infrastructure and urban development projects, particularly in the areas of transport, culture, sports and leisure. In particular, increased efforts have been made to restore the coastal area (beach and promenade) of the city. These efforts are aimed at transferring the traditional character of the city, which has been shaped for decades by the local administration , trade, port and tourism , into the 21st century. In the field of science, the institution “House of Science”, founded by the city council in 1983, has achieved supra-regional importance. At this institution, the include Planetarium , the popular science "House of the People" (Domus) and the Aquarium "Aquarium Finisterrae" (Casa de los Peces) of the city.

Attractions

  • Coast at A Coruña at sunrise

  • Monument and Tower of Hercules (2005)

  • Gallery houses at the harbor

  • town hall

  • A Coruña Beach

  • Elevator to Sankt Peter Berg

  • Palacio de la Ópera
    (with waterfall on the left)

The city beaches (Riazor, Orzan) and the harbor surrounded by gallery houses are worth seeing. The Hercules Tower is the oldest operating lighthouse in the world. In 2009 it was named a World Heritage Site .

panorama

and display information about the image
Panorama of A Coruña, taken from the Mera lighthouse. View from the Castillo de San Anton to the Hercules Tower

Other structures

The Endesa Termic has been one of the tallest chimneys in Europe since it was completed in 1974 with a height of 356 meters .

economy

The province of A Coruña is currently the richest region in Galicia and generated around a third of the Galician GDP . The service sector, and in particular the financial sector, is of greatest importance, followed by port activities such as trade and fishing. The industrial sector is less important.

port

A Coruña has the largest port in Galicia with a water front of six kilometers and an annual trade volume of around 13 million tons . The largest volumes handled are liquid bulk goods such as crude oil and bioethanol , followed by solid bulk goods such as coal , wood , cement and ores . Other goods and container traffic play only a minor role. The amount of fish landed is the second largest in Galicia and the fish market is one of the most important in Spain. The port is also a stopover for cruise ships. In 2007, the city had around 40,000 visitors from 62 ships. At Av. Porto da Coruña is a city harbor for pleasure boats right in the center of the city.

Another port has been under construction west of the city center in Langosteira since 2018 and is scheduled to go into operation in 2020. Its main purpose is to handle oil and other liquids. At the same time, the neighboring polymer chemistry facilities are being expanded.

and display information about the image
Panorama of A Coruña with the city harbor and the nearby city center

Industry

The city has two industrial areas with more than 600 companies. Including an oil refinery from Repsol YPF and an operation from aluminum producer Alcoa . A Coruña is also the headquarters of Fadesa Inmobiliaria , a leading (and formerly listed on IBEX 35 ) real estate company . The Inditex group , which with its brands such as Zara is one of the largest textile groups in the world, is also based in A Coruña, although the group headquarters are now in the neighboring municipality of Arteixo .

Embankment road on the edge of the Monte Alto district

tourism

The tourism in the city in recent years, not least due to the visit of cruise ships , grew strongly. In 2006, for the first time, A Coruña welcomed as many visitors as it has inhabitants. One of the main attractions is the beach promenade , which will measure 13 km after its final completion. Further sights are the Castillo de San Anton from the 16th century, which is located on the pier, which is now the archaeological museum, the Tower of Hercules and the Museo de Belas Artes , in which works by Goya can be seen. The oldest church in the city is Ingesa de Santiago from the 12th / 13th centuries , consecrated to St. James . Century. The city's two main beaches are Orzán and Riazor , which are located below the seafront promenade. The most important tourist event is the night of San Juan , which is celebrated annually on June 23 , which is celebrated with a witch's procession, fireworks and Midsummer bonfires on the city beaches.

traffic

Two railcars of the second tram, which ran from 1997 to 2011

Although the hilly terrain in the area is hostile to traffic, a dense network of motorways has emerged in the last 20 years that connect A Coruña with other cities in Galicia as well as with Madrid and Portugal. The motorway to / from Madrid is largely free of charge to compensate for the extreme peripheral location of the region.

Local public transport in the city ​​center is handled entirely by buses, predominantly regional and national passenger transport as well. The station is of little importance, but offers daily connections to Madrid. The small airport currently only offers domestic connections.

From 1903 to 1962 there was a tram that was powered by horses for the first ten years and then electrically. A new route built in 1997 as a tourist train with nostalgic vehicles, which was to become the nucleus of a modern low-floor network, failed due to changed political majorities. The operation was stopped again in 2011.

From 1948 to 1979 the city had an extensive network of trolleybus routes .

Population development municipality

Source: INE archive - graphic processing for Wikipedia

Sports

The city is home to the Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña football club , which has played successfully in the UEFA Champions League several times since the late 1990s .

sons and daughters of the town

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. ↑ Law 2/1998, of March 3rd, changing the names of the La Coruña and Orense provinces. (PDF, 43KB) In: BOE núm. 54, p. 7392. March 4, 1998, accessed February 17, 2013 (Spanish).
  3. ↑ UNESCO press release, June 27, 2009
  4. ^ Heleno Saña : The libertarian revolution: the anarchists in the Spanish civil war. Nautilus, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-89401-378-8 , p. 55.
  5. ↑ Repsol invertirá 69 millones en la refinería coruñesa. August 9, 2019, accessed August 10, 2019 (Spanish).
  6. ↑ Nuestras instalaciones en el CI de A Coruña - repsol.energy. Retrieved August 10, 2019 (Spanish).
  7. ↑ Tram at the Torre de Hércules in: Tram Magazin 12/2009, p. 60 ff.

Web links

Commons : A Coruña  - Collection of images, videos and audio files