Novelda

Novelda municipality
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Valencia
Province :	Alicante
Comarca :	Vinalopó Medio
Coordinates	38 ° 23 ′ N , 0 ° 46 ′ W Coordinates: 38 ° 23 ′ N , 0 ° 46 ′ W
Height :	241 msnm
Area :	75.7 km²
Residents :	25,651 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	338.85 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	E-03660
Municipality number ( INE ):	03093
Nearest airport :	Alicante airport
administration
Mayor :	Mariano Beltrá Alted ( PSOE )
Website :	www.ayto-novelda.es
Location of the municipality

Novelda is a Spanish city not far from the Costa Blanca in the Valencian Community and part of the Alicante province . Novelda is known for its marble production , spices and its Art Nouveau buildings.

geography

The municipality extends at the foot of the Cerro de la Mola hill. Novelda is located in the Vinalopó valley between the mountain ranges of the prebetic system , Sierra de las Pedrizas, Sierra del Cid and Sierra de la Horna. The Vinalopó river crosses the local area. The provincial capital Alicante is 24 kilometers away. There is a Mediterranean-arid climate.

history

Archaeological finds show that the Vinalopó valley around Novelda was first settled in the Copper Age .

Novelda was conquered by the Castilian kings during the Reconquista between 1243 and 1252 and was part of the Kingdom of Murcia . In 1252 Novelda was annexed to the city of Alicante. In 1296 it fell to the Kingdom of Valencia .

The lords of Novelda were allowed to call themselves barons of Novelda from 1448. Different noble families took turns in the rule. The castle was abandoned in the 15th or 16th century, but the place continued to develop. In 1510 230 families were counted, in 1595 the population was already 2,115, most of them Morisco . Their expulsion by Spain's King Philip III. in 1609 meant a bloodletting for the city, from which it did not recover until 1800.

In the War of the Spanish Succession , Novelda sided with Archduke Karl . In 1901 Novelda was named a city.

economy

Novelda is one of the world's largest production centers for marble and natural stone .

The most important agricultural product is table grapes , which ripen in special paper bags on the vines. This delays ripening and makes the skin of the grapes thinner. Grapes from Novelda and the Vinalopó Valley are traditionally eaten throughout Spain on New Year's Eve.

Saffron , spices and teas are also processed in Novelda .

Culture and sights

Buildings

Castillo de la Mola: triangular tower

Santa María Magdalena Church

Santuario de Santa María Magdalena back

Casa Modernista

Castillo de la Mola

The castle was built by the Moors in the 12th century on the ruins of a Roman fortress. A special feature is the Torre de los Tres Picos, a triangular defense tower that was built in the 14th century. At that time the castle was already under Christian rule. The tower is two-story and can be climbed.

Santuario de Santa María Magdalena

The work on this church, which is consecrated to Maria Magdalena , lasted from 1918 to 1945. Novelda marble as well as tiles, bricks and river rubble from the Vinalopó were used for the construction. The builder José Sala Sala came from Novelda, but had studied the works of Antoni Gaudí in Catalonia . The Sagrada Família church in Barcelona is a clear example .

The two towers are each 25 meters high. On the outer wall there is a tile picture of Mary Magdalene praying in front of a skull. Large paintings depicting scenes from the lives of the saints can be seen inside the church.

Casa Modernista

Novelda's Art Nouveau Museum is located in a completely preserved mansion in the old town, which was built around 1900. The furniture has also been preserved, and a collection of Art Nouveau sculptures and postcards completes the exhibition. The building also houses an Art Nouveau library with 5,000 volumes. One part of the museum commemorates the navigator Jorge Juan y Santacilia.

Events

The Moros y Cristianos festival is celebrated annually in July. The highlight of the celebrations is the day of the local patron saint Mary Magdalene on July 22nd.

Personalities

Jorge Juan y Santacilia (1713–1773), navigator and explorer

literature

Hans-Jürgen Fründt: Costa Blanca . Reise-Know-How Verlag Peter Rump, Bielefeld 2004, ISBN 3-8317-1301-4 .
Bernhard Hampp: precious stone from Alicante . In: Costa Blanca Rundschau No. 62/2006, ISSN 1699-1451 , p. 17.
Susanne Lipps, Oliver Breda: Merian Live Costa Blanca , Costa del Azahar, Costa Cálida. Travel House Medi, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-7742-0794-1 .
Francisco Escolano Gómez: Sólo por que no se olvide (Novelda, 1998) ISBN 84-923771-0-0 .

Web links

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

Tourist info of the city of Novelda

Individual evidence

↑ 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).

[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).