Murcia

The origins of Murcia date back to 825. At that time, the city was known as Medinat Mursiya and was subject to the Arab emirate. The Arabs used the current of the Segura River to build a complicated network of irrigation channels that contributed to the development and enrichment of the city. After the fall of the Caliphate of Cordoba in 1031, Murcia came under the rule of Almeria, Toledo and Seville, and in the years 1223-1243 it was even the capital of an independent kingdom. At that time, Murcia was a very wealthy city, known for its ceramics, exported to Italian cities, as well as the silk and paper industry, the first in Europe. Under the Treaty of Alcaraz in 1243, Christian King Ferdinand III of Castile made Murcia a protectorate by entering the Mediterranean, and Murcia was protected from Granada and Aragon. The city's Christian population has become a majority because immigrants have poured out of almost all parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Christian immigration has been encouraged to establish a loyal Christian base. These measures led to a revolt in the Muslim population in 1264, which in 1266 was suspended by Jacob I of Aragon, bringing Aragon and Catalan immigrants to him. After that, during the reign of Alfonso X Castile, Murcia was one of its capital of Toledo and Seville. In 1304, Murcia was finally incorporated into Castile under the Torrellas Treaty. The Christian population of the town became the majority as immigrants poured in from almost all parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Christian immigration was encouraged with the goal of establishing a loyal Christian base. These measures led to the Muslim popular revolt in 1264, which was quelled by James I of Aragon in 1266, conquering Murcia and bringing Aragonese and Catalan immigrants with him. After this, during the reign of Alfonso X Castile, Murcia was one of its capital of Toledo and Seville. In 1304, Murcia was finally incorporated into Castile under the Torrellas Treaty.

Murcia's prosperity declined as the Mediterranean lost trade to the ocean routes and from the wars between the Christians and the Ottoman Empire. The old prosperity of Murcia became crises during 14th century because of its border location with the neighbouring Muslim kingdom of Granada, but flourished after its conquest in 1492 and again in the 18th century, benefiting greatly from a boom in the silk industry. Most of the modern city's landmark churches, monuments and old architecture date from this period. In this century, Murcia lived an important role in Bourbon victory in the War of the Spanish Succession, thanks to Cardinal Belluga. In 1810, Murcia was looted by Napoleonic troops.

It then suffered a major earthquake in 1829. According to contemporaneous accounts, an estimated 6,000 people died from the disaster's effects across the province. Plague and cholera followed. The town and surrounding area suffered badly from floods in 1651, 1879, and 1907, though the construction of a levee helped to stave off the repeated floods from the Segura. A popular pedestrian walkway, the Malecon, runs along the top of the levee.

Murcia has been the capital of the province of Murcia since 1833 and, with its creation by the central government in 1982, capital of the autonomous community (which includes only the city and the province). Since then, it has become the seventh most populated municipality in Spain, and a thriving services city. An earthquake in the Mediterranean and Serbia caused the Murcia region to shake with a maximum intensity of seven on the Richter scale on May 11, 2011. Eight people were killed and over 400 were injured.

Cathedral of Saint Mary (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María) - the cathedral built on the ruins of the mosque represents a coherent mix of styles, sometimes called the Mediterranean Gothic. The most impressive is the facade of the temple, made in the baroque style of light marble. The cathedral also has one of the highest towers in Spain (95 meters), in which every day at 13:00, 25 bells inform the residents at siesta time. The cathedral also has an exhibition with valuable Gothic paintings, wooden sculptures and a collection of church silverware.

Episcopal Palace - a rococo palace from the eighteenth century, located opposite the Cathedral of Saint Mary

The 19th-century casino on the main street (calle de Traperia) - partly converted into a restaurant, captivates with its extravagant interior and patio with a mudejar-style entrance.

The old town on the Segura River is crossed by historical streets that have retained the names of their craft guilds and the trade names: Platería, Trapería and Vidrieros (silverware, rags and glassware).

Cardenal Belluga Square brings together two of the architectural pearls of the capital city of Murcia: the Episcopal Palace (18th century), with a Rococo facade and a courtyard characterized by Churriguerism, and a cathedral. This temple, which construction began at the end of the fourteenth century, is distinguished by the overlap of different styles. And so, for example, the richly carved unique baroque facade, next to which stands the magnificent tower, 92 meters high, is noteworthy. On the other hand, in the interiors  the Los Vélez chapel stands out, an excellent example of the gotico florido style.

Baroque style is widely represented in Murcia by religious buildings, for example, the church of La Merced, dating from the sixteenth century and rebuilt in the eighteenth century, the church of the monastery of Santa Ana, the churches of Santo Domingo, San Nicolás and San Miguel.

It is also worth getting to know some of the most important 18th century buildings of the city. These include the City Hall, the Romea Theater and the casino. The latter having a classicist facade and a beautiful interior patio with clear Arab influences.

The districts of San Pedro, Santa Catalina and around Las Flores Square hide some of the most charming parts of the capital of the province of Murcia. You can end your tour on the beautiful Paseo del Malecón Avenue, connecting the city with the orchard area.

Murcia has a wide range of museums and exhibitions. The Cathedral Museum deserves special attention the delightful Toledonian procession monstrance, while the Salzillo Museum has a valuable collection of processional sculptures by the artist, one of the most important sculptors of the 18th century. At the Murcia Archaeological Museum we can admire the remains of various cultures that have passed through these lands, among them Tesoro de la Finca Pinta, a treasure of Muslim and Christian coins. At the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, among others, works of Giordan and Madraz have been preserved. Other museums worth recommending are the Santa Clara Museum, the City Museum, the San Juan de Dios Museum, the Science and Water Museum, the River Windmill Museum, the Craft Center and the Bull Fighting Museum.

Among the events and celebrations of folk holidays organized in the capital of Murcia, Holy Week stands out. It is especially worth taking part in the "salzillos" procession, held on Good Friday morning. As part of the Spring Festival, also noteworthy are the events related to Entierro de la Sardina (funeral of sardines), recognized as a tourist attraction of international importance, during which a spectacular parade of colorful platforms takes place.

However, probably one of the most rooted traditions of the capital of Murcia is Bando de la Huerta, which has been celebrated invariably for over a century and a half on Easter Tuesday. This ceremony is a real praise of regional cuisine and folklore, filled with parades, regional costumes, tasting of typical products and reading of stanzas written in the orchard language - "panocho". Another feast that is quite popular is the pilgrimage of Romería de la Virgen de la Fuensanta, during which the statue of the Virgin Mary is moved from the cathedral to her sanctuary, located five kilometers from Murcia.

There are two state-run universities in Murcia: the University of Murcia, founded in 1912, and UPT - Carthage University of Technology. In addition, the city has a private Catholic University of Saint Anthony (UCAM), which is quite popular among graduates.

Between 6-8 June 2019, in cooperation with the City of Murcia and the Spanish Embassy, ceremonial celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Łódź-Murcia partnership took place. On this occasion, Mr. Guillermo Escribano Manzano the Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Poland visited Łódż along with the Consul Mr. Mariano Muñoz Carpena and a delegation of 10 people from Murcia, which included representatives of the city authorities and artists presenting Spanish culture.

During the first day of their stay in Łódź, guests visited the Film Museum and took part in a Business Seminar organized at the Łódź Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The meeting was attended by business representatives interested in economic contacts with Spain and Ms Zuzanna Gołębiewska, Director of the Office of the Polish-Spanish Chamber of Commerce.

Then the guests went to the Academy of Fine Arts, where under the leadership of Rector prof. Jolanta Rudzka - Habisiak they had the opportunity to see the rich scientific and artistic offer of the university, learn about its infrastructure and cooperation proposals.

The culmination of the day was the evening Spanish fiesta during which the deputy Mayor of Łódź Mr. Krzysztof Piątkowski and the  Deputy Ambassador of Spain Mr. Guillermo Escribano Manzano officially inaugurated the celebrations of the 20th anniversary. Then flamenco artists entered the stage with a fascinating, expressive dance and song show accompanied by a guitar. The Spanish chef, on the other hand, treated the participants of the fiesta with paella.

The next day the delegation from Spain took part in a city tour following the route of revitalized buildings and Łódź murals.

In the evening meeting at OFF Piotrkowska, the artists continued their performances of flamenco and electronic music by a Spanish DJ. One could also watch the movie "Flamenco Flamenco" and a collection of women's bags exhibited in the showroom by Spanish designer Susana Olmos Lopez.

A memento after the visit is the mural painted on the wall of the gate at Roosvelta St. by Street Art artist Carlos Callizo Gutierrez.

From 21 t0 22 March we hosted in Łódź a delegation of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain to Poland, headed by the Deputy Ambassador, His Excellency Guillermo Escribano Manzano. The main themes of the visit focused on economic, academic and cultural cooperation. In addition, the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of cooperation between Łódź and Murcia were discussed.

The delegation of the Spanish Embassy was particularly interested in the way in which Łódź's art universities (Łódź Film School and Academy of Fine Arts) help their students enter the labor market. During the meeting at the Łódź Film School they had the opportunity to talk about the Index Film Studio belonging to the University. Representatives of the Embassy also expressed their willingness to commission students of the Łódź Film School to prepare a film promoting Spain in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. During a visit to the Łódź Academy of Fine Arts, representatives of the Embassy became acquainted with competitions organized by the University, such as Łódź Young Fashion, and proposed their promotion in Spain. During the meeting with schools in Łódź, the Embassy delegation also had the opportunity to cooperate with the University of Łódź, Łódź University of Technology and selected high schools in which Spanish is taught. J.E. Guillermo Escribano Manzano has committed to assist the International Faculty of Engineering (IFE) of Łódź University of Technology in contacts with two Spanish universities with whom they want to introduce joint studies with the possibility of obtaining a double diploma in the future.

During the meeting with the Mayor of Łódź, representatives of the Embassy had the opportunity to learn about the history of Łódź and strategic projects in the field of infrastructure and revitalization, both those currently under implementation and those planned for the future.

The delegation of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain also had the opportunity to talk with the organizers of the largest festivals in Łódź, such as the Light Move Festival, Good Taste Festival and Łódź Design Festival. In addition, diplomats visited the EC1 Science and Technology Center and the Art Incubator Art Factory.

The culmination of a two-day visit to Łódź was the official opening of the 19th Week of Spanish Cinema in the Charlie cinema by J.E. Guillermo Escribano Manzano and by the Deputy Mayor of the City of Łódź Krzysztof Piątkowski. The premiere screening was the debut of Marta Díaz de Lope Díaz under the title "Mi querida cofradía".

Representatives of the City of Łódź presented the tourist offer of our city at the International Tourism Fair TURISMUR 2009 in Torre Pacheco, in the Murcia region. The stand enjoyed huge interest from visitors, including young people planning to travel to Poland in the upcoming season. Visitors included both native Spaniards and tourists from the British Isles and Germany. During their stay in Spain, representatives of Łódź met representatives of the City of Murcia and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Murcia.

Young people from Murcia participated in the I Youth Festival of Twin Cities in Łódź. The project was implemented by the Independent Students' Association of the Lodz Region and the City of Lodz Office. The event was attended by young people from: Barreiro, Murcia, Tel Aviv, Rustavi, Tampere, Lyon and Minsk. The main goal of the festival was to co-create alternative techniques and methods of action in non-formal education, learn about the cultures of sister cities, at the same time young people, eliminate divisions. During the festival, the Łódź group encouraged our friends from twin cities to promote Łódź as the best candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016 and encouraged deeper cooperation between our communities. As part of the festival, there were, among others, a meeting with the Mayor of the City of Łódź and the Culture Fair - including a photo gallery, presentation of national dances, games and competitions for the public. The aim of the fair was to bring the culture of our twin cities closer, and to show our national culture through traditional Polish dishes, national dances, the history of the city of Łódź and good international fun, uniting the youth of the partner cities. Guests also participated in a trip to the most interesting corners of Łódź.