Alcúdia
Encyclopedia
Alcúdia
is a municipality
and township of the Spanish
autonomous community
of the Balearic Islands
.
It is the main tourist centre
in the North of Majorca. It is a large resort popular with families.Most of the hotels are located in Port d'Alcúdia and Platja d'Alcúdia along the 14 km long beach that stretches all the way to Can Picafort. In Alcúdia the old town is well preserved with houses dating back to the 13th century. The old town is surrounded by a medieval wall.
After Rome had lost its position as a dominant power in the western Mediterranean area Pollentia was attacked by pirates and several times by the Vandals
. Finally the city was abandoned and the remaining population left to create a new town at a more protected and safe location. This town became Pollenca
and the area where Pollentia had been was left in ruins.
After the invasion of the Moors a farmstead was created very close to where the ancient village of Pollentia had been. The farm was called Alcúdia which is Arabic for "on the hill". In 1229 the Moors were defeated by king Jaume I of Aragonia who overtook the power of the area. In 1298 King Jaume II bought the farmstead Alcúdia and founded the new town. A church, a grave yard, a house for the priest and a square was created in the same year. The construction of the walls was also initiated at the same time and finished in 1362. The city plan that was made at the time is the same that Alcúdia still has. During the renaissance the walls were reconstructed and a second wall was constructed outside the old one. This wall is today torn down and only details show where it ones was.
During the 16th century pirates attacked the city several times. The population became less and less and there was from time to time a risk that the city would be abandoned totally. 1779 a decision was taken to support the city by constructing a harbour. This did really improve the economy of Alcúdia a bit and the village was saved. But it remained a rather small and poor village.
town just outside the medieval town walls, in front of the Church of St. Jaume
, belonging to the ancient city of Pollentia
(see also the Italian Pollentia
) . There is also a small Roman theatre
. North of the Town is a bull ring
from the 19th century.
The old town also host a marked both on Sundays and Tuesdays all the year. Inside the walls there are several popular restaurants and bistros famous for good home-cooked food in small settings. In Port d'Alcúdia most of the restaurants are located around the marina. Most of these restaurants are only open in the tourist season.
Further north and west are some coves and beaches ideal for sunbathing, swimming or snorkeling
.
The beach at Alcúdia is c. 14 km long and stretches as far as C'an Picafort. Alcúdia joins on to Playa de Muro which is home to S'Albufera; a natural park
that is very popular with bird-spotters.
Alcúdia is celebrating the festival of St. Jaume every summer. It goes on for nine days at the beginning of July. Before the festival starts the town is decorated and each street picks out a theme for that years look. During the festival several traditional evening festivities are arranged in the old town such as the Night of the Romans where the streets are full of locals dressed in traditional ancient Roman dresses. There are also out-door theatres, sport tournaments, exhibitions and the traditional bull-fight. The fiesta is finishing with La Noche de Sant Jaume, a fireworks display and philharmonic concert by the old walls.
Every three years takes place the Triennial of Sant Crist, a religious procession where the population slowly walks barefooted through the town in silence, for several hours. The origin of this procession dates back to 1507. According to tradition, the image of Sant Crist sweated blood and water, thus putting an end to a drought. The next Triennial is in 2013.
Alcúdia is home to UD Alcúdia
who play at Els Arcs, which has a capacity of 1,750.
Alcúdia is home to one of Europe's largest hotel complex's, Bellevue. With 8 swimming pools and 17 apartment blocks the complex is set in 150000sq m of gardens.
is a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and township of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
.
It is the main tourist centre
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in the North of Majorca. It is a large resort popular with families.Most of the hotels are located in Port d'Alcúdia and Platja d'Alcúdia along the 14 km long beach that stretches all the way to Can Picafort. In Alcúdia the old town is well preserved with houses dating back to the 13th century. The old town is surrounded by a medieval wall.
History
The area where Alcúdia is located has been inhabited since the bronze age, but it is with the arrival of the Romans the city makes its entry in the history books. The Romans used the beaches of Alcúdia bay when they captured the island in 123 B.C. Shortly after this the capital Palma was founded and then the city of Pollentia. From Pollentia it was possible to view both the bay of Pollenca and the bay of Alcúdia. Pollentia served as a guard for other invaders. The city was also mentioned in Rome since they here produced excellent fabrics that was used in the most exclusive togas.After Rome had lost its position as a dominant power in the western Mediterranean area Pollentia was attacked by pirates and several times by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
. Finally the city was abandoned and the remaining population left to create a new town at a more protected and safe location. This town became Pollenca
Pollença
Pollença is a town and municipality situated in the far north corner of the island of Majorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies about 6 km west of its port, Port de Pollença.-History:...
and the area where Pollentia had been was left in ruins.
After the invasion of the Moors a farmstead was created very close to where the ancient village of Pollentia had been. The farm was called Alcúdia which is Arabic for "on the hill". In 1229 the Moors were defeated by king Jaume I of Aragonia who overtook the power of the area. In 1298 King Jaume II bought the farmstead Alcúdia and founded the new town. A church, a grave yard, a house for the priest and a square was created in the same year. The construction of the walls was also initiated at the same time and finished in 1362. The city plan that was made at the time is the same that Alcúdia still has. During the renaissance the walls were reconstructed and a second wall was constructed outside the old one. This wall is today torn down and only details show where it ones was.
During the 16th century pirates attacked the city several times. The population became less and less and there was from time to time a risk that the city would be abandoned totally. 1779 a decision was taken to support the city by constructing a harbour. This did really improve the economy of Alcúdia a bit and the village was saved. But it remained a rather small and poor village.
Alcúdia today
Already in the 1920:s the first tourists arrived to Mallorca and also to Alcúdia. This was though in a very limited scale and the economy of the village stayed weak. In the beginning of the 70:s it started to be clear that the future of Alcúdia would be in tourism. 15 years later the old harbour of Puerto de Alcúdia had developed into a mayor resort for European tourism. In the 90:s the construction boom calmed down and several regulatons was put in place to secure the quality of the resort. The focus is on visitors searching for both relaxation and activity. A golf course has been constructed and both bicycle and hiking trips has been arranged. The old town has been preserved and pedestrianised. It has due to this become one of the most visited villages in Majorca.Main sights
The old town has a 14th century wall and it is possible to step up on the wall and follow it almost all around the village. There are remains of a RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
town just outside the medieval town walls, in front of the Church of St. Jaume
Church of St. Jaume
The Church of St. Jaume is a Roman Catholic church in Majorca...
, belonging to the ancient city of Pollentia
Pollentia
thumb|250px|Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo.Pollentia was an ancient city the left bank of the Tanaro, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy....
(see also the Italian Pollentia
Pollentia
thumb|250px|Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo.Pollentia was an ancient city the left bank of the Tanaro, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy....
) . There is also a small Roman theatre
Roman theatre (structure)
The characteristics of Roman to those of the earlier Greek theatres due in large part to its influence on the Roman triumvir Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Much of the architectural influence on the Romans came from the Greeks, and theatre structural design was no different from other buildings...
. North of the Town is a bull ring
Bull ring
Bull ring may refer to:*The arena in which bullfighting takes place, see bullring,*The Bull Ring, a henge in England;*Bull Ring, Birmingham - a city-centre area of Birmingham, England;...
from the 19th century.
The old town also host a marked both on Sundays and Tuesdays all the year. Inside the walls there are several popular restaurants and bistros famous for good home-cooked food in small settings. In Port d'Alcúdia most of the restaurants are located around the marina. Most of these restaurants are only open in the tourist season.
Further north and west are some coves and beaches ideal for sunbathing, swimming or snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
.
The beach at Alcúdia is c. 14 km long and stretches as far as C'an Picafort. Alcúdia joins on to Playa de Muro which is home to S'Albufera; a natural park
Natural park (Spain)
In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
that is very popular with bird-spotters.
Alcúdia is celebrating the festival of St. Jaume every summer. It goes on for nine days at the beginning of July. Before the festival starts the town is decorated and each street picks out a theme for that years look. During the festival several traditional evening festivities are arranged in the old town such as the Night of the Romans where the streets are full of locals dressed in traditional ancient Roman dresses. There are also out-door theatres, sport tournaments, exhibitions and the traditional bull-fight. The fiesta is finishing with La Noche de Sant Jaume, a fireworks display and philharmonic concert by the old walls.
Every three years takes place the Triennial of Sant Crist, a religious procession where the population slowly walks barefooted through the town in silence, for several hours. The origin of this procession dates back to 1507. According to tradition, the image of Sant Crist sweated blood and water, thus putting an end to a drought. The next Triennial is in 2013.
Alcúdia is home to UD Alcúdia
UD Alcudia
Unió Deportiva Alcúdia is a football team based in Alcúdia in the autonomous community of Balearic Islands. Founded in 1975, it plays in the Tercera División - Group 11...
who play at Els Arcs, which has a capacity of 1,750.
Alcúdia is home to one of Europe's largest hotel complex's, Bellevue. With 8 swimming pools and 17 apartment blocks the complex is set in 150000sq m of gardens.