Dolores, Alicante
Encyclopedia
Dolores is town located in the comarca
of Vega Baja del Segura in southern Alicante province
, Spain
. The town is in the heart of the Segura huerta (vegetable garden) about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the nearest beaches in La Marina
and Guardamar. Dolores is readily accessible from the Autovia del Mediterráneo
motorway and a new motorway from Elche, and is about 20 minutes away from the Alicante international airport
. The town has a population of 7427, an area of 18.25 km² (7 sq mi), and the average monthly temperature varies between 16°C (61°F) in December-January and 28°C (82°F) in July-August.
The most important monument is the XVIIIth century church, with sculptures by Salcillo and Roque Lopez. The two most important fiestas in Dolores are the Feria de Agosto
(August Fair) in early August; and the Fiesta de la Virgen, in mid-September. The Feria de Agosto is one of the more important fairs of Spain, and it features a Spanish Horse Contest. More than 1,500 horses are shown each year in all sorts of games and activities. Cattle and dog contests are also held at the fair. The Fiesta de la Virgen includes a carriage parade, the running of the "vaca toposa" (a variety of a small, aggressive cow), and the procession to honor the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), the patron saint of the village.
The town also boasts one of the largest paintball and outdoor quaser fields in the Valencia region: Paintball Fight Club http://www.paintballfightclub.es/, a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) field with 6 fully developed paintball scenarios, dressing room and showers, and barbecue area. The field offers special discounts for large groups and students, and barbecues at very affordable prices.
The typical cuisine of Dolores takes advantage of the fresh vegetables available in the area (artichokes, beans), and also includes plenty of meat and seafood. The most typical dish is "cocido con pelotas", which includes meatballs and potato and chickpea stew. There are also many fresh fruits such as melons, watermelons, oranges, and apricots. An open-air market is held every Friday morning where the local produce is sold.
Housing in Dolores is relatively affordable, and substantially cheaper than in the nearby beach areas. On November 25, 2005 the Municipal government of Dolores approved the development of a 1.6 km² area -Dolores Golf- to accommodate 2,664 new housing units, which also includes a 580,000 m² (145 acre
) golf course. The new development was modified afterwards, and is now fully consistent with the regional government (Generalitat Valenciana
) requirements. The improved Dolores Golf plan was approved on March 26, 2007, with the agreement of the two main political forces in Dolores -People's Party (P.P.) and the Socialist Party (P.S.O.E)- which, together, accounted for some 92 percent of the votes in the May 2007 local elections. http://www.elpais.com/comunes/2007/elecciones/municipales/Dolores/03/064/. The revised plan was finally approved by the Conselleria de Urbanismo (regional government) on March 27, 2008.http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/20080201/orihuela/dolores-conselleria-urbanismo-libre-20080201.html http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/20080202/orihuela/dolores-consistorio-preve-maquinas-20080202.html. The development is expected to be completed over the next few years.
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Vega Baja del Segura in southern Alicante province
Alicante (province)
Alicante or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
, Spain
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...
. The town is in the heart of the Segura huerta (vegetable garden) about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the nearest beaches in La Marina
La Marina
La Marina is a coastal village administered by the city of Elche, in the Alicante region on Spain's Costa Blanca. Nearby inland is a large urbanisation built from the mid 1980s onwards confusingly also called La Marina: more correctly called Urbanisation La Marina...
and Guardamar. Dolores is readily accessible from the Autovia del Mediterráneo
Autopista AP-7
The Autopista AP-7 is a Spanish autopista . It is a toll motorway that runs along the Mediterranean coast of Spain.AP-7 has two different sections :...
motorway and a new motorway from Elche, and is about 20 minutes away from the Alicante international airport
Alicante Airport
Alicante Airport , , originally named El Altet, is the sixth busiest airport in Spain, and the main airport for the Province of Alicante and the Region of Murcia. The airport is situated southwest of Alicante and east of Elche in the municipality of Elche on Mediterranean coast. Up to eighty...
. The town has a population of 7427, an area of 18.25 km² (7 sq mi), and the average monthly temperature varies between 16°C (61°F) in December-January and 28°C (82°F) in July-August.
The most important monument is the XVIIIth century church, with sculptures by Salcillo and Roque Lopez. The two most important fiestas in Dolores are the Feria de Agosto
Feria de Agosto
The Feria de Agosto or Feria de Málaga takes place every August in the city of Málaga, Spain.- History :...
(August Fair) in early August; and the Fiesta de la Virgen, in mid-September. The Feria de Agosto is one of the more important fairs of Spain, and it features a Spanish Horse Contest. More than 1,500 horses are shown each year in all sorts of games and activities. Cattle and dog contests are also held at the fair. The Fiesta de la Virgen includes a carriage parade, the running of the "vaca toposa" (a variety of a small, aggressive cow), and the procession to honor the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), the patron saint of the village.
The town also boasts one of the largest paintball and outdoor quaser fields in the Valencia region: Paintball Fight Club http://www.paintballfightclub.es/, a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) field with 6 fully developed paintball scenarios, dressing room and showers, and barbecue area. The field offers special discounts for large groups and students, and barbecues at very affordable prices.
The typical cuisine of Dolores takes advantage of the fresh vegetables available in the area (artichokes, beans), and also includes plenty of meat and seafood. The most typical dish is "cocido con pelotas", which includes meatballs and potato and chickpea stew. There are also many fresh fruits such as melons, watermelons, oranges, and apricots. An open-air market is held every Friday morning where the local produce is sold.
Housing in Dolores is relatively affordable, and substantially cheaper than in the nearby beach areas. On November 25, 2005 the Municipal government of Dolores approved the development of a 1.6 km² area -Dolores Golf- to accommodate 2,664 new housing units, which also includes a 580,000 m² (145 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) golf course. The new development was modified afterwards, and is now fully consistent with the regional government (Generalitat Valenciana
Generalitat Valenciana
The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organised....
) requirements. The improved Dolores Golf plan was approved on March 26, 2007, with the agreement of the two main political forces in Dolores -People's Party (P.P.) and the Socialist Party (P.S.O.E)- which, together, accounted for some 92 percent of the votes in the May 2007 local elections. http://www.elpais.com/comunes/2007/elecciones/municipales/Dolores/03/064/. The revised plan was finally approved by the Conselleria de Urbanismo (regional government) on March 27, 2008.http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/20080201/orihuela/dolores-conselleria-urbanismo-libre-20080201.html http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/20080202/orihuela/dolores-consistorio-preve-maquinas-20080202.html. The development is expected to be completed over the next few years.
External links
- Ayuntamiento de Dolores, Official website of the municipal government of Dolores
- Paintball Fight Club, Website of the six-scenario Paintball Fight Club in Dolores