Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Spanish city


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native_name = Sanlúcar de Barrameda
spanish_name = Sanlúcar de Barrameda
nickname =
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image_flag_size = 115px
image_coat_of_arms = Escudo de Sanlucar de Barrameda.pngimage_coat_of_arms_size = 90px
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image_city_map_size = 250px
image_city_map_caption = Location of Sanlúcar de Barrameda
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native_language = Spanish
community = Andalusia
community_link = Andalusia
province = Cádiz
province_link = Cádiz (province)
comarca = Bajo Guadalquivir
comarca_link = Bajo Guadalquivir
divisions =
neighborhoods =
mayor = Irene García Macías
political_party = PSOE
political_party_link = Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
area = 174
altitude = 30
population = 63.509
date-population = 2007
population-ranking =
density = 364,99
date-density = 2007
website = http://www.aytosanlucar.org/
postal_code = 11540
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Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.

History

In 1264, after Sanlúcar de Barrameda was taken from the Moors by King Alfonso X of Castile, it was reconstituted, becoming, during the 15th and 16th centuries, one of the most important ports for trade connecting the Atlantic coast with the Mediterranean. After the discovery of the New World, Sanlúcar became a port for refitting ships, and it was the point of departure for various Spanish conquistadors. Christopher Columbus, on 30 May 1498 left for his third voyage from Sanlúcar (See Voyages of Christopher Columbus). Another historical departure was that of Ferdinand Magellan on 10 August 1519, with a fleet of five ships under his command, that left Seville and traveled down the Guadalquivir to Sanlúcar de Barrameda at the mouth of the river, where they remained more than five weeks. Sanlucar also witnessed the arrival in 1522 of the last surviving ship of Magellan's expedition, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, making it the first ship to circumnavigate the world.

Alonso Fernández de Lugo, conqueror of the Canary Islands, of La Palma (1492) and Tenerife (1495), and subsequently the governor of the islands, was born in Sanlúcar.

Tourism

Sanlúcar de Barrameda is one of Spain's three better-known sherry-producing towns. (The other two are Jerez de la Frontera, for which sherry is named, and El Puerto de Santa María. Many wine-lovers enjoy visiting its cellars.

A seaside town, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, is also home to the oldest horse races in Spain and some of the oldest in Europe. The races take place, just before sunset, along the beach at the mouth of the river Guadalquivir every August within sight of thousands of spectators. Contested at distances of 1500 m and 1800m, these were the first-ever regulated horse races in Spain. Riders wear distinctive colours and caps.

Sanlúcar is a good place for those who love food and drink. One of the better opportunities for visitors to indulge themselves is the Sanlúcar Tapas Fair, a local gastronomy competition. Other events are: the Feria de la Manzanilla in late May, which is held at the beginning of the Noches de Bajo de Guía flamenco season, classical and jazz festivals, and the occasional first-rate concert. The city is also known for the Rocio pilgrimage, one of the more popular manifestations of the Roman Catholic faith; it can be compared to the pilgrimages to Santiago or Lourdes.

This city also has a large number of monuments and sites of historical interest, such as the castle of Santiago, from the 15th century; the palace of the Infantes of Orleans and Borbón, which is now used as the City Hall; the Church of Nuestra Señora de la O; the palace of the dukes of Sidonia, which now houses the municipal archives; and the Convent of Santo Domingo, a 16th-century building.

People

Inhabitants of Sanlucar, named "Sanluqueños", are calm people, who like to celebrate events in the company of friends. This may be an inheritance from the Muslims, but the conjunction of mild weather, a gastronomy based on local products, and a relaxed manner of living, may explain why Sanlúcar is one of the places in Spain with the most festivities .

People in Sanlúcar used to work primarily in agriculture (for the most part, the vineyards) and fishing (especially for the famous Sanlúcar prawn.) In more recent times, residents are trying to adjust to new realities. With some sense of resignation, they have found themselves trying to adapt to tourism, new methods of agriculture (like raising flowers in greenhouses), and, bit by bit, becoming more integrated with the world economy. These two activities (agriculture and fishing) were located in different parts of the town, and, until the modernizing trends of last few decades, there were marked distinctions between the people living in each area. People living near the sea, in the area known as Bajo de Guía, were almost exclusively dedicated to fishing. Nowadays these same people combine fishing with managing restaurants that rely on fresh fish and shellfish for their menus. People living in the higher elevations, away from the sea, in a part of the town known as the "Barrio Alto", used to dedicate themselves to agriculture, but, nowadays, this sector requires less manpower throughout the year, and most farm workers only work seasonally during the grape harvest, in the so-called "sherry triangle".

The centre of Sanlúcar developed as a commercial hub, with a cityscape combining historic buildings (monasteries, churches, etc.) with more modern ones. This part of the city developed at the beginning of the 20th Century as the province of the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. Sanlúcar was then a popular beach resort. The social classes living in this area are generally linked to local winemaking interests and the tourist industry.

Doñana National Park

Because of its position at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, Sanlúcar is a convenient home base for exploring the nearby Doñana National Park (Parque Nacional de Doñana) and its natural wonders. Within the park lies the Marisma de Hinojos (Salt Marsh of Fennel Plants), which some believe to be site of the lost city of Atlantis. Also within the precincts of the park is the likely site of another lost city, Tartessos, the capital of an ancient cizilization that predated the Phoenicians in Iberia.

Demographics

Demography 7col|400px
1999|2000|2001|2002|2003|2004|2005
61,648|61,966|61,737|61,908|62,308|62,662|63,187Source: [http://www.ine.es INE (Spain)]

ee also

*Costa de la Luz
*Atlético Sanluqueño CF
*History of Sherry

External links

* [http://www.aytosanlucar.org City's official home page]
* [http://www.infosanlucar.com Infosanlucar.com] Digital mass media of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Updated daily.
* [http://www.sanlucardebarrameda.net/ Curiosities and anecdotes ]
* [http://www.sanlucar-de-barrameda.com/ Sanlucar de Barrameda information and forum ] in English.
* [http://www.academiavalcia.com/?q=node/21 Information on Sanlúcar de Barrameda ]
* [http://www.turismosanlucar.com Central Bureau for Tourism Sanlúcar ]