| Pocomed Properties S.L. - Telephone: 0034 968 482 587 - Email: info@pocomed.com Cartagena - Murcia - Spain
The entrance to the town centre is dominated by the Palacio Consistorial or City Hall, a gem of modernist architecture from the early 20th century. On the way to the Torres Park (behind the Sea Wall) is the Old Cathedral. It is the oldest church in Cartagena (13th century), whose remains stand on the steps of a Roman Theatre discovered in 1987. This structure dates from the 1st century BC and is one of the most important in Spain along with the theatre in Mérida. Many of the pieces found on this site can be seen in the Municipal Archaeological Museum, such as altar stones, reliefs and sculptures.
In Torres Park is the Castle of la Concepción. Standing on a hill, it has been a fortress of Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and Castilians.
To see Cartagena's modernist architecture, take a walk around calle Mayor, which starts at City Hall Square, and the surrounding streets. Gathered here are the Casa Cervantes and Casa Llagostera, works by the Cartagena architect Victor Beltrí, whose characteristic features are miradors, ironwork and bronze reliefs of allegorical figures. Other buildings representing this artistic trend are the Casino, the Gran Hotel, the Train Station and the Casa Maestre and Casa Dorda. Elegant, middle-class monuments which testify to the economic development of the area at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, based on mining and industry. More aristocratic are the palaces of Aguirre and Pedreño, the first being modernist in style and the other, Neoclassic.
Naval Museum Next to the walled historic quarter is the Military Arsenal, completed during the reign of Carlos III. Its walls house the only entrance gate to the city still standing. Also linked to the history of Cartagena, you can visit the Naval Museum, on the edge of the modern city. Exhibited here are navigating instruments from ancient vessels, maps and charts, alongside models of all kinds of ships. It is also worth visiting the fishing district of Santa Lucía.
The port of Cartagena, in the Mediterranean's Costa Cálida, has been prized since Carthaginian times. Thanks to its strategic position on the Murcia coast, it has been inhabited by several cultures which have left their mark on its artistic heritage. A tour of the place and its museums will draw us into the history of a city closely tied to the sea.
The Cartagena, Port of Cultures initiative allows visitors to enjoy a wide range of options, discovering the cultural wealth and rich history of this town. This is an authentic journey across the centuries that will take you from the town's origins through to the present day. On the way you will discover its historic vestiges, its most emblematic places and the splendid collections housed in its archaeological museums.
Carthaginians and Romans took an interest in this maritime enclave, from whose Latin title, Cartago Nova, comes its current name. Cartagena was also under Arab domination until Fernando III the Saint reconquered it and incorporated it into the kingdom of Castile. Its port was hugely important in the War of Spanish Succession and the in the War of Independence. Sea Wall
The rich legacy of Cartagena stretches along the shores of its marina. The Sea Wall, built by Carlos III (18th century), marks the boundaries of its historic quarter. Facing the Mediterranean are two features which are clearly linked to the sea: the prototype submarine designed by the inventor from Cartagena Isaac Peral and the National Museum of Maritime Archaeology. This museum, on the Navidad dyke, also houses the National Centre of Underwater Archaeological Investigation. Through its discoveries, we can learn about aspects of naval construction, trade and navigation developed in the ancient world. <<San Pedro del Pinatar....Mazarron>>
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