Castellon de la Plana, Valencia, Spain

The Moorish castle of Fadrell, near the Alquerías de La Plana is the earliest known building in the area. The town itself was founded in 1251, after the reconquest of the Moorish Kingdom by King James I of Aragon in 1233. It was in 1251 that the inhabitants were allowed to move the town from the mountain to the plain. The moats, walls and towers, and the cathedral were constructed in the Middle Ages. The town supported Archduke Charles of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), but was captured by the troops of Philip d'Anjou.

In the 19th century, in common with many Spanish towns, the city walls were demolished, and the town expaned beyond its original site. In 1833 Castellón became the capital of a new province. And began to expand further with the arrival of the railway, the enlargement of the port and the construction of representative buildings (Provincial Hospital, Casino, Theater) and parks.

In 1991 a university (Universitat Jaume I) was established, set upon a modern campus.

More than 10 km of beaches separate the city from Benicàssim from Serradal Beach to Gurugú Beach near the port.

Sights in the town.

Most of the historical buildings are located in the old town, around the Plaza Mayor (Main Square).

The Gothic Concatedral de Santa Maria, built in the 13th century and reconstructed one century later after it had been destroyed by fire.

The Town Hall, erected at at the beginning of the 18th century. It features a pretty Tuscan-style façade.

The Llotja del Cànem (Hemp Exchange Market), built during the first half of the 17th century for trade in hempen cloth and ropes, a very important activity in the area at the time. Today the building is used by the University.

Fadrí - Octogonal bell tower of the cathedral, 58 m high with eight bells and three more to strike the hours. Constructed between 1,591 and 1.604.

De la Paz Plaza - In the square is the Main Theatre, a good example of modernist architecture.

Ribalta Park - The Park was designed and created in 1869 on the site of the old municipal Cemetery of the Calvario.

Basilica of Santa María de Lledó, found on the northwest edge of the town, at the end of a broad avenue flanked with orange trees. The basilica is devoted to an image of the Virgin Mary found in 1366 by a farmer when he was ploughing his lands. The original 14th-century chapel was extended to its present Baroque form during the 16th century. The church is surrounded by a landscaped garden.

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