Alcoy
Information for the town of Alcoy, Costa Blanca, Spain.
Costa Blanca Towns - Alcoy
Alcoy (Alcoi) - The capital of the L’Alcoia region of the Alicante province on the Northern Costa Blanca, Spain, Alcoy is the biggest industrial town in the area, with a population of approximately 60,000 it is located about 48 km north of Alicante.
Alcoy sits on a promontory between two rivers - the Barchell and the Molonar, and numerous bridges span the rivers and ravines of Alcoy, earning it its name “the city of bridges”.
Centred around the magnificent Plaza de España and the impressive Plaza de Pins, Alcoy boasts some fine architecture, primarily dating from the 19th Century. It has a number of “Modernista” buildings one of the best being the Circulo Industrial (C/ San Nicholas), dating from 1868 and noted for it’s superb ironworks and fine ceramics. Designed as a cultural centre it still pays host to numerous concerts and art exhibitions.
Alcoy is well known in the area for it’s confectionery and sweets, originally introduced by the Moors during the Arab conquest (8th - 13th Centuries) they are an important product of the town, one of the most popular being the sugar coated pine nuts known as "pecadillas".
Alcoy has prospered economically mostly through its production of cotton (still processed today), and it’s growth, mostly during the 19th Century, was funded largely by the wealth created by the cotton industry and associated products.
Alcoy is perhaps most famous for one of its fantastic fiestas. Held over 4 days in April each year, the spectacular Moros Y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) festival takes over the town and it is turned into a medieval pageant to celebrate the victory of the Christians over the Moorish invaders. An enormous amount of time is spent preparing costumes for the fiesta and there is even a festival museum where examples of costumes from former fiestas can be viewed and admired.
Alcoy is surrounded by picturesque mountains and there is some magnificent scenery to be enjoyed by visitors to the town.
There is little doubt that there were pre-historic settlements in the mountains around Alcoy in the Neolithic Period. There is also a record of an inscription being found in a nearby cave showing the date 15th May 184 BC though there is some doubt as to its authenticity.
During the years of the Arab conquest (8th to 13th Centuries) there was a tiny settlement of farmhouses, not thought to have constituted an actual town, in the Alcoy area. The known history of the town begins with the re-conquest in 1245 when the Christian king Jaime I (King of Aragon)” the Conquistador” defeated the Arabs and took control of the whole region. However due to the remoteness of some of the farms it took some considerable time to clear out the Arabs completely and there were a number of revolts by the Arab leader Al - Azraq during the years 1247 - 1258. Eventually the Moors withdrew to the Júcar river area, on the border with the Murcia region. From this time on Alcoy seems to have become a town in the proper sense of the word.
The older part of Alcoy is centred around a 13th Century Moorish palace which was considerably extended in the Fifteenth Century by Ximén Perez de Corrella.
The production of cloth and drapery in Alcoy goes back to the 13th Century and there was also a thriving metallurgy industry in the town. In 1521 the bronze foundries in Alcoi received an order from the king for the manufacture of cannons for the use of his army, in 1868 there were three machinery factories and two foundries.
Also worth a visit whilst in Alcoy are the churches of Saint George, Saint Thomas and Saint Mary, also don't forget the Municipal Archaeological Museum.
The weather in Alcoy is mostly warm and sunny all year round and the town enjoys a fabulous temperate Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. While Alcoy is generally cooler than its coastal neighbours, being in a mountainous area it still has a pleasant climate.
Alcoy is situated on the N340, if you are travelling from the Alicante area you need to come off at junction 67 of the AP-7 and head north, passing through Xixona (Jijona) and the Sierra de la Carrasqueta before reaching Alcoy.
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Nearby Places: Cocentaina - Ontinyent - Ibi - Alcalali - Benidorm - Denia - Moraira - Calpe - Altea - Albir - Javea - Guadalest - Villajoyosa - Busot - El Campello
Attractions: Gallinera Valley - Penon de Ifach - Algar Waterfalls - Caves of Canelobre - Fuentes de Algar
Golf Courses: Oliva Nova Golf - Ifach Golf Club - Real Faula Golf - Spain Golf
Costa Blanca Guides: Benidorm - Albir - Calpe - Denia - Moraira
Related: Alicante - Murcia - Valencia - Alicante Weather - Alicante Transfers - Spain - Builders
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