iNTRODUCTION
Introduction The
city, made to measure by its inhabitants, is perfect for
walking, meeting up, discovering or rediscovering it everyday.
With its great Baroque personality, and treats for the senses,
Murcia is unique. The painter Ramón Gaya, to whom
the city has dedicated a well-cared for and beautiful museum,
says that "Murcia is Murcia and nothing more, she is
distinguished by being herself and no other city or thing".
THE MUSLIM PERIOD
Peopled since Neolithic times,
although subjected to the floods caused by the rising of
the river Segura, the city of Murcia was founded by Abderraman
II in 825. In the 19th century it was an emerging place
and Capital City, with an important court of artists and
scientists. The archaeological remains found bear witness
to busy commercial traffic, meaning that from Roman and
Visigoth times there were large numbers of people in the
area. It is to the Romans that the development of the Huerta
can be attributed. Beginning in the Argaric Age, dikes,
dams and irrigation channels were built on which the Moors
would map the definitive system. The remains of buildings,
the city's defensive wall and the irrigation system in the
Huerta have all been conserved from Moorish times. Murcia
was the capital of the kingdom and the current structure
of the city and the layout of the streets are the result
of her Moorish heritage. In 1266, Murcia joined the Castillian
crown. In Castille, Jews, Moors and Christians would live
together during the Middle Ages.
ALFONSO X
From
the second half of the 13th century the city, in which there
lived together Christians, Moors and Jews, enjoyed a time
of great splendour. King Alfonso X the Wise, who spent long
periods of time in the city, was the monarch who established
the socio-economic bases of the municipality. In order to
repopulate the land he proceeded to distribute it amongst
the knights who had helped him to conquer the city and take
it from the Moors. He conceded the law of the "Fuero
de Sevilla and Toledo" to the city, creating a Council,
the Good Men, to represent the noblemen and the people.
The city was given a number of privileges by the monarch
to encourage commerce and harmony amongst the different
cultures and religions living together.
THE CATHOLIC KINGS
Throughout the 15th century
the famous Acts of the Huerta were passed, considered to
be the first and possibly the only rural Spanish code. Although
they have been reformed somewhat, they are still used today
and it is the Council of Good Men that administers the Water
Policy based on these Acts. Throughout this century, Murcia
enjoyed a period of prosperity. The irrigation system in
the Huerta was almost complete and the trades, which today
give their name to the streets of the historic quarter,
were flourishing.
MODERN HISTORY
The prosperity of the Renaissance
and the stability which the Catholic Kings gave to their
kingdom became notable in Murcia and this prosperity was
consolidated with the Austrian kings. Under the rule of
Felipe II, the Murcians, led by the Marqués de los
Velez, put down the rebellion of the Moors from Granada
and gained Murcia the title of "very noble and very
loyal". At this time Murcians were dedicated to the
cultivation of citrus fruits and mulberry trees, essential
for breeding silk worms, resulting in extraordinary production.
There were workshops and factories which sustained a prosperous,
world-wide business.
THE REIGN OF THE AUSTRIANS
During the 16th and 17th
centuries, the periods of political stability were favourable
for cultural and economic development. The economy was based
on agriculture with the expansion of the irrigation systems
and cereal harvests, citrus fruits and vineyards. Silk commerce
continued to be extraordinarily important. Murcia exported
silk and agricultural products.
At this time, the Contraste de la Seda and the Almudí
were built, along with other buildings, noble structures
in which silk and cereal commerce were based.
Nowadays, the Almudí is an arts centre financed by
the city Town Hall and is the place in which the historical
archives of Murcia are kept.
BAROQUE MURCIA
It was in the 18th century
that the city became truly splendid, and it is known as
the Murcian Golden Age. During the War of Succession, the
city, with its army led by Bishop Belluga, had fought alongside
the pretender to the throne and future monarch Felipe V,
from the Bourbon House, an action for which Murcia would
reap the benefits.
During this time, great urban and administrative changes
took place encouraged by great Murcians close to the court
and holding responsible positions, for example, Cardenal
Belluga or the Count of Floridablanca. They oversaw the
construction of the Old Bridge (Puente Viejo) the Baroque
facade of the Cathedral and the Episcopal Palace, as well
as a good deal of other palaces, monasteries, convents and
churches adorned by exquisite altarpieces and finished off
by domes covered in blue and green tiles. In its old quarter,
Murcia still keeps the Baroque character from those days.
It was also in the 18th century that the Murcian Count of
Floridablanca, minister of Carlos III, ordered the first
census of the people. At that time there were 63,665 inhabitants,
of whom 29,015 lived in the hamlets of the Huerta, tending
the crops and 11,927 lived in the countryside in dry lands.
It was in the 18th century that the artistic and intellectual
life of the city reached its zenith. It was the time of
sculptors of the calibre of Francisco Salzillo, his father
Nicolás and Roque López, to name but a few.
It was also a great time for painters and goldsmiths who
dedicated their work to the ornamentation of churches, convents
and the houses of the upper middle classes. There was a
rise in the number of trades and brotherhoods who competed
in the celebration of processions and religious acts of
an artistic character. It was a time in which the city celebrated
brilliant acts and festivals, organised by religious orders
with the help of the municipal co-operation. The majority
of the fiestas were artistic and cultural displays which,
luckily, have survived the passage of time. Others are being
rediscovered by the different neighbourhoods and citizens'
associations. They are examples of the peculiar idiosyncrasy
of the Murcians and give the city a great uniqueness. The
Murcian Easter or the numerous and different representations
of the nativity scene have their roots in the Baroque era
which, for the Murcians, as in other European cities, was
the Golden Age.
CONTEMPORARY MURCIA
Contemporary Murcia During
the 19th century, Murcia suffered directly the instability
caused by the War of Independence and the radically changing
politics during the wars between the "Carlistas"
and "Isabelinos" or by the establishment of the
First Republic until the reestablishment of the House of
Bourbon. However, in this century, the free university was
created as a forerunner of the official university, which
would be created in 1915. Gas lighting was installed in
the city and in 1893 the first electric light exchange was
established. Improvements continued to be made to the city.
The central building of Murcia Town Hall dates from this
century, and the Casino of Murcia began to be built, a beautiful
building in which different architectural and ornamental
styles, ranging from Greek classicism to the English style,
Arabic to Baroque are represented. Queen Isabel II came
to Murcia in 1862 to open the theatre of Los Infantes, today
known as Romea theatre, Floridablanca Park and the first
railway line linking Murcia with Albacete.
MURCIA, TOWN PLANNING AND CULTURE
With the creation of the
law faculty in 1915, an age of renovation and vitality began.
The Murcian Juan de la Cierva invented the precursor of
the helicopter. The University was an important influence
in literature, art and science as well as research. In the
last decades of the 20th century, the city, with its solid
political and socio-economic base, saw a spectacular growth
and renovation of its streets. The new suburbs were given
green areas, the older buildings, squares and streets from
the historical quarter were renovated and improved and the
infrastructure of the growing city was added to. The Auditorium
and Congress Palace and the regional library were built,
as was the building which enlarges the old Town Hall, a
project of Rafael Moneo. At the same time, new bridges of
Modernist design were built over the river Segura, giving
the area improved communication between neighbourhoods and
towns and the coast.
The great town-planning project in this period was complemented
by an extremely important cultural activity. A wide network
of museums was created and, throughout the year all kinds
of cultural events, concerts, theatrical works, art exhibitions
and other entertainment and festivals take place, making
Murcia a city in which something is always happening and
where everyday brings us the possibility of attending some
kind of cultural or leisure activity.
OUR TIME
Murcia is a prosperous,
modern and dynamic city for Murcians and visitors alike,
maintaining its warmth and Baroquism. The Murcians are taking
great care of the town and the environment. The new city
buildings contrasting with those from other times give the
city a modernity which is harmonious with tradition. It
is important to point out that one of the symbols of the
city of Murcia chosen by its people is the Matron of Almudí
(1575), a stone relief on the facade of this beautiful building
of a woman feeding another child while her own child looks
on. This image symbolises the hospitality of the city of
Murcia with those from outside, with all of those who come
to visit.
