Murcia: An Appealing City

The history of this city dates back to the year 800 when it was founded as part of Cordoba. It has a lot of places that you can visit; the Cathedral de Santa Maria is among the most famous ones. This Cathedral was finished in the 15th century, and it is the most impressive monument of the whole city. Some other attractions of Murcia are the beautiful Baroque Cathedral, a fortress from the 11th century, the castle of Monteagudo, the MaleconGarden, the Museum Ramon Gaya and the Market de Veronicas.

The Holly Week processions of Murcia differentiate the city from the rest of Spain. The sculptures of Baroque sculptor Francisco Salzillo (1707-1783) are taken out of the museums of the city and are carried across Murcia. In the week after the Holly Week, the city celebrates Bando de la Huerta and the Burial of the Sardine, two of the most colorful celebrations of Murcia.

Famous sport teams of Murcia include Ciudad de Marcia, a Soccer Club of the Spanish Second Division and Real Murcia, a Soccer Club of the Spanish Second Division that used to play on the Liga de Fútbol Profesional de España (Spanish First Division Soccer League).

Among the famous people from this city, we can mention: the writer and diplomat Diego de Saavedra Fajardo (1584-1648), the Islamic Sufi mytical philosopher Ibn Arabi (1065-1240), the previously mentioned Baroque sculptor Francisco Salzillo (1707-1783), the poet Francisco Sánchez Bautista (1925- ) and the cyclist Alejandro Valverde (1980- ).