The city of Murcia was founded in 831 by Abd-Al-Rahmann II, in the center of the Segura river valley in south-eastern Spain. Murcia remained under Arab rule until 1296 when the city and the surrounding area were transferred to the Kingdom of Aragona. The remnants of this Moorish rule can be seen in the still visible city wall, which contrasts strongly with the city's numerous churches. Murcia flourished in the 18th century, mainly due to the boom of the silk industry. Many of its churches and monuments are from this period.
Today Murcia has a population of around 450,000, and the population of the metropolitan area is about 750,000 ranking it as the twelfth largest metropolitan area of Spain. Murcia City itself is not very cosmopolitan. It is more of a peaceful place to live with lots of pedestrian streets, very kind people and some excellent restaurants.
The fabulous cathedral in Murcia is definitely worth a visit. You can spot it from miles away because of its 96 meter high tower which houses no less than 25 bells. Construction work on the cathedral started in the mid-14th century, on the site of a Moorish mosque, and lasted for another four centuries.
The city's 18th century convent church of Santa Ana is another tourist attraction, partly because the sisters of the convent's closed order bake cakes and sell them to the public through a revolving hatch, to avoid breaking their vow of no contact with the outside world. Other places of interest include the magnificent 19th century Casino and the Salzillo Museum which houses an impressive collection of life-sized sculptures. The figures are carved by the 18th century Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo and beautifully painted in bright colours. The figures are carried through the streets during the city's famous Easter processions.
Pedestrian areas cover most of the old town centered around Platería and Trapería Streets. Trapería goes from the Cathedral to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, the former market square. Other notable places are the Malecón bouleward, La Fuensanta sanctuary and El Valle regional park, Los Jerónimos monastery, the Romea Theatre, Almudí Palace, Monteagudo Castle, the Salzillo Museum and the San Juan de Dios church-museum.
Until recently Murcia has been one of the least developed regions of coastal Spain. It was only the area around Mar Menor, Europe's largest salt water lagoon, that attracted developers interest. This is about to change, not only because other coastal areas are running out of development potential, but also because there has been a relatively extensive investment into the infrastructure in the area, financed by EU funds. However, so far the coastline remains relatively unscathed by tourism and the major towns and small inland villages are still today Spanish in character.
