Cartagena

A city on the Murcian coast with its origins sunk deep in the roots of history; its heyday was over 2.500 years ago. It is a city that, on just about every corner ando on every building, offers a glimpse of daily life and times of ancient Rome in Spain.

The whole city is a testimonial to a monumental past that spanned many years in the earliest part of human social evolution. The hieght of this period is represented by Roman Theatre, constructed in the times of the Roman Emperor Augustus and recently restored and today is a magnificent testament to the ingenuity and cultural level of these ancient inhabitants.

Cartagena is a city that offers a huge variety of possibilities to get to know the richness of its cultural side. These include the pre-roman city walls. Constructed during the Punic period of the city’s history, the walls are evidence of the foundation of the city by the Carthaginian general Asdrúbal in the year 227 BC.

Nowadays there is a centre of interpretation that has been constructed to assist visitors understand about Cartagena’s ancient origins.

Cartagena’s history is also celebrated at length during the popular festivals of the city.

The most famous of these are Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and the festival Carthaginians and Romans in September, this latter a celebration of the battles that rocked this area and resulted in a resounding and ultimately devastating victory for the Romans during the course of the wars known as the Punic Wars.

These wars marked a turning point in the history of the Iberian Peninsula as a whole and, with reason, the inhabitants of Cartagena are proud to be the nexus of this important part of Iberian history.

The festival Seaton is completed by the famous festival of music known and the Mar de Músicas, a festival that is celebrated in June and which, even though it hasn’t been celebrated for a long time, has already achieved considerable National and International recognition.

Cartagena also offers visitors other attractions, the main ones of which incluye the Roman Theatre, the National Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology, the Musuem of Modern Art and the Municipal Archaeological Museum, all of which are of the highest quality.

Apart from these attractions, the city of Cartagena has one of the most beautiful coastlines on the Eastern border of Spain.

Near to the city are located the famous beaches of La Manga del Mar Menor and the Cabo de Palos and a wide variety of top-notch rural hotels are found in the countryside around the city. All of these places also offer many sporting activities for all tastes.

More information: http://www.murciaturistica.es/