Huelva Totally Explained

Everything about Huelva totally explained

Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Rio Tinto rivers. According to the 2005 census, the city has a population of 145,150 inhabitants.

Location and History

A maritime town between the rivers Anas (modern Guadiana) and Baetis (modern Guadalquivir), it was seated on the estuary of the river Luxia (modern Odiel), and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida). (Itin. Ant. p. 431.)
The city may be the site of Tartessus; by the Phoenicians it was called Onoba. The Greeks kept the name and rendered it Ὄνοβα. It was in the hands of the Turdetani at the time of conquest by Rome, and before the conquest it issued silver coins with Iberian legends. It was called both Onoba Aestuaria (Greek: Ὄνοβα Αἰστουάρια, Ptol., ii. 4. § 5) or Onuba (used on coinage) during Roman times, or, simply, Onoba (Strabo, iii. p. 143, Mela, iii. 1. § 5). The city was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. The Arabs then called it Walbah. It suffered substantial damage in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
There are still some Roman remains, especially of an aqueduct. The city had a mint; and many coins have been found there bearing the name of the town as Onuba. (Florez. Med. ii. pp. 510, 649; Mionnet, i. p. 23, Suppl. p. 39; Sestini, Med. Isp. p. 75, ap. Ukert, vol. ii. pt. 1. p. 340.)

Modern Huelva

Tropical Depression Vince made landfall just off the coast of Huelva in October 2005, making it the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Spain, but no injuries or damage were reported.
The local football (soccer) team, Recreativo de Huelva, is the oldest in Spain; it was founded in 1889.

Demographics

Huelva has a population of 146,173 (INE 2007). The city experienced a population boom in the 19th century, due to the exploitation of mineral resources in the area and another due to the construction of the Polo de Desarrollo in the 1960s. The city had only 5,377 inhabitants in 1787 which had only risen to 8,519 by 1857. From 1887, the city experienced rapid growth reaching 21,539 residents in 1900 and 56,427 forty years later. By 1970 this figure had risen to 96,689. Further rapid expansion occurred and the number of inhabitants had reached 144,479 by 1991.
In the last ten years, immigration both from abroad and from the surrounding area have caused continued growth in the city’s population. In 2007, the city breached the 145,000 barrier whilst the metropolitan area was touching 221,000, encompassing the surrounding areas of Aljaraque, Moguer, San Juan del Puerto, Punta Umbría, Gibraleón and Palos de la Frontera. The 2006 census noted a foreign population of almost 5,000 people in the urban centre, the majority of whom were of Moroccan origin.

Christopher Columbus

Among the attractions to visit in this province are the Columbus sites . These sites include the city of Huelva itself, Moguer, Palos de la Frontera, and the Rábida Monastery. La Rábida is where Columbus sought the aid of the Franciscan brothers in advancing his project of discovery. They introduced him to local rich sailors (the Pinzón brothers), and, eventually, arranged a meeting in Seville with Ferdinand and Isabella.
Thanks to those meetings, Christopher was able to arrange his first voyage, using resources and local crew (including ship captains). There is a persistent legend that Columbus received advice on how best to undertake a western passage by speaking with Alonso Sánchez, a sailor from the city of Huelva.
In the Huelva area, Columbus exchanged ideas, explored competing theories, and, after a time, put together the political and economic support that had been previously denied to him by other European monarchies.

Artists

The most outstanding artists in Huelva have been: the poet and prize Nobel of Literature Juan Ramón Jiménez, the sculptor Antonio León Ortega, the writer Nicolas Tenorio Cerero and the painter Daniel Vázquez Díaz.
Other plastic outstanding artists of Huelva are painting José Caballero, Pedro Gómez y Gómez, Antonio Brunt, Mateo Orduña Castellano, Pablo Martínez Coto, Manuel Moreno Díaz, Juan Manuel Seisdedos Romero, Francisco Doménech, Esperanza Abot, José María Labrador, Sebastián García Vázquez, Pilar Barroso, Juan Carlos Castro Crespo, Lola Martín, Antonio Gómez Feu, Rafael Aguilera and Florencio Aguilera Correa.

Places to visit

Avenida Andalucía
Barrio Reina Victoria (Barrio Obrero - Workers' District)
Bulevar de la Avenida Andalucía
Cabezo del Conquero
Casa Colón, House Christopher Columbus
Casa del Millón
Cathedral of La Merced
Cementerio de la Soledad, holds the body of William Martin, a supposed naval commander, known as 'The Man Who Never Was'
Ciudad Deportiva (Sports)
Clínica Sanz de Frutos, the former Conservatorio de Música
Cocheras de Locomotoras, Cocheras del Puerto photos
Columbus Trail (External Link) Across the Río Tinto estuary from Huelva, the monastery of La Rábida and the villages of Palos and Moguer are all places connected with the voyages of Columbus to the New World.
Conservatorio de Música
Convent of San Francisco
Convento de las Agustinas
Corpus Christi Hospital, converted into a theatre
Ermita de la Soledad
Estación de Sevilla (Trainstation)
Nuevo Colombino stadium
Gran Teatro, on Calle Vásquez López
Humilladero de la Cinta
Iglesia de la Concepción
Iglesia de la Milagrosa
Iglesia de San Pedro
Jardines de la Avenida Andalucía
Jardines de la Casa Colón
Jardines de Muelle, well-kept gardens located near the port, bordered on all sides by busy roads, with a statue of Alonso Sánchez
Monasterio de Santa María de la Rábida, located seven kilometres south of Huelva city where the Tinto and Odiel rivers meet.
Monastery of Santa Clara
Monumento a Cristobal Colón, a huge monument of Christopher Columbus situated at the Punta de Sebo, overlooking the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers
Monumento a la Fe Descubridora (Monument to the Faith Discoverer)
Muelle de Levante
Muelle de Mineral (Mineral wharf)
Muelle de Riotinto
Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Los Deportes (Sports Palace)
Palacio de Mora Claros
Palacio Municipal de Huelva (Ayuntamiento), city council building
Palos de la Frontera (External Link), small village on the River Tinto 10km upstream from Huelva City, this is where in 1492 Columbus Set sail westwards and discovered America
Parque Alonso Sánchez, a park in the city center consisting of three hills with panoramic views photos
Parque Moret, major park which houses the sports centre photos
Parroquia Mayor de San Pedro (Greater Parish of San Pedro) photos
Paseo Santa Fe y Antiguo Mercado photos
Plaza 12 de Octubre
Plaza de las Monjas (Monjas Square) photos
Plaza de Toros photos
Polideportivos y Pistas Municipales (sports) photos
Port Office
Provincial Museum
Punta Umbría, (External Link) the closest beach resort to the City of Huelva
Queen Victoria Workers' Quarter
Santuario de Nuestra Señora Virgen de La Cinta (External Link)photos, a chapel where Columbus is said to have prayed before setting sail

Events

Carnaval, fiesta

Festival de Cine (External Link

)

Fiestas Colombinas, fiesta first week of August

Fiestas de la Cinta, between 3rd - 8th September

San Sebastián, festival Jan 20th

Semana Santa (Easter Week)

Virgen de la Cinta, fiesta September 8

El Rocio

Nearby

Near Huelva lay Herculis Insula, mentioned by Strabo (iii. p. 170), called Ἡράκλεια by Steph. B. (s. v.), now Isla Saltés.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Huelva'.

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