Elche (Elx)

Introduction

Located in the Baix Vinalopo, Elche (or Elx in Valencian) stands as the third largest city in the province of Alicante with 207,163 inhabitants (2003). Elche is a city rich in culture and history, containing, among other things, the Elche Palm Grove, a forest of greater than 200,000 palm trees that surrounds the city (declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000).

Besides tourism, Elche's primary industry is that of shoes - it has over 1000 shoe factories, making it one of the most important areas in Spain and Europe for this industry.

History

Greek, Roman and Moorish artifacts have been found in the Elche area, however the Lady of Elx (Dama de Elche) is considered the most important piece and dates back to the 4th century BC.

The first remains discovered at the archeological site of L'Alcudia date from the Neolithic period, or about 5,000 B.C. This original settlement continued its development to be become the Iberian town of Helike in the 5th century B.C.

Later destroyed by Carthaginian troops, the town was renamed by the Romans to the Iulia Illice Augusta colony. In the Paleochristian (3rd-5th C.) and Visigothic (5th-8th C.) periods, Elche was known as the Basilica de Ilici.

The town then shofted to it's current location while under Moorish dominion in the Lower Middle Ages, to the area known as the Vila Murada.

The name was then changed to Elx (Elche), and it was at this time that agriculture began to take prominence with a complete irrigation system being introduced to the area (a dam to aid irrigation was built much later in 1632 on the Vinalopo river).

James I of Aragon liberated the city from the Moors in 1264, during the Reconquista, and the Moors subsequently built a new town in the environs of the Vila Murada, known as the Raval de Sant Joan.

Elche - Things to See and Do

The official website for tourism in the city of Elche is available in English and is quite good. We suggest you have a look there for what to do when you visit this historic treasure; we've hilighted a few items below.

Palmeral de Elche - The largest forest of palm trees in Europe

Designed by the Muslims, the palm grove reached its peak in the 18th century with over 200,000 pieces. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. (tel. 965-45-2747), More information found on tourism Elche.