Cádiz, the capital of the Province of the same name, boasts a long seafaring tradition that has influenced the composition of modern day Spain. It was here that the ancient Carthaginians and their Roman enemies established powerful fortresses to control rich trading routes many centuries before the birth of Christ.
Trying to define Cádiz is like trying to define a dream. Legend holds that Cádiz was founded by Hercules and claims to it being the oldest city in Europe are supported by archaeological evidence dating from a time when Cádiz was an integral part of the Phoenician commercial sphere of influence some 1100 years B.C. The prime position of Cádiz in relation to the major shipping routes of the Mediterranean and its extensive sheltered natural harbour have ensured its maritime dominance for untold generations.
For many centuries Cádiz was the centre of operations for Phoenician and, later, Greek commercial interests and it was during the influence of the latter that the first geographical descriptions of its favoured coastal location appear.
Its strategic importance wasn’t lost on the Romans who used Cádiz as one of the principal points of entry into the Iberian Peninsula and it was here that many of the bloody confrontations between the Romans and their arch-enemies the Carthaginians occurred.
After Carthaginian annihilation, Cádiz was the scene of key battles during the Roman Civil wars. It became definitively Roman in 205 B.C. and there appears, in response to its burgeoning influence, to have been an explosion in population.
Important changes in the city’s infrastructure, mainly in the provision of an aqueduct that provided water to the city, were carried out. With the decline of the Roman Empire, the aqueduct disappeared and it wasn’t until the 19th century that water was once again supplied to the city from the mainland.
The Muslim invasion of the 8th century signalled a decline in the fortunes of Cádiz. Its position further from the African coast than Gibraltar meant it lost some of its influence although it was around this time that the shipyards, which have always been an integral part of the life of the city, began to construct the famous caravels, a ship of Arabic design that was to profoundly influence the history of the planet. Ships of similar design were later used to conquer the new world.
After conquest of the city by Christian forces in the 13th century, the strategic value of the city was recognised by the construction of extensive walls and the powerful castles of Santa Catalina, San Sebastián and Puntales among others.
Its commercial importance spectacularly increased, along with its rivalry with its principal competitor Seville, with the discovery of the New World and the opening up of major trans-Atlantic shipping routes that saw a huge increase in traffic related to the import of American wealth to Europe.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing and commercial success, as always, came with a price. In 1587, during the wars to dominate the world’s trade routes, Sir Francis Drake attacked and sacked the city in the first of several British raids.
Cádiz has always been considered to be an fiercely independent city. It holds the distinction of being one of the places that Napoleon was unable to subdue during the Peninsula War of the early 19th century and it was here in 1812 that the first, albeit unsuccessful, Spanish constitution was proclaimed by the government in exile.
Today, Cádiz has regained some of its lost commercial splendour. Shipbuilding is still one of the main industries although tourism is increasingly important. There are many attractions. Apart from the hugely ornate Baroque and Neo-Classical Cathedral that dominates the skyline of the coast and the Oratori de San Felipe Neri, where Spain’s first constitutional monarchy was declared, one of the principal attractions is the Carnival of Cádiz that, every year in February or March, fills the streets with participants disguised in elaborate fancy dress, parties, music, parades, shows and general good-humoured mayhem.
More information
http://www.cadizturismo.com/
http://www.guiadecadiz.com/
http://www.cadiznet.com/
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