SANLÚCAR DE BARRAMEDA

Overview

The city, Sanlúcar de Barrameda is situated in the Cadiz province which is a part of the Andalusia autonomous community in the southern part of Spain. It is located opposite the national park Doñana on the left bank of the River Sanlúcar. This city is well known for its manzanilla sherry cellars as well as beach horse races. The distance between this city and Cadiz is 52 KM whereas Sevilla is at a distance of 119 KM from this city. The population of this city is about 66000.

History

The origin of the city dates back to the Muslim times. The King of Castile, Alfonso X took Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the year 1264 from the Moors; in the 15th and 16th centuries this became a vital trading port connecting the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast.

This port was used mainly for ship rebuilding and maintenance with the advent of the New World; in addition it also became the port of departure for different Spanish conquerors. Many maritime exploits were carried out from this port.

Popular ones are as follows:

Christopher Columbus departed from this port on 30th May 1498 for his 3rd voyage.Magellan began his journey to go around the world from this port and arrived at this port in 1522 after circumnavigating the world. This was the first ship to do that.Pizarro started from this port to conquer Peru.

Climate

The average temperatures in a year are as follows:

Maximum – 25 °C in the months of July-August
Minimum – 11 °C in January

Art and Culture

Popular monuments are as follows:

Palace of the Infantes of Orleans and Borbón – was built by the Montpensier dukes and adorned with the neo-Mudéjar style; this is used at present as the City Hall.
Castle of Santiago – is a monument built in the 15th century by Moors.
Palace of the dukes of Medina Sidonia – that houses the municipal archives.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la O – was built in the 13th century and has a Gothic-Mudéjar portal.
Convent of Santo Domingo – is a 16th century building.

Sports and Entertainment

Popular sports activities in this city are – Golfing, horseback riding, sailing, scuba diving, swimming, trekking, walking on the beach, windsurfing, etc.

There are three popular beaches – Calzada La Jara, Bajo de Guía and Las PiletaIts.