Castellón de la Plana

Castellón de la Plana is a modern city of the Valencian Community which extends over a flat area and it is four kilometres from the Mediterranean coast.
In the current position of its centre, no archaeological remains have been found that confirm a settlement prior to the foundation date of the city. In fact, before the thirteenth century its inhabitants lived on the hilly area of Cerro de la Magdalena, then in 1252 the king Jaime I de Aragón (James I of Aragon) authorized the transfer of the population to the plain and since then it has adopted the current name. From the third Saturday of Lent, for nine days, people celebrate the Magdalena Feasts, declared holidays of International Tourist Interest, to remember the date of the foundation of the city.
The medieval village of Castellón had a square plan, and the rectangular wall fence until the destruction of the walls in 1796 in order to include the suburbs in the urban core.
After a long period of wars and internal conflicts, a second wall was built which was demolished in 1882 and of which there are some visible remains in the Plaza de la Muralla Liberal. During the Civil War it was decided to destroy the church of Santa Maria, declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument, and in the decade of the sixties and seventies, several monuments were destroyed for the benefit of new housing constructions.
Castellón de la Plana has a mild climate throughout most of the year. The Columbretes islands belong to its jurisdiction, four islets of volcanic origin that welcome endangered species, and they are a destination for people who like underwater activities, due to the transparency of its waters, the beauty of its seabed and the great variety of species animals and plants that live there.
El Grao is the maritime district of the city.

WHAT TO SEE IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF CASTELLÓN DE LA PLANA

  • The Desierto de las Palmas (Desert of the Palms): a natural park that holds important cultural treasures.
  • The Paraje Natural Municipal del Ermitorio de la Magdalena: 14 hectares of land covered by a pine forest where the Vell castle and the Magdalena hermitage are located.
  • Molí la Font: a source of fresh water.
  • Meridian Park
  • Pinar Park: where different activities take place during the year.
  • Hermitage of Sant Roc
  • The Grao de Castellón: maritime urban centre about four kilometres from Castellón de la Plana. There is the commercial port, the marina and the coast with clear and fine sandy beaches.

BEACH

  • Pinar beach
  • Serradal beach
  • Gurugú beach
  • Palmeral beach

SQUARES, PARKS AND GARDENS

  • Plaza de la Independencia
  • Plaza Mayor
  • Plaza Puerta del Sol
  • Plaza la Paz
  • Plaza de Santa Clara
  • Plaza de la Pescaderia
  • Plaza de las Comunicaciones
  • Ribalta Parks
  • Geologist José Royo Gómez Park
  • Rafalafena Park
  • Litoral Park
  • De Mérida park
  • Panderola park
  • Pont de Ferro park

MUSEUMS

  • Planetary
  • Fine Arts Museum
  • Contemporary Art Space
  • Ethnological Museum
  • Military History Museum
  • Plaza Tetuán Bunker
  • Classroom-Museum Torre dels Alçaments

PALACES AND MONUMENTS

  • Auditorium and Congress Palace
  • Municipal building
  • Postal building
  • El Fadrí: an octagonal bell tower with an approximate height of 60 meters which offers a panoramic view of the city.
  • La Lonja del Cáñamo (Hemp market)
  • Central Market
  • Muralla Liberal
  • Bullring
  • Principal Theatre

CHURCHES

  • Co-cathedral of Santa Maria
  • Hermitage of the Magdalena
  • Basilica of Our Lady of the Lledó

FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

  • Magdalena Feasts: they are celebrated in honour of the foundation of the city in 1252. They are celebrated from the third Saturday of Lent for nine days. Among the events of the festival there are fireworks, the procession of reeds, music concerts and floral offerings to the Madonna del Lledó and the final act of the festival, the “Magdalena Vítol”.
  • Patronal feast of the Virgin of Lidón: the first weekend of May people celebrate it with religious events.
  • Festes de Carrer: some streets or neighbourhoods of the city celebrate in honour of their patron saint.

GASTRONOMY

  • Paella
  • Arroz a banda: a dish based on rice and fish
  • Fideuá: a dish based on short pasta and seafood
  • Olleta de la Plana: a vegetable minestrone
  • Artichokes of Benicarló filled with shrimps of Vinaroz
  • Ximo de Castellón: batter filled with tuna, eggs and tomato
  • Pelotas de fraile: pastry filled with cream
  • Rosigones: almond biscuits
  • Pá-nolí: biscuits with a fruit or sweet potato cream
  • Mona de Pascua: a cake decorated with candied fruit

OTHER CITIES OF THE VALENCIAN COMMUNITY TO VISIT ARE:

  • ALICANTE: is surrounded by an impressive natural landscape with Mount Benacantil, on which stands the castle of Santa Barbara, Mount Tossal, on which there is the castle of San Fernando, and the beaches of its coastline. Read more here about Alicante
  • VALENCIA: a modern metropolis made of skyscrapers and buildings that break the traditional architectural rules, but its primitive appearance dates back to the first centuries BC, when it was only a commercial street of luxury ceramics, around which the first community of Iberian peoples was established. Read more here about Valencia

HOW TO GET TO CASTELLÓN DE LA PLANA

  • By car
  • On the train
  • By plane
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