Lorca: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 60 - 212 Sercotel Spa Jardines de Lorca
 Sercotel Jardines de Lorca is a spa hotel, set a short walk from Lorca’s 18th-century old town. It offers an outdoor swimming pool, free Wi-Fi acces… MoreEUR 30 - 432 Hotel Felix
 The recently-renovated Hotel Felix is set just a 10-minute walk from Lorca’s baroque city centre. The property’s small size gives it a real family… MoreEUR 74 - 1,000 Hacienda Real los Olivos
 Located in its very own farmland and with extensive gardens, this boutique hotel is an example of the beauty of Andalusian architecture. It has exquis… MoreEUR 57 - 219 Amaltea Hotel Spa Center
 Amaltea is set in 12,000 m² of gardens, with lakes, streams and waterfalls. This elegant hotel has a large outdoor pool, spa and air-conditioned room… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lorca: Guide
This article is about the city of Lorca, Spain. For the poet see Federico García Lorca and for the Tim Buckley album, see Lorca (album).
Lorca is a city in southeast Spain, in the autonomous community of Murcia (autonomous community)|Murcia. With a population of 84,245 (year 2004), Lorca is one of the most extensive municipalities in Spain (1,676 square kilometers).
History
The region around Lorca was already inhabited by the Iberians during the Romans and Lurka by the Arabs. The old part of the town, made up of narrow streets and alley-ways, achieved its present shape under Moors|Islamic rule.
During the Alfonso X of Castile.
Tourist attractions
During the 18th c., a number of baroque churches were built in Lorca. Together with the noble houses in the old town, which are currently being restored, they make up a decent set of historical monuments.
From the 19th c. on, religious processions or marches have been taking place during the Holy Week every year. The processions in Lorca are unique for their atmosphere, a blend of gaiety and devotion. Roman soldiers and quadrigas take turns with baroque statues of saints and with amateurs playing Cleopatra VII of Egypt|Cleopatra, Nero, the devil and other biblical and historical characters riding floats inspired in ancient locations.
As the medieval fortress is intended to be converted into a state-run hotel (Parador Nacional), excavations were carried out on site by way of power shovels. After the remains of a synagogue and a Jewish ghetto were found near the fortress, the work has been continued despite massive protests by prominent archaeologists.
Economy
After most of the land and water supplies had been held for centuries by a minority of landowners and by Roman Catholic Order (religious)|religious orders, Lorca began a period of sluggish economic growth during the 1960s.
Still today, its economy is largely based on agriculture and stockbreeding (pigs), although its service industries make it the commercial capital of the surrounding area. In recent years, Lorca has experienced a population growth because of peasant immigration, mostly coming from Ecuador and Morocco.
Environment
Lorca formed around the Guadalentín river (in Arabic "mud river") in a quite arid valley. In fact, agriculture heavily depends on water transferred from the Tagus river in Central Spain. Irrigation channels were laid out all over the country by the Moors during the Middle Age.
The excrements produced at pig farms pose a big threat to the environment that has not been cleared yet.
External links
community info/photos from Murcia province
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Lorca". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.