History in Alicante

Introduction

Alicante has a vibrant history with a population that is rapidly increasing at a third of a million at present, the Moors were the first on the scene calling it home though this was taken away from the in 1246 as it was conquered by King Alfonso X which he decided to incorporate Alicante into the kingdom of Valencia. By 1490 it had been given city status and was a popular place for trade due to its geographic positioning, it was considered the third largest in spain and had a strong growth in the sea trade.

The first set of establishments for Alicante would have been Mount Benacantil that would have been used by local Iberians, this was because it offered a great location having the security of the height from the ground below and being very close to the sea. Though with that being said they have certainly seen their fair share of fight and battles over the years, they didn't have much time to regroup and for that suffered some set backs both economically and in everyday life.

Late 17th Century onwards

The first battle came with compliments from the French when Alicante endured seven days of attacks and with only ten years separating this came the war of the Spanish Succession where they suffered the demolition of the castle of Santa Bárbara. Many years later they also became part of the war of independence though at this point they surely just wanted to be left alone with no real time to recover.

Although they had problems in the past the 18th and 19th century seen this be turned on its head as they started to grow and expand once more, their networks expanded as the creation of the railway for them in 1858 was great not only for trade but for tourism and is one of the essential foundations for its success today. Tourism is Alicante's largest source of income so you can be sure that the time invested into tourism is time you will be enjoying yourself!

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