Alicante Step by step - Universidad de Sevilla

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Pasaje de Amérigo (Amérigo Arcade) This arcade is doubly curious in that it serves as an access to the largest building complex in Alicante, built in 1853, and that it is the only example of a typical 19th-century city landscape with notable Parisian influences. Casa Alberola (Alberola House) This was the first large-scale housing block in the city, built in 1894, with an interesting maritime façade, built according to plans drawn up by the architect Guardiola. Of note are the corner tower and dome. Buildings along the Avenida de la Constitución are well worth viewing, as they are all traditional in style: the cinema building Cine Ideal (1926), Gobierno Militar (1927) or the military headquarters, Casa de Socorro (1927) or the poorhouse, and towards the end, just before Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio, stands the central market, or Mercado Central (1921) – all but the first were the work of the prolific architect Juan Vidal. By the same man are the Lamaignere (1918) and the Carbonell (1925) buildings along the Explanada – the latter showing spectacular designs with a profusion of neo-baroque decorations. The ancient Hospital Provincial, now a flamboyant Archaeological Museum, was completed in 1926 and stands out as a perfect example of hospital architecture of the period, very modern for its time, built, once again, by the architect Juan Vidal, with a long central body and five perpendicular wings on each side, making a kind of herringbone-shaped building. Casa de las Brujas Pure modernism can be seen here, in the so-called “Witches House”, cons- tructed by Enrique Sánchez Sedeño, the architect who designed practically all the buildings in Alicante in this particular style. Completed in 1911, although it was originally designed in the late 19th century, this house has a façade decorated with Art Nouveau plant motifs. It is now the seat of the regional government in the province of Alicante. The University of Alicante was founded in 1979. It originated as an extension of the university of Orihuela, which closed down in 1834, and in more modern times grew out of the Centre for University Studies created in 1968. At present it has over 30,000 students on a magnificent campus covering over one million square metres, of which about 70% are green zones. Despite its relative youth, this is a very dynamic and innovative university, occupying a notable position in Spain in the field of research. The university has a higher school and faculty, five colleges and eight university institutes, and offers 26 bachelor degrees, 17 diploma courses and six special degrees. It has extensions in Havana (Cuba), Orihuela, Cocentaina and Benissa. The province also has an ultra-modern university called Universidad Miguel Hernández, founded in 1997, with its seat in Elx, although campuses are sited in the towns of San Juan, Altea and Orihuela, where students can study towards eight bachelor and five higher engineering degrees, five assistant engineering degrees and four diplomas. UNIVERSITY 16 17
PARKS, PROMENADES AND PLAZAS Alicante, with its arms open to the Mediterranean, has a number of areas intended for recreation and enjoyment where visitors command wonderful panoramas of the sea. Canalejas Park is the oldest park in the city. It was designed in 1886 by the architect González Altés. The entranceway is guarded by stone sculptures of lions and dogs, and inside is a spectacular hundred-year-old ficus of enormous proportions, a small monument by Daniel Bañuls as an allegory to the Alicante writer Carlos Arniches, a map of Spain carved in wood and various fountains. On the southern outskirts of the city, next to the sea, there is a palm tree plantation which has been used as a natural film location. Today it is one of the most delightful green zones of Alicante, called the El Palmeral park. It has waterfalls, ponds, flowerbeds showing a range of local flower and plant varieties, a children’s playground, a cross- country biking circuit, an auditorium, promenades, a café, etc. On the eastern slope of San Fernando Castle is the so-called Monte Tossal Theme Park, a large leisure area covering 63,000m 2 distributed over the terraced slopes of the mountain, and named after local districts of the Land of Valencia. It has installations for minigolf, bowls, skating, giant chess, a biking track, a rock climbing practice wall, etc., all set on a spectacular lookout point over the sea and the city. On the northwestern fringe of the city, far from the centre, is the largest green zone for leisure and recreation in Alicante, called Parque de Lo Morant, with promenades, playgrounds, an open-air auditorium, etc. The city’s green lung, however, is undoubtedly the hill called Monte Benacantil, carpeted in pine trees in a large proportion although populated with eucalyptuses as well. The area is located next to the new Jaime II Avenue and Vázquez de Mella Street. Using the access road to Santa Bárbara Castle, visitors can stop at various lookout points for fine views of the town through the pine trees. On one of the slopes running down to the old quarter of town towards the southwest, an innovative area to be called Parque de La Ereta is soon to be completed. Designed by the French architects Marc Bigarnet and Frédéric Bonnet, winners of the European architecture competition EUROPAN, this park will be a natural kind of recreation area to be kept as rough and wild as possible, with terraced slopes, and populated with native plant species in keeping with the colours of the local terrain. There will be plants, shrubs and trees, stone pathways flanked by shady trees, fountains with drinking water, a kiosk with a pergola, a café on the flat central area of the park (a former threshing ground), which will be used for open-air shows, and a multifunctional classroom, with all buildings fitting in appropriately with the natural surroundings. The most popular of Alicante promenades is without doubt La Explanada de España. Built over the ancient port quay, this promenade was conceived in 1867 by the municipal architect José Guardiola Picó. The current three-colour pavoirs dating from 1958 show the varieties of marble found in the area: Alicante red, Ivory cream and Marquina black. There are 6.6 million 4x4cm tiles tessellated together to form a gigantic mosaic measuring over half a kilometre in length, flanked by four rows of palm trees forming one central and two side walkways, ending in a monumental fountain (1960) by Carlos Buigas, who also designed the Montjuich fountains in Barcelona. And a monument to the assassinated turn-of-the-century liberal party leader Canalejas (1914) by the Alicante sculptor Vicente Bañuls. 18 19
Page 1 and 2: Alicante step by step
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Introduction Monuments and
Page 5 and 6: 6 MONUMENTS AND MUSEUMS In Alicante
Page 7 and 8: MUSEUMS MARQ Museo Arqueológico Pr
Page 9: Along the narrow street called Call
Page 13 and 14: BEACHES AND COVES From north to sou
Page 15 and 16: The Harbour What would this city be
Page 17 and 18: BUSINESS CITY Thanks to the dynamic
Page 19 and 20: 34 NIGHTLIFE There are many areas i
Page 21 and 22: 38 MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE Fish and s
Page 23 and 24: H 42 ACCOMMODATION As a tourist cit
Page 25: www.comunitat-valenciana.com Estaci

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