Elche is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants, making it the third most populated municipality in the region (after Valencia and Alicante) and the 20th largest Spanish municipality. It is part of the comarca of Baix Vinalopó.

Part of the municipality is coastal yet the city proper is roughly 11 km (6.8 mi) away from the Mediterranean Sea. A small creek called Vinalopó flows through the city. Elche is the centre of the footwear industry in Spain.

Together with Alicante and other municipalities, Elche form a conurbation of some 800,000 inhabitants.

The city is noted by its urban Palm Grove, designated as World Heritage Site.

Main sights

• Palmeral of Elche (“The Palm Grove of Elche”, Palmerar d’Elx in Valencian). It is an orchard of over 200,000 palm trees that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.
• Altamira Castle, also known as Alcázar de la Señoría, located next to the Municipal Park (which, in turn, is a part of the Elche Palm Grove) It was originally built in Almohad times (12th-13th centuries), and was later renovated with brick exterior in the 15th century. A former fortress, in 1913 it became a fabric plant, it has also been used as the town hall and as a prison during the Spanish Civil War, while today is home to the Elche Archaeology and History Museum.
• Baños Arabes (Arabic Baths), which re-uses old Roman baths.
• Basilica of Santa Maria: The current temple was built in 1672. Previously, there were other temples in the same place, but they disappeared owing to several factors. It has a la Latin-cross plan, a large nave and four side chapels. A large dome has been constructed over the crossing.
• Calahorra Tower, of rectangular plan and Rabic origin, it represent the last relic of the old city walls.
• Municipio (Town Hall): it includes a tower named la torre del consell, and it is the most ancient structure in the south of the Valencian Community. It was built in the mid-15th century.
• Convento de la Merced: it was built in a place where there were arabic baths. It dates back to 1270, when the prince Juan Manuel bestowed the baths to the grand master of a religious order.
• Huerto del Cura: it is part of the Palmeral of Elche and hosts nearly 500 palm trees. There are individuals of the imperial palm species.
• Elche Palaeontological Museum: more than 1,200 fossils are on display in the museum. Some elements such as remains of mastodons and replicas of dinosaurs are placed in the building.
• Elche Municipal Festa Museum: it was built in 1997 and it hosts elements about the Misteri d’Elx performance.
• Palm Groves Museum: This museum is allocated in a traditional 19th century building. This museum is devoted to the history, the evolution and the characteristics of the Palmeral of Elche.

The Mystery Play of Elx (better known as Misteri d’Elx, in Valencian) is a sacral-lyrical medieval drama, dated from the 15th century, which was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2002. It is played every year in mid August, in the context of the local holidays dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary.^[39] Also as a part of this celebration, on the 13th of August is the date of a celebration in Elche called Nit de l’Albà (Night of the Dawn) in which a citywide night-long show of fireworks takes place.

Festivities

• Holy Week: as generally in Spain, several processions (festive religious parades) occur during the festive period.
• Moros i Cristians: it occurs in the first fortnight of August. The theme of this festivity is the Muslim rule that occurred in the High Middle Ages and part of the Late Middle Ages and the battles which took place between Christians and Muslims as a consequence of this occupation. A more specific subject of this festivity is the Reconquista.
• Nit de la Roà: it takes place in mid August.
• Christmas: A nativity scene is placed in the town and a living nativity scene also occurs during the festive period. A parade which theme is the Three Wise Men is also performed in the Epiphany’s Eve (5 January).