Murcia is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country.

Murcia was founded by the emir of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman II in 825 with the name Mursiyah. It is now mainly a services city and a university town. Highlights for visitors include the Cathedral of Murcia and a number of baroque buildings, renowned local cuisine, Holy Week procession works of art by the famous Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, and the Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Festival).

The city, as the capital of the comarca Huerta de Murcia is called Europe’s orchard due to its long agricultural tradition and its fruit, vegetable, and flower production and exports.

Murcia is located near the center of a low-lying fertile plain known as the huerta (orchard or vineyard) of Murcia. The Segura River and its right-hand tributary, the Guadalentín, run through the area.

The best known and most dominant aspect of the municipal area’s landscape is the orchard. In addition to the orchard and urban zones, the great expanse of the municipal area is made up of different landscapes: badlands, groves of Carrasco pine trees in the precoastal mountain ranges and, towards the south, a semi-steppe region. A large natural park, the Parque Regional de Carrascoy y el Valle, lies just to the south of the city.

Main sights

Arabic architecture of the Alcázar Seguir in Santa Clara Museum inside of Monasterio de Santa Clara la Real, constructed by Banu Hud in the 13th century.

The Cathedral of Murcia was built between 1394 and 1465 in the Castilian Gothic style. Its tower was completed in 1792 and shows a blend of architectural styles.

Other noteworthy buildings in the square shared by the cathedral (Plaza Cardinal Belluga) are the colorful Bishop’s Palace (18th century) and a controversial extension to the town hall by Rafael Moneo (built in 1999).

The Glorieta, which lies on the banks of the Segura River, has traditionally been the center of the town. It is a pleasant, landscaped city square that was constructed during the 18th century.

Pedestrian areas cover most of the old town of the city, which is centered around Platería and Trapería Streets. Trapería goes from the cathedral to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, formerly a bustling market square.

Located in Trapería is the Casino, a social club erected in 1847, with a sumptuous interior that includes a Moorish-style patio inspired by the royal chambers of the Alhambra near Granada. The name Plateria refers to plata (silver), as this street was the historical focus for the commerce of rare metals by Murcia’s Jewish community. The other street, Traperia, refers to trapos, or cloths, as this was once the focus for the Jewish community’s garment trade.

Several bridges of different styles span the river Segura, from the Puente de los Peligros, 18th century stone bridge with a Lady chapel on one of its sides; to modern bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava or Javier Manterola; through others such as the Puente Nuevo, an iron bridge of the early 20th century.

Other notable places around Murcia include:

• Santa Clara monastery, a Gothic and Baroque monument where is located a museum with the Moorish palace’s remains from the 13th century, called Alcázar Seguir.
• The Malecón boulevard, a former retaining wall for the Río Segura’s floods.
• La Fuensanta sanctuary and adjacent El Valle regional park: The construction the current version began in 1694 and its architectural style is baroque with Murcian regional features.
• Los Jerónimos monastery (18th century). It was built during the first half of the century and is located in Guadalupe district, in the northwest quadrant of Murcia.
• Romea theatre (19th century). It was opened up by the queen Isabella II of Spain in 1862. Its façade has three bodies or levels.
• Circo theatre.
• Almudí Palace (17th century), art gallery in a historic building with coats of arms on its façade. On its interior there are Tuscan columns, and since 1985 it hosts the city archives and periodic art exhibitions.
• Monteagudo Castle (11th century): It is placed in the district which has the same name, in the north of the municipality.
• Salzillo Museum, showcases the art of 18th-century baroque sculptor and Murcia native Francisco Salzillo.
• Centro Párraga, contemporary arts centre located in one of the pavilions of the old Artillery Headquarters of Murcia. It houses multiple exhibitions, performances and concerts throughout the year.
• Murcia Archaeological Museum (MAM), covers the rich Prehistory and History of Murcia, from the Palaeolithic to the Christian and Visigoth Period.
• San Juan de Dios church-museum, Baroque and Rococo circular church with the remains of the Moorish palace mosque from the 12th century in the basement, called Alcázar Nasir.

In the metropolitan area are also the Azud de la Contraparada reservoir and the Noria de La Ñora water wheel.

Festivals

The Holy Week procession hosted by the city is among the most famous throughout Spain. This traditional festival portrays the events which lead up to and include the Crucifixion according to the New Testament. Life-sized, finely detailed sculptures by Francisco Salzillo (1707–1783) are removed from their museums and carried around the city in elegant processions amid flowers and, at night, candles, pausing at stations which are meant to re-enact the final moments before the crucifixion of Jesus.

The most colorful festival in Murcia may come one week after Holy Week, when locals dress up in traditional huertano clothing to celebrate the Bando de la Huerta (Orchard parade) on Tuesday and fill the streets for The Burial of the Sardine in Murcia. parade the following Saturday. This whole week receives the name of Fiestas de Primavera (Spring Fest).

Murcia’s Three Cultures International Festival happens each May and was first organised with the intent of overcoming racism and xenophobia in the culture. The festival seeks to foster understanding and reconciliation between the three cultures that have cohabited the peninsula for centuries, if not millennia: Christians, Jews and Muslims. Each year, the festival celebrates these three cultures through music, exhibitions, symposiums and conferences.