Murcia information
History
Abderraman II founded the city of Murcia in 825. In the 19th century it was an emerging place and Capital City, with an important court of artists and scientists. The remains of buildings, the city's defensive wall and the irrigation system in the Huerta have all been conserved form Moorish times. Murcia was the capital of the kingdom and the current structure of the city and the layout of the streets are the result of her Moorish heritage. In 1266, Murcia joined the Castillian crown.
From the second half of the 13th century the city enjoyed a time of great splendour. The King Alfonso X the Wise, who spent long periods of time in Murcia, established the socio- economic bases of the municipally. The city was given a number of privileges by the monarch to encourage commerce and harmony amongst the different cultures and religions living together.
Through the 15th century the famous Acts of the Huerta were passed, considered to be the forts and possibly the only rural Spanish code. Through this century, Murcia enjoyed a period of prosperity. The irrigation system in the Huerta was almost complete and the trades, which today give their name to the streets of the historic quarter, were flourishing.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the periods of political stability were favourable for cultural and economic development. Silk commerce continued to be extraordinarily important.
It was in the 18th century that the city became truly splendid and it is known as the Murcian Golden Age. During this time, great urban and administrative changes took place encouraged by great Murcian close to the court and holding responsible positions, for example, Cardenal Belluga or the Count of Floridabalnca.
During the 19th century, Murcia suffered directly the instability
caused by the War of Independence and the radically changing politics
during the wars between the "Carlistas" and "Isabelinos" or by
the establishment of the First Republic until the reestablishment
of the House of Bourbon. However, in this century, the free university
was created as a forerunner of the official university, which
would be created in 1915. Gas lighting was installed in the city
and in 1893 the first electric light exchange was established.
Improvements continued to be made to the city.
With the creation of the law faculty in 1915, an age of renovation and vitality began. The Murcian Juan de la Cierva invented the precursor of the helicopter. The University was an important influence in literature, art and sciences as well as research. In the last decades of the 20th century, the city, with its solid political and socio- economic base, saw a spectacular growth and renovation of its streets.