Cadiz city situated in the southwest of Andalucia, has experienced many changes, with eras of expansion and decline.
A seafaring, trading town, particularly lively and vigorous, Cádiz surprises and appeals to the visitor at first sight due to its particular urban design which is so rational, with straight, narrow streets, towering facades with fine wrought ironwork and gardens of great botanical variety by the sea, which surrounds and encompasses the town making it almost an island.
Passing through the Tierra Gateway of the restomd remains of the city walls and crossing the long strip ofland which joins Cadiz to the continent, we come face to face with this unique town. The Baroque Cathedral features bright domes and a sumptuous interior, so different in architectural style from the majority of Spanish Cathedrals. Nearby is the old Santa Cruz Cathedral.
As you walk around the tightly crammed town centre, visiting churches and museums, we come upon squares, such as San Juan de Dios, Mina, Constitución, España, Mentidero, each of which has its own style and monuments, all so different and so attractive as are the different quarters of the centre from El Pópulo to La Viña.
Formerly known as Gades, Cádiz was for centuries Spains main port for ships sailing to and from America. Later, in 1812, it was the home of Spanish constitutionalism. The neoclassical oratory of San Felipe de Neri, where the historical text was debated, is well worth a visit.
The churches of Cádiz are most often baroque or neoclassical: San Antonio, El Rosario, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, Santa Catalina, El Carmen, etc., the classical style is present in many of its most significant buildings, such as the County Council Building, a palace of enormous proportions, the old prision Cárcel Real and even the traditional Tavira Tower.
The museums in a city so rich in history is another attraction of the place popularly known as the little cup of silver: the Municipal History Museum, and above all the Archaeological and Fine Arts Museum, with an excellent art collection, impressive archaeological exhibitions and a appreciable ethnological section.
In February the Carnival, so highly acclaimed here and with good reason, has its temple, the Gran Teatro Falla, recently restored and in a curious Neomudejar style. At the beginning of spring, the Easter processions through the narrow streets are a fascinating sight. And for the summer there are small coves such as La Caleta, and long beaches all around the city.
Cadiz is a city bustling with life. To get to know it, it is necessary to walk without haste through its streets, to talk with its people, to walk all over the parks and avenues with thousand-year-old plants, to enjoy its atmosphere on open-air terraces and busy bars... but always with a marked Andalusian touch.
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