Cartagena

Cartagena was founded around the year 227 B.C. by the Carthaginian General Hasdrubal, on the site of an old settlement, and had its heyday in Roman times under the name Carthago Nova. The city was part of the Byzantine Empire, was destroyed by the Visigoths and fell under Muslim control from 734 to 1245. From the 16th century the city played an important military role thanks to the strategic importance of its port, and in the 18th century it became the capital of the Mediterranean Maritime Department.

In the second half of the 20th century Cartagena thrived once more thanks to the boom in the mining industry, which in turn boosted industry and trade there. The city suffered the dramatic consequences of the Civil War, during which it was one of the main strongholds of the republican government and, together with Alicante, the last city to fall into the hands of General Franco. Nowadays, now that the mineral resources have been exhausted, Cartagena lives mainly off shipbuilding and repair, petrol refinery and exporting olive oil, fruit, vegetables, esparto, wine and metal products. It is also one of the country’s main naval bases and an increasingly popular tourist attraction thanks to its important historic and cultural heritage.