Cartagena Attractions

Cartagena, one of Spain's most important commercial and naval ports, lies in a deeply indented bay on the Mediterranean which is guarded by two forts, Las Galerias and San Julián, situated on steep rocky promontories. Minerals were already being mined in the hinterland in Carthaginian times, and iron, tin and lead smelting still makes a major contribution to the town's economy. It also has large shipyards, mainly building naval vessels. At Escombreras, south of Cartagena, are a gigantic oil refinery and, associated with it, a thermal power station.

History

An Iberian settlement on this site named Mastia was captured in 223 B.C. by the Carthaginian leader Hasdrubal, who became the real founder of the town. As Nova Carthago it was for many years the most important Roman establishment on the Iberian peninsula. During the period of Moorish rule it formed the independent emirate of Cartajana, which in 1242 was conquered by Ferdinand III of Castile. The Arabs established Cartagena's fame as a dockyard for the building of warships and greatly improved its agriculture. In 1588 the surviving vessels of the Spanish Armada sought refuge in Cartagena, but were pursued by an English fleet under the command of Sir Francis Drake, who sacked the town. In 1936, at the outset of the Civil War, the Spanish navy, which had declared in favor of the Popular Front government, was unable to prevent Franco's troops from Africa from landing in Cartagena, and the town suffered severe destruction.