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in the lift apres ride

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Valdoviño is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located in the comarca of Ferrol. Valdoviño has a population of 6,926 inhabitants (INE, 2011).

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low cholesterol chorizo!

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Scary Percebes

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1,600m of climbing

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This way for percebes

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Monkfish with peas and dish for cedeira.

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Can be stuffed with whatever seasonal fillings you like, here "una súper empanada de zamburiñas"

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La única playa de arena negra no volcánica del planeta está en Galicia

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Aquí luchan por el protagonismo el verde de los acantilados y el negro de la playa. Y gana la arena, porque estamos ante un rincón único en la Tierra, situado al borde de otro récord, los acantilados más altos de la Europa continental

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In the shadow of Capelada sleep in Arcadia. With underground galloping on hundreds of millions of years of history, Ferrolterra geology and jewelry Ortegal offers unmatched worldwide. Between them, the only black sand beaches on the planet that have no volcanic or the highest cliffs in mainland Europe. To enhance estes resources through sustainable tourism do, Seven municipalities are fighting for their statement as the Xeoparque Ortegal. Cedeira, Ortigueira, San Sadurniño, Moeche, Cerdido, Valdoviño and Honey already working since last year on this project, intending to present their official bid before the UNESCO in the year 2019.

And the throttle from Pisa Cedeira, where the city council has created four XeoRutas for visitors to know the peculiarities of its landscape. These routes were launched last year, and after the great success of this summer will recover at Easter as indicated by the Councilor for Tourism and Archeology, María Xosé Rodríguez Pérez: "They are the first steps to the statement Xeoparque, and now we hope to help the Provincial". Fueled by the doctor in Geology, Francisco Canosa, offer four walks Cedeira. "The Route of Chrome approaches the checkpoint Herbeira to see the cliffs and ancient farms, Route passes through the cliffs south of San Andres de Teixido, Granate the lower sections of the inlet, and the most requested is the route of the Black Beach".

Source: El Correo Gallego
You can refer to the following link new:
Go to link Arcadia geology is in Cedeira

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A ARCADIA DA XEOLOGÍA ATÓPASE EN CEDEIRA Á sombra da Capelada dorme a Arcadia. With underground galloping on hundreds of millions of years of history, Ferrolterra geology and jewelry Ortegal offers unmatched worldwide. Between them, as únicas praias de area negra no planeta que non teñen orixe volcánico ou os cantís...

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Anyway, in most bars you'll be served Rioja if you don't specify. Tapas are usually served (not everywhere) with your wine or beer before lunch and before dinner. You pay the same either you eat them or not, so the correct answer at "¿Queréis un pincho/tapa?" is definetely "Yes!"

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Regarding Galician red wines, Mencía is very good

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Most wines produced from Mencía have traditionally been light, pale, relatively fragrant red wines for early consumption. This style of wine was the result of post-Phylloxera plantations on fertile plains, which tended to give high yields but diluted wine.

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The other Galician DO (denomination of origin) is Ribeiro, there's a wine region actually called Ribeira Sacra near Portugal.

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Ribeiro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) ( Denominación de Orixe in Galician) for wines located in the northwest of the province of Ourense ( Galicia, Spain), in the valleys formed by the rivers Miño, Arnoia, Avia and Barbantiño. It has an area of 30 km² including 9 municipalities in their entirety and parts of four others.

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Learn About Wine Grapes Godello - Berry Bros. & Rudd

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Godello is a white grape variety primarily found in northwest Spain and northern Portugal. The grape is capable of producing very fine white wines, and it is in the Valdeorras region that its greatest successes are seen, leading to a steady increase in plantings there.

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Albariño ( Galician pronunciation: [alβaˈɾiːɲo]) or Alvarinho ( Portuguese: ) is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia (northwest Spain), Monção and Melgaço (northwest Portugal), where it is used to make varietal white wines. Albariño is the Galician name for the grape; in Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco.

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It's very tipycal to eat "empanada" in Galicia, it's sold in many places in Cedeira.

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If you want to buy good fish a good choice is at Eroski supermarket, 5' from the apartment. We don't like buying fish in big surfaces but we've checked it's good.

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So why haven't we heard of them?
Well, they're certainly not the best looking thing in the pantry. They resemble cartoon creatures from another planet, or some strange dish that you might see served in the Star Trek canteen.

Tell me more, Captain.
Fully grown, they have a sooty finger-thick trunk with a rose-coloured inner tube. At one end is a scaly head that attaches itself to a rock and at the other a diamond-shaped foot that looks like a dinosaur claw. At high tide this foot opens to reveal tiny pink tendrils through which the barnacle filters the surrounding seawater to feed.

Bizarre. So how on earth do you eat these ugly brutes?
Definitely not with a knife and fork. The correct method is to pinch the foot between your thumb and finger and pull the tasty inner tube out of its scaly case, twist off the claw and slip down the flesh in one.

Charming. Then what?
Just keep tucking in while they are warm. Percebes make fabulous finger food, and like all good Spanish feasts you should end up with more bits on your table at the end of the meal than at the start.

OK, I'll give it a try - order me a small plateful!
I'm afraid it is not as easy that. These barnacles are truly wild and only grow in a few remote places, so harvesting can be a hazardous business.

Why?
They thrive in areas that are exposed to the hard beat of the Atlantic waves, so the collectors, called percebeiros, have to clamber down steep rocks or try to jump from boats bobbing in the rough sea to reach them. Once on the rocks the harvester can easily get clobbered by a breaker or simply slip into the sea. Then there is the problem of what the fishermen call "percebes greed".

Is it like gold fever?
Yes, but much more dangerous, as collectors take fatal risks in pursuit of the bounty.

But why do they do it?
Money, of course - the barnacles can command whopping prices of up to 60 euros per kilo (£40) at the fish market. The fishermen's big season is Christmas, when percebes are the stars of the Spanish festive table. Unfortunately this also coincides with the some of the worst weather, so accidents do happen.

So where does all this take place?
The very best goose barnacles are found on the Costa da Morte - the Coast of Death - in north-west Galicia.

It doesn't have quite the same ring as the Costa del Sol, does it?
It's a wild, atmospheric landscape on the very edge of Europe that runs from Malpica , in the north, to Fisterra , in the far west. Its deadly name derives from the many lives lost from ships wrecked at sea or smashed on to its treacherous rocks. Only recently the Costa da Morte was in the news when the oil tanker Prestige split in half and disgorged its black cargo along the craggy coastline.

What happened to the seafood?
Harvesting shellfish was banned for months and there were grave worries about the percebeiros' livelihoods. After a lot of testing, the Spanish government has declared the beaches clean and the seafood safe, and percebes are once again being collected from the sea.

Hurrah, so where should I go for my first try?You should travel to the small fishing village of Corme during the first low tide of July, when percebes are plentiful and the weather is good - ideally, during the Fiesta de Percebes, when everyone tucks into mountains of the precious seafood enjoyed with plenty of local white wine.

And if I miss that fiesta?
Head down the coast to the gastronomic wonderland of the Galician sea lochs or rias. There are lots of tempting eateries on the way south, but try to hold on until you get to the seafood capital of O Grove , near Pontevedra . Choose a restaurant, check that it's serving the barnacles, and then sit yourself down for a steaming treat.

So how do they cook them?
Traditionally, they are very lightly boiled with just a touch of salt and a bay leaf, then served piping hot on a plate covered by a heavy napkin.

Something I can try at my holiday home?
Of course, but don't even think about gathering your goose barnacles from the local rocks. Besides the danger from the sea, each percebe patch is jealously guarded by locals and controlled by strict regulations and licences. Much better to buy them raw from the magnificent fish market in Plaza de Albastos , Santiago de Compostela.

And can I take them home with me?
They should remain fresh for about four days, although of course like most seafood they are best eaten on the day they are pulled from the sea.

Any other tips?
Yes, in proportion to its size, the barnacle has a larger sex organ than any other living creature. It's probably best not to dwell on this mind-boggling statistic when you are eating them for the first time. Much better to pour yourself a large glass of the local wonder wine, Albariño , sit back, close your eyes and think of Galicia.

Barnacles are not the only delicacy on offer in food-loving Galicia. With a little planning, it is possible to eat your way through the calendar on a gastro-tour of saints' days, each celebrating a particular homegrown speciality. Highlights of the year include: Pigs' ears festival at Sales-Vedra , in March; oysters at Arcade-Soutomaior in April; trout and kid at Pontecaldelas in May; peppers from Padrón (a national favourite) in August; cockles from Cabana y Ponteceso in September; and the big seafood festival in October at O Grove.

Johnny Morris travelled to Galicia as a guest of Turgalicia. For full details of holidays in the region visit www.turgalicia.es.

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So why haven't we heard of them? Well, they're certainly not the best looking thing in the pantry. They resemble cartoon creatures from another planet, or some strange dish that you might see served in the Star Trek canteen. Tell me more, Captain. Fully grown, they have a sooty finger-thick trunk with a rose-coloured inner tube.

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In the days before it was realised that birds migrate, it was thought that barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, developed from this crustacean, since they were never seen to nest in temperate Europe, hence the English names "goose barnacle", "barnacle goose" and the scientific name Lepas anserifera ( Latin: , "goose").

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-About food: the most famous seafood in Cedeira are goose barnacles, I know they might look unappetizing  but give them a chance! Percebes from Cape Ortegal, where the Atlantic Ocean confronts the Cantabrian Sea, are considered the best.

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Natural Park Fragas do Eume

Fragas do Eume is one of the best-preserved riverside Atlantic forests in Europe. Fewer than 500 people live within its 9,000 hectares, which gives an idea of the untouched state of these lush forests that follow the course of the River Eume. The park is shaped like a triangle whose corners and borders would Pontes, Pontedeume and Monfero.

The best way to discover the park is on foot. Thus, if one knows how to see, one may discover the playful elves who inhabit it. Oak, poplar, ash and alder trees, and more than 20 species of lichens and ferns 200 live here. Sometimes the vegetation is so dense it hardly lets any light pass. But this shady and secret forest is as generous as its waters, springs and waterfalls. There's no green here; what there are, are landscapes of a thousand greens. And hidden in the heart of the forest, the monastery of Caaveiro, ancient - with more than 10 centuries of history - and spectacular views of this magical " fraga" (forest).

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The river Eume, some hundred kilometres in length, cultivated land for most of its course, ending in a deep gorge. Craggy hills, with a 300 metre drop at some points, still have the original vegetable covering of the Atlantic forests.

A forest we have all dreamed of: the denseness, the seasons transformed into colours, a river which shares the salmon's adventure and seeks to reach the sea to become an estuary.

"Fraga" means a forest with different species of trees. Oaks and chestnut trees provide the deciduous cover, accompanied by birches and alders, ash trees and yews, hazel nut trees and wild fruit trees; and there are perennial laurels, holly trees and strawberry trees. They all form a heterogeneous jungle in which each species has its space. The cork trees, for example, grow on the hills facing south, their northernmost limit in Galicia. On the damp, sombre hills grow a wide collection of lichens, moss and ferns, relics of the Tertiary Period, which are the treasures of climatic forests like the Eume.

The Park has four access gates, with no connection between them. The most visited is that which leads to the monastery of Caaveiro. Because of the sloping hillsides this entrance is only possible by following the course of the river through the fishing reserve of Ombre, ten kilometres from Pontedeume. The routes start from the fishermen's hut of Cal Grande and go through the forest.

There are restrictions on vehicles at weekends, but there is public transport to the bridge of A Figueira, the closest to the monastery. From this point it takes about fifteen minutes on foot to climb up to the recently restored Benedictine monastery of San Xoán de Caaveiro, a complete monument of Romanesque art, in the heart of the countryside and with panoramic views of the luxuriant forests and the sky. Entry is free with guided visits at approximately 45-minute intervals. This is no problem during the weekends, public holidays and the high season. If you plan to visit the monastery out of these dates, ask for information. Opening hours change according to the season.

Having climbed the mountain, and visited the monastery, the path can be continued downwards for a short distance to the murmur of the Sesín, which drains into the Eume, below the monastery. The churning of its pools and its green springs filtered by moss are well worth admiring. The Sesín itself can be approached upstream by another, different route. From the road going from Cabanas to As Pontes de García Rodríguez, take the turnoff in As Neves which leads to Gunxel, where the Sesín mills are located, and then continue on towards the old hydroelectric station of Ventureira. The track gets narrower here on the numerous curves of the tree-covered hills of this route which connects, on the left bank, with the Rebordelo (Monfero) road.

The dam of the Eume can be reached via the same Cabanas-As Pontes road, and taking the Goente turnoff. It is an outstanding lookout point over the falling water which in winter becomes a veritable waterfall owing to the design of the flood gate. All this between vertical, bare granite walls but without the landscape losing at any time the charm of its richness.

On the left bank we would recommend a visit to the monastery of Monfero with its baroque façade chequered with slate chips. Afterwards we can go deeper into the Park where the river Frei Bermuz feeds into the tail of the Eume dam amidst luxuriant vegetation.

The Sotavento Experimental Wind Farm is located on the top of the Serra da Loba, between Monfero and Xermade. It is dedicated to providing information on renewable energies, with all kinds of activities and guided visits, and also lends out bicycles.

A luxuriant mixed forest regarded to be one of the most extensive forests on the Galician coast. Oaks cover the slopes of the river gorge along with a wide variety of vegetation and riverside forests. The humidity favours the growth of a variety of interesting ferns.

Mention must be made of the 103 species of birds, 41 species of mammals and the eight species of fish as well as endemic species of invertebrates and reptiles, including the Iberian frog.

Coruña municipalities of Cabanas, A Capela, As Pontes de García Rodríguez, Monfero and Pontedeume.
Area

From Pontedeume to the monastery of Caaveiro, passing through Ombre, on the local road. Access to the right bank on the turnoffs from As Neves and Goente, on the AC-141 Cabanas-As Pontes de García Rodríguez road.

Access to the left bank via the local road which passes the monastery of Monfero.

Services

Office of the Portal de Caaveiro, located at Km 5 of the Ombre-Caaveiro road. Tel: 981432528.

Office of the Portal de Monfero, located on the road DP-5003 s / n, in front of Monfero Monastery. Tel: 881063992.

Facilities

Reception Centre on the Ombre-Caaveiro road, km 5. (Tel. 981 432 528)

Information panels.

Sotavento Experimental Wind Farm. (Reservations: Tel. 981 563 777).

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Natural Park Fragas do Eume Fragas do Eume is one of the best-preserved riverside Atlantic forests in Europe. Fewer than 500 people live within its 9,000 hectares, which gives an idea of the untouched state of these lush forests that follow the course of the River Eume.

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The old district of Pontedeume, which is quite picturesque, is built into the hill leading from the river with greenery above and a small but attractive little port area below. Our overall impression of this town was good and the small port, with a promenade and a number of little boats moored up, typifies most foreigner's image of the region.

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Halfway between Cedeira and A Coruña are Betanzos and Pontedeume, both nice old towns

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Betanzos certainly has a plenty going for it. Firstly its location makes it simple to find with the AP9 and A6 toll roads running close by. Secondly it is a town with a lot to offer, especially to the visitor interested in medieval districts, grand churches, town gates, festivals and the genuine undiluted version of Galicia.

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Cities of Lugo and A Coruña are worthwhile, they're an hour driving distance.

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A Coruña (Galician: ; Spanish: La Coruña ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, only behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province of the same name, having also served as political capital of the Kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and as a regional administrative centre between 1833 and 1982, before being replaced by Santiago de Compostela.

A Coruña is located on a promontory in the Golfo Ártabro, a large gulf on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the main industrial and financial centre of northern Galicia, and holds the headquarters of the Universidade da Coruña. A Coruña is the Spanish city featuring the tallest mean-height of buildings, also featuring a population density of 21,972 inhabitants per square kilometre (56,910/sq mi) of built land area.

There is no clear evidence as to what the name derives from. It seems to be from Crunia, of unknown origin and meaning, documented for the first time at the time of Ferdinand II of León (reigned 1157-1188). As usual in Galician-Portuguese (as well as in Castilian Spanish), the cluster ni naturally evolved into the sound , written n, nn or nh in old Galician orthography, nn in Spanish (later abbreviated to , like the original Latin cluster "nn"), and nh in Portuguese and alternative Galician spelling. " A" is the Galician-Portuguese article equivalent to English the; compare Castilian Spanish la ("the").

One proposed etymology derives Crunia from , the town in France. During its height ( c. 950 - c. 1130) the Cluniac religious movement became very prominent in Europe. There is another town named Coruña in Burgos Province.

A more likely possibility is that the name simply means "The Crown", which in Galician is A Coroa and in Spanish is La Corona. It seems less likely that it traces back to the Galician clunia. The name is reputedly from the Greek Κορώνα (Crown), referring to the crown of Geryon that was buried by Hercules under the lighthouse he built to his honour. The hero Hercules slew the giant tyrant Geryon after three days and three nights of continuous battle. Hercules then-in a Celtic gesture-buried the head of Geryon with his weapons and ordered that a city be built on the site. The lighthouse atop a skull and crossbones representing the buried head of Hercules' slain enemy appears in the coat-of-arms of the city of A Coruña, Loukeris (2019).

A proxy evolution within the Portuguese language points out to the Latin word Colonya as its origin, where the L was transformed into R which occurs widely in Portuguese. A similar happening can be found today in Coronie, a Surinamese town which also made its course outside the Portuguese system.

A folk etymology incorrectly derives Coruña from the ancient columna, or Tower of Hercules.

In English, use of the Spanish or Galician forms now predominates. However, the traditional English form Corunna can persist, particularly in reference to the Battle of Corunna (1809) in the Peninsular War. Archaically, English-speakers knew the city as "The Groyne", probably from French La Corogne. In Spain, the official form of the name is now the Galician one: "A Coruña", though many Spaniards continue to use "La Coruña". Certain groups of people have advocated elevating the reintegrationist spelling "Corunha" to official status, pointing to the provisions of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and claiming that it is unconstitutional to stipulate use of the Royal Galician Academy spelling, but they have not been successful as of 2018.

Sheet corresponding to A Coruña from the 2016 IGN's National Topographic Map of Spain

A Coruña is located on a peninsula, and its isthmus was at times formed only by a small strip of sand. Erosion and sea currents caused a progressive accumulation of sand, enlarging it to its present dimensions.

A Coruña has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate () in the Köppen climate classification. Autumn is usually mild with spring-like temperatures, but winter is often unsettled and unpredictable, with strong winds and abundant rainfall coming from Atlantic depressions. The ocean keeps temperatures mild all year round (the variation between winter and summer temperatures is only 9 °C (16 °F) on average) and therefore frost and snow are extremely rare. In fact, the city has not received significant snowfall since January 1987. A Coruña lies in plant hardiness zone 10b.

Spring is usually warm and fairly calm, while summers are mostly sunny and humid, with occasional rainfall, usually in the form of drizzle; high temperatures are warm but rarely uncomfortably hot because of the sea's cooling influence during the day, most often being around 22 °C (72 °F) between July and September. Even the warmest month on record was relatively subdued, being August 2003, with an average high temperature of 25 °C (77 °F). Temperatures above 25 °C (77 °F) occur many days in the summer, while temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are infrequent.

A Coruña has five parishes, or parroquias: A Coruña, San Vicente de Elviña, Santa María de Oza, San Cristóbal das Viñas, and San Pedro de Visma.

Cidade Vella (Old town)

A Mariña

Os Cantóns

Pescaría (Pescadería)

Ensanche

Cidade Xardín

Riazor

Catro Camiños

A Gaiteira

Os Mallos

Zalaeta-Orzán

Torre-As Atochas

Monte Alto

As Lagoas

Falperra-Santa Lucía

Juan Flórez-San Paulo

Os Castros

A Agra do Orzán

O Peruleiro

A Agrela

Sagrada Familia-Campo de Vionho

Labañou-San Roque

Barrio das Flores

Elviña

O Ventorrillo

O Castrillón

As Durmideiras

O Birloque

O Martinete

Matogrande

As Roseiras (Rosales)

Paseo das Pontes

Mesoiro

Novo Mesoiro

Someso

Eirís

Monelos

San Cristovo das Viñas

San Pedro de Visma

San Vicenzo de Elviña

Bens

Nostián

O Portiño

A Silva-San Xosé

Palavea

Santa Xema

Casabranca-As Xubias

Feáns

A Zapateira

Santa Margarida

After the fall of the Roman Empire, A Coruña still had a commercial port connected to foreign countries, but contacts with the Mediterranean were slowly replaced by a more Atlantic-oriented focus. The process of deurbanisation that followed the fall of the Roman Empire also affected A Coruña. Between the 7th and 8th centuries, the city was no more than a little village of labourers and sailors.

The 11th-century Chronica iriense names Faro do Burgo (ancient name of A Coruña) as one of the dioceses that king Miro granted to the episcopate of Iria Flavia in the year 572:

Mirus Rex Sedi suae Hiriensi contulit Dioceses, scilicet Morratium, Salinensem, (...) Bregantinos, Farum...

"[King Miro granted to his Irienses headquarters the dioceses of Morrazo, Salnés (...). Bergantiños, Faro...]"

The Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula left no archaeological evidence in the northwest, so it cannot be said whether or not the Muslim invaders ever reached the city. As Muslim rule in early 8th century Galicia consisted little more than a short-lived overlordship of the remote and rugged region backed by a few garrisons, and the city was no more than a village amidst Roman ruins, the invaders showed the same lack of interest in the ruined city as they did generally for the region.

As the city began to recover during the Middle Ages the main problem for the inhabitants was the Norman raids, as well as the ever-present threat of raids ( razzias) from Al-Andalus to the south. During the 9th century there were several Viking attacks on the city, called at that time Faro or Faro Bregancio.

In the year 991, King Vermudo II began the construction of defensive military positions on the coast. At Faro, in the ruins of the Tower of Hercules, a fortress was built, which had a permanent military garrison. To pay for it, he gave power over the city to the bishop of Santiago. The bishop of Santiago became the most important political post in Galicia, and remained so until the 15th century.

[San Antón Castle es]

In 1208, Alfonso IX re-founded the city of Crunia. Some privileges, such as those of disembarking and selling salt without paying taxes, were granted to the city, and it enjoyed a big growth in fishing and mercantile business. The city grew and extended through the isthmus. In 1446 John II of Castile granted to A Coruña the title of "City". The Catholic Monarchs established the Royal Audience of the Kingdom of Galicia in the city, instead of Santiago. A Coruña also became the headquarters of the Captaincy General. Later, in 1522, Charles V conceded to the city of A Coruña the license to establish the House of Spices, being this the port chosen by Jofre Garcia de Loysa to set his expedition to conquer the Moluccans.

In the late Middle Ages, before the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, a thriving Jewish community created a rich artistic heritage in the city. The most lavishly illuminated Hebrew Bible in medieval Spain was created in A Coruña in 1476. Known as the Kennicott Bible, it is currently housed in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

During the Modern period, the city was a port and centre for the manufacturing of textiles. In 1520, king Carlos I of Spain, met in the courts of A Coruña and embarked from its harbour to be elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (as Charles V). He allowed the government of the Kingdom of Galicia to distribute spice in Europe between 1522 and 1529. Commerce with the Indies was allowed between 1529 and 1575. San Antón Castle was built as a defense of the city and its harbour.

From the port of Ferrol in the Province of A Coruña, Philip II left to marry Mary Tudor in 1554, and much later, in 1588, from the same port the Spanish Armada would set sail to the Spanish Netherlands and England.

In the following year, during the Anglo-Spanish War, Francis Drake besieged A Coruña, but the English Counter-Armada was defeated, starting the legend of María Pita, a woman who took her dead husband's spear, killed the flag bearer of the British forces and rallied support to deny a breach in the wall to the enemy.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the wars of the Spanish monarchy caused a great increase in taxes and the start of conscription. In 1620, Philip III created the School of the Boys of the Sea. In 1682 the Tower of Hercules was restored by Antúnez.

Mosaic map to commemorate the Battle of Elviña. The yellow dot shows the location of the mosaic.

Spanish resistance during the war in Galicia was led by Sinforiano López, and A Coruña was the only Galician city that achieved success against the French troops. French troops left Galicia at the end of May 1809.

During the 19th century, the city was the centre of anti-monarchist sentiment. On 19 August 1815, Juan Díaz Porlier, pronounced against Fernando VII in defense of the Spanish Constitution of 1812. He was supported by the bourgeoisie and the educated people. But on 22 August he was betrayed and hanged in the Campo da Leña two months later. A Coruña supported the liberal side in all the 19th-century rebellions. A Coruña also played an important role in the Rexurdimento, and there were founded the Galician Royal Academy in 1906 and the Brotherhoods of the Galician Language in 1916.

Regarding the economy, in 1804 the National Cigarette Factory was founded, and there the workers' movement of the city had its origins. During the 19th century other businesses (glass, foundries, textiles, gas, matches, etc.) were slowly established, but it was maritime trade and migrant travel that attracted Catalan, Belgian, French and English investments. The Bank of A Coruña was founded in 1857. The new provincial division of 1832 also influenced economic development.

At the beginning of the 20th century, A Coruña had about 45,000 inhabitants. The Great Depression and the Spanish Civil War severely affected the economy through the 1930s to the mid-1950s. The 1960s and early 1970s saw a dramatic economic recovery, which was part of the wider Spanish Miracle. As elsewhere in Galicia, A Coruña attracted a massive influx of Galician-speaking rural dwellers, into their quickly developed neighbourhoods. The period between 1960 and 1980 saw a big transformation in most areas of the city from being agricultural dwellings to urban districts. The international oil shocks of the mid and late 1970s severely disrupted the economy, causing many bankruptcies and high unemployment until the mid-1980s, when slower but steady economic development was resumed.

In the Spanish general elections, 1931, all the political parties knew that the electoral results had important political consequences. The campaign of Unión Monárquica was very important in A Coruña and was supported by El Ideal Gallego. Republicans and socialists constituted a block, made up of ORGA, independent republicans, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Radical Socialist Republican Party.

In the elections, the republican parties obtained 34 of the 39 council seats. The best results were of the ORGA and of the Partido Radical Socialista, and the Radical Republican Party lost a lot of support.

From 1983 to 2006, the mayor of the city was Francisco Vázquez Vázquez ( PSOE), and the city became devoted to services, but he also was criticised because of his being openly against Galician nationalism, favouring the already established Castillian- Spanish social dominance and extending the equally deep-rooted prejudice against Galician language and cultural expression. Another downside's of Mr Vazquez legacy would be his town-planning policies, with big-money pharaoh-like projects with little social impact (shopping centres, Millennium obelisk, etc.). However, on a positive note Mr Vazquez's 23 year-long mandate saw the European-funded Maritime Promenade and the city's Scientific Museums (Casa das Ciencias-Planetario-, Casa dos Peixes-Aquarium and Casa do Home-Domus).

On 20 January 2006 Vázquez was named ambassador to the Vatican City, and was later replaced by Francisco Javier Losada de Azpiazu. In 2007 Municipal Elections the local government was a coalition of the Socialists' Party of Galicia and the left-wing nationalist Galician Nationalist Bloc party. The city celebrated its first millennium in 2008.

In the 2011 Municipal Elections, the conservative candidate Carlos Negreira ( PP) obtained a majority, the first one for the People's Party in the city since the arrival of democracy.

The mayor of the 2015-2019 mandate was Xulio Ferreiro, from the Marea Atlántica ("Atlantic Tide") party, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption mandate. His remit was to improve the town planning of the city rather than to leave it to the mercy of corrupt, unregulated free-market policies which have left a negative legacy in many areas of the municipality. He has widespread support across the region in opposition to a project to sell off the city's port (a legacy of the preceding mayor Carlos Negreira) to a private equity firm, which wants to construct a gated community of high-rise apartment blocks for which there is no real market demand in a city with a population of fewer than 250,000 inhabitants. The plan is to put a covenant on the land and to encourage a civic consultation on redevelopment of the site.

The current mayor is Inés Rey of PSdeG-PSOE.

The province and city of A Coruña during the 20th century

After the War of Independence (1808-1814), the fortunes of Ferrol began to deteriorate. The largest port in northern Spain, site of the Reales Astilleros de Esteiro, one of the three Royal Royal Dockyards together with Cartagena and Cádiz, almost became a "dead" town during the reign of Ferdinand VII. By 1833 the City and Naval Station of Ferrol saw its civilian population reduced to 13,000. During the administration of the marquess of Molina, Minister for Naval affairs in the mid-19th century new activities sprang up, but Ferrol never fully returned to its former glory. During those years, most of the Spanish colonies in Latin America succeeded in gaining independence from their former metropolis.

The population of the City of A Coruña in 1900 reached 43,971, while the population of the rest of the province including the City and Naval Station of nearby Ferrol as well as Santiago de Compostela was 653,556. A Coruña's miraculous growth happened during the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War at a similar rate to other major Galician cities, but it was after the death of Francisco Franco when the city of A Coruña (and Vigo) left all the other Galician cities behind.

The meteoric increase in the population of the City of A Coruña during the years which followed the Spanish Civil War in the mid 20th century was accompanied by the decline in the villages and hamlets of the province as it industrialized.

The municipality of A Coruña has 247.604 inhabitants and a population density of around 6,700 inhabitants per square kilometer.

By language, according to 2008 data, 7.75% of the population speak Galician as a primary language, 36% speak Spanish and the rest use both interchangeably.

A Coruña metropolitan area has 431.332 inhabitants.

Galerías in A Coruña

The city is the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, a lighthouse which has been in continuous operation since possibly the 2nd century AD. It has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is surrounded by a large public park with a golf course and the so-called Moor's Graveyard ( Cemiterio do Mouro in Galician, Cementerio del Moro in Spanish) a building where in fact there were never burials, Muslim or not, which now houses the Casa das Palabras (Galician for House of Words) museum. The lighthouse features as the main emblem of the city's flag and coat of arms.

The city is also well known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galerías. Originally, this type of structure came about as a naval architecture solution for the challenging weather, particularly designed for rainy days. This fashion started in nearby Ferrol in the 18th century when some of the technicians working for the Royal Dockyards had the idea of using the shape of the back of a warship in a modern building. Soon afterward, most seaports in northern Spain, were adding these glazed window balconies to their city-port houses.

The Old Town ( Ciudad Vieja in Spanish, Cidade Vella in Galician) is the name given to the oldest part of A Coruña. During the ninth and tenth centuries, the inhabitants of what was then called Faro Island (peninsula where the Tower of Hercules stands) were leaving the area due to constant attacks by the Viking fleet and settled in the area of Betanzos. In 1208 King Alfonso IX refounded the city at the present site of the Old Town and put it under his personal control, free from allegiance to the clergy or feudal lords. In the fourteenth century, the scarcely-surviving city walls of the Old Town were built, as well as three harbors: the Parrot and San Miguel. It also preserves the stronghold known as the Old Fortress, now converted into the Garden of San Carlos, in which Sir John Moore is buried. The Old City of A Coruña kept streets and squares that revive the city's history and noble mansions and residences such as Rosalia de Castro's house, located on Prince Street. Notable buildings are the Royal Galician Academy, the institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language, the Romanesque churches of Santiago and Saint Mary, As Bárbaras Monastery (Romanesque and Baroque) and the headquarters of the Operational Logistics Force of the Spanish Army. In July, a Medieval Fair takes place in the streets of the Old City.

The city has several museums, such as the Castle of San Antón Archaeological Museum, Fine Arts Museum and the network of scientific museums ( Casa das Ciencias, which also includes a planetarium, DOMUS, made by Arata Isozaki and Aquarium Finisterrae). In 2012, the National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) opened a branch in the city. A Coruña's social scene is most popular on Summer nights. Most bars and clubs are on Rua do Orzán, which runs directly parallel to Paseo Maritimo on the beach side. Another popular destination, for mostly a more youthful crowd, is Os Xardins ( The Gardens), a park near the beginning of Rúa Real and the Os Cantons Village Shopping Centre.

Squares, parks and beaches

María Pita Square, the most important square in the city. Notable landmarks are the City Hall and the statue of the local heroine Maria Pita. Nearby you can also find Church of Saint George, where first same-sex marriage in Spain took place between Elisa and Marcela in 1901, which is the basis for the movie of the same name.

Mount of San Pedro Park, a former military area, with views over the city and the ria. Visitors can arrive by road or using an elevator from the promenade. It has a café, play areas, gardens and three restored artillery pieces.

The promenade (Paseo Marítimo) is nine kilometres (5.6 miles) long, one of the largest in Europe. It runs around the city's headland, passing sights such as its Aquarium, the Estadio Riazor and the Tower of Hercules. There used to be a functioning touristic tramway, opened between 1997 and 2002, which ceased operations after a derailment in 2011.

In the summertime, the Orzán and Riazor beaches are immensely popular destinations, located directly opposite of the port in the central part of the city. During María Pita festivity, which takes place all through August, Riazor is the venue of Noroeste Pop Rock Festival, a free music festival with groups from Spain and abroad (Amaral, David Bisbal, Joe Cocker or Status Quo have played on it in last editions). Other beaches in the city smaller than Orzan and Riazor are As Lapas down Hercules Tower, O Matadoiro next to Orzan, San Amaro and Oza.

A Coruña is nowadays the richest region of Galicia and its economic engine. There have been various changes in the city's structure over the last few decades-it now shares some administrative functions with the nearby city of Ferrol. Companies have grown, especially in sectors such as finance, communication, planning, sales, manufacturing and technical services, making A Coruña the wealthiest metropolitan area of Galicia. The port itself unloads large amounts of fresh fish, and with the increase in other port activities like crude oil and solid bulk, which make up 75% of Galician port traffic.

In 1975, the clothing company Zara, founded by Amancio Ortega Gaona, opened its first store worldwide in this city and has since become a national and international clothing chain.

Inditex, the main textile manufacturer of the world, has its headquarters in the nearby town of Arteixo. A Coruña concentrates 30% of the GDP of Galicia and in the period between 1999 and 2001 it grew 35%, surpassing Vigo which was traditionally economically stronger. Other important companies of the city are Banco Pastor (owned by Banco Popular Español), Banco Etcheverría (oldest in Spain), Hijos de Rivera Brewery, Abanca, R Cable Operator, the Repsol refinery, Gas Natural combined cycle power plant, General Dynamics factory, Alcoa aluminium plant and La Voz de Galicia, a Spanish-language conservative daily newspaper, the one with the largest circulation in Galicia. A Coruña is also an important retail center. El Corte Inglés, the main department store chain in Spain, has two centers in the city, one of them in the new commercial area Marineda City, opened in April 2011, one of the biggest shopping centers in the EU, which also includes, among others, IKEA and Decathlon stores, cinemas, an ice rink, a bowling court and a kart circuit. Other hypermarket chains present in the city are Carrefour (two centers), Hipercor and Auchan (known in Spain as Alcampo).

Over the last few years, emphasis has been placed upon better access and infrastructure, especially cultural, sporting, leisure and scientific areas. Following a significant oil spill when the wrecked and exploded, considerable resources have been used in the recovery of the shoreline and strengthening the tourist sector. All this has reaffirmed the city's existing character as a centre for administration, sales, port activities, culture and tourism. The city also has a regional airport, used by 1.025.688 passengers in 2015.

Tourism in A Coruña has increased in recent years to the point of receiving 62 cruise ships a year.

Riazor beach with Estadio Riazor in the background

The two main beaches of A Coruña (Orzán and Riazor) are located in the heart of the city and are bordered by the promenade above. This location makes them a great attraction for tourists, being also a meeting point for surfers much of the year. Moreover, the city has other beaches like As Lapas, San Amaro, Oza and Matadoiro. These four beaches, along with Riazor and Orzán, were recognized with blue flag certification in 2011.

An important holiday is on the night of San Xoán-Seaone (St John), celebrated with a massive fireworks celebration, parade, bonfires and the ancient fires on all city beaches well into dawn.

In 2006 and for the first time ever, the number of tourists has doubled the population of the city, virtually to 500,000 the number of people who chose the city as a tourist destination.

The city has an extensive network of hotels, with an offer of over 3,000 hotel vacancies. There are one five star-hotel and 11 four star-hotels, as well as many other hotels and hostels. The city is also focusing in business tourism, offering the Congress and Exhibition Centre PALEXCO, with room for more than 2,500 people; a new trade fair centre, EXPOCORUÑA, venue of concerts, exhibitions and festivals like Sónar.

The city is also located on the English Way a path of the Camino de Santiago.

There are 38 pre-school centres, 47 primary schools, 29 vocational schools and 33 secondary schools.

Higher education is represented by the University of A Coruña, a public university established in 1989, the UNED branch, and CESUGA, a private university centre in alliance with University College Dublin, which offers Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Architecture Irish degrees. Escuela de Negocios NCG offers MBA and other master's degrees in business.

There are seven municipal libraries, one library that belongs to the provincial government and one public library, administered by the Xunta. The Archive of the Kingdom of Galicia ( Arquivo do Reino de Galicia in Galician) is located in the Old Town.

Music studies are well represented by a Music school. A Coruña is also the base for the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

The city is home to two main theatres, Teatro Colón and Teatro Rosalía, with regular performances, music concerts and other representations. A multipurpose centre, the Coliseum, hosts a variety of concerts and cultural and sporting events. International artists like David Copperfield, Maná, Mark Knopfler, Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Judas Priest among others have performed there. In summer it also serves as a bullring, and in winter as an ice rink.

A Coruña has several museums, such as the Castle of San Antón Archaeological Museum, its Fine Arts Museum, the Military Museum and the network of scientific museums (Casa das Ciencias, which includes a planetarium, DOMUS, made by Arata Isozaki and Aquarium Finisterrae). In 2012, the [National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT) opened a branch in the city.

The city's principal festival is the María Pita Festival, which lasts from the end of July to mid September. The festival includes Noroeste Pop Rock (free concerts at Riazor beach), free concerts in venues all over the city, the Medieval fair in the Old Town, the International Folklore Festival, a book fair, Festival Viñetas desde o Atlántico, a comic fair and, for the first time in 2011, a recreation of the famous German Oktoberfest. Another very popular festival is Saint John's day, which is celebrated on 23 June with bonfires under the night sky on beaches and neighbourhoods all over the city. More than 150,000 people go out from afternoon to early morning in order to frighten the evil spirits away by jumping over the bonfires. Apart from that, Virxe do Rosario's day is also celebrated, but to such an extent as the festivities previously mentioned.

A Coruña is the destination of one of the radial roads originating in Madrid, ( N-VI). Currently there is a highway ( Autovía A-6) that runs parallel to the old radial road. Another major road running through the city is the toll motorway AP-9, which links Ferrol with the Portuguese border crossing the main cities of Galicia. AG-55 motorway links the city with the Costa da Morte, although currently only going as far as Carballo. The conventional road N-550 (A Coruña- Tui) is the main link to the airport while the new highway is still under construction.

A Coruña Airport, formerly known as Alvedro Airport, is located in the municipality of Culleredo, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) from the city centre. It serves mainly Spanish destinations, although there are regular services to London and Lisbon and, in the summer season, to Amsterdam and Paris. In 2010, 1,101,208 passengers used the airport.

Railway services depart from San Cristovo Station. The city will be connected with Madrid and Vigo by high-speed rail in coming years. Regional lines connect the city with Vigo through Santiago de Compostela and Pontevedra, Lugo and Monforte de Lemos. Intercity trains depart to Madrid, Barcelona and the Basque Country, passing through many other important northern Spanish cities. There is a freight train station that serves the port.

Regional and intercity buses depart from the Bus station at Caballeros Street. A Coruña is well connected with its metropolitan area and other Galician cities and towns. Intercity services connect the city with Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia and the Basque Country among others and with European cities like Geneva, Paris or Munich.

Local transportation in A Coruña is provided by Compañía de Tranvías de A Coruña. Its network includes 24 lines served by 93 vehicles. There is also a regular taxi service from taxi tanks all over the city.

A Coruña has an extensive network of sports infrastructures. The most important one is the Riazor Sport Complex, which includes Estadio Riazor (home of Deportivo de La Coruña), the Palace of Sports (home of HC Liceo A Coruña), two indoor tracks, a pelota court and an indoor swimming-pool. La Torre Sport Complex hosts many football fields, a golf court and another pelota court. There are also five municipal football fields, 11 sports centres and several marinas (Real Club Náutico, Marina Coruña, etc.). In 2007 the Termaria Casa da Auga complex was opened, which has a gymnasium, a thalassotherapy centre and an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Founded in 1906, Deportivo competes in the third tier Primera Federación as of the 2023-24 season. Since the Spanish football league system was established in 1928, it has spent 46 seasons in the top division and 41 seasons in the second division. They won the league title once, in the 1999-2000 season, and finished as runners-up on five occasions. The club also won two Spanish Cups (1995 and 2002) and three Spanish Super Cups. Between 2000-01 and 2004-05, Deportivo played in the UEFA Champions League for five seasons in a row, and reached the semi-finals in 2004. The women's section of the club plays in Spain's second division as of 2023-24.

The city's basketball team, Básquet Coruña, plays in LEB Oro league, the Spanish second division. Handball teams OAR Ciudad 1952 and Balonman Xiria currently plays in the Spanish third division. The American football team Towers Football currently plays in LGFA, the Galician regional gridiron football league.

Two Gaelic football teams were founded in 2010 and 2011, A Coruña Fillos de Breogán (with men and women's teams) and Ártabros de Oleiros (also originating in A Coruña). They participate in the Iberian Championship and in the Galician League.

Casas Novas riding club, in the outskirts of the city, hosts many national and international championships.

In tenpin bowling, A Coruña is home to the annual Teresa Herrera de Bowling tournament, this year (2016) played from 24 to 28 August in the Pleno Bowling Centre, Marineda City. It attracts players from all over Spain.

Domingos Rafael Merino Mexuto was the first mayor after the Spanish Constitution of 1978 for the PSG party (he is now in the BNG party), and he currently works at the Galician Ombudsman's (Valedor) office.

The mayor between 2015 and 2019 was Xulio Ferreiro, from the Marea Atlántica ("Atlantic Tide") party, who was largely elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption mandate. One of his main priorities was to reverse some of the very worst examples of town planning policy which has left a negative legacy in many areas of the city and its immediate suburbs.

The current mayor is Inés Rey of PSdeG-PSOE.

Maria Pita, María Mayor Fernández de Cámara y Pita (1565-1643), a Galician-Spanish heroine of the defence of A Coruña in 1589 against the English Armada

Ramón Dionisio José de la Sagra y Peris (1798-1871), botany teacher, philosopher and social economist

Evaristo Martelo Paumán (1850-1928), poet and Rexurdimento activist

Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851-1921), novelist, journalist, essayist and critic

Eduardo Dato Iradier (1856-1921), lawyer and politician

Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869-1968), writer

Eugenia Osterberger (1852-1932), pianist and composer

Pablo Picasso, (1881-1973), artist, lived here for four years in the 1890s

Santiago Casares Quiroga (1884-1950), lawyer and politician

Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (1885-1964), narrator and journalist

Celia Brañas (1880-1948) scientist and teacher fought for the education and inclusion of women into the scientific community in Spain

Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo (1896-1978), writer and poet

Enrique Líster (1907-1994), communist politician and military general

Irene González Basanta (1909-1928), Spain's first professional woman footballer

Fernando Casado Arambillet (1917-1994), better known as Fernando Rey, actor

Amando de Ossorio (1918-2001), film director

Carmela Arias y Díaz de Rábago (1920-2009), first woman president of a bank in Spain

María Casares (1922-1996), actress

Manolo Sanchez (born 1929), long-time valet to U.S. president Richard Nixon.

Luis Suárez Miramontes (born 1935), football player and manager

Amancio Ortega, (born 1936 in Castilla y León), founder of fashion brand Zara (clothing)

Amancio Amaro Varela (1939-2023), football player

Emilio Pérez Touriño (born 1948), former president of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia

Manuel Rivas Barros (born 1957), writer, poet, essayist and journalist

Fernando Romay, (born 1959), basketball player

María Pujalte, (born 1966), actress

Marta Sánchez, (born 1966), singer

Nadia Calviño (born 1968), incumbent Minister of Economy and former director-general for Budget of the European Union

Andrés Manuel Díaz, (born 1969), athlete

Mario Casas, (born 1986), actor

Lucas Pérez, (born 1988), football player for Deportivo de La Coruña

Iñigo Quintero, (born 2001), musician, known for his 2022 song "Si No Estás"

Twin towns - sister cities

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A Coruña (Galician: ; Spanish: La Coruña ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, only behind Vigo.

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The cliffs to see on part of the Bike route

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The cliffs to see on part of the Bike route

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Cedeira-San Andrés de Teixido-Vixía Herbeira-Cabo Ortegal- Faro Ortegal- Cabo de Estaca de Bares.

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Santo André de Teixido (San Andrés de Teixido in Spanish) is the official name of a small village from the municipality of Cedeira, in the Serra da Capelada ( a mountain chain located in the province of A Coruña, in Galicia) which is near the cliffs .

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is a quite touristic spot but it's the most important place of pilgrimage in Galitzia after Santiago de Compostela.