Orihuela is one of the paradises on the White Coast (Costa Blanca) in Spain. Three hundred sunny days in the year, there are almost no annoying rains.
History of Orihuela
First settlement in the 3rd century BC presumably it was Carthaginian, then whoever settled here: the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs. In 1296, Aragon Jaime II recaptured the town from the Muslims, annexing it to Valencia.
Remarkably, in 1510 Orihuela became the seat of the bishop, and in 1910 Miguel Hernandez, one of the best Spanish poets, was born here:
“To love, to love, to love.
This was my calling
and this is to be. "
sights
Orihuela is lucky - countless numbers have been perfectly preserved to this day. historical monuments... In 1969, the old city center and the ruined castle with fortified walls were declared a historical reserve. - The Bishop's Palace, a 15th century monument, which now houses the Diocesan Museum of Religious Art. Here you can see the works of Velazquez, Nicolas de Bussy, Ribera, Rodrigo de Osuna. - Cathedral, construction of the XIII-XIV centuries, built in the Gothic style on the site of the ancient mosque of Alham; one of the centers of the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante. Its beautiful silver inlaid altar and rich iconostasis are in excellent condition. - Monastery of St. Dominic, the most extensive architectural complex XVI century, spread over an area of 15 thousand. sq. m. Today the Diocesan College of Orihuela operates here. - Castle, fortress walls and gates, parts of the defensive complex ancient city... It's a pity, but mostly ruins remain of them. And the list of memorable places and museums in Orihuela does not end there.
Tourism
Arrival in Orihuela is best timed for the date of one of the events.
"Holy Week" is the most ambitious annual religious holiday, dating back to the 16th century. Starting from Palm Sunday, colorful carnival processions are organized every day by various societies and fraternities.
The second big annual holiday - "Moors and Christians" or the holiday of the Reconquista is dedicated to the liberation from Muslim rule in the XIII century. The celebrations last for eight days, with the main event taking place on June 17th.
If you get bored of antiquity, then you can go to relax on the beaches of Orihuela Costa: White sand, purest water... Each beach is equipped for sports games, surfing and diving.
Orihuela Costa (isp. Orihuela Costa) Is a picturesque resort area, part of the Spanish Costa Blanca ( Costa Blanca), part of the autonomous community of Valencia and stretching in the south-west of the province of Alicante. The immediate city and municipality of Orihuela is located 20 km from the coast Mediterranean Sea... Orihuela Costa is considered a developed, ecologically clean agricultural area rich in Mediterranean architectural heritage.
Orihuela is located on the Segura River and is divided into 2 districts - historical and modern. central District the city has the status of a historical and artistic ensemble, represented by the medieval baroque; also, it is here that the main attractions are concentrated. Despite the fact that the administration and the city itself are located somewhat apart from coastline, urban real estate in Orihuela is in high demand among buyers.
The advantages of purchasing are obvious. Firstly, it is an excellent resort area for both seasonal recreation and permanent residence... Secondly, this is a profitable investment, because modern apartments, townhouses and villas are rightfully considered one of the best here in the whole. And thirdly, a chance to touch the rich history and cultural heritage of Spanish, preserved here as in architectural styles and in many sights of ancient times.
Transport infrastructure
Orihuela Costa is only half an hour's drive from international airport Alicante ( El Altet) and 20 minutes from Murcia International Airport ( San javier). This resort area The Costa Blanca is linked to the European highways through several highways, highways and national highways.
For the convenience of passengers, a couple of kilometers from the city there is Train Station and bus station... The railway connection enables movement at the regional and national levels. National roads link the suburbs with the cities of Alicante and Murcia, while the regional level leads to Valencia, from where it is easy to reach both Barcelona and France, in particular the city of Montpellier.
Nature and climate
In Orihuela Costa, you can enjoy the original Mediterranean landscape - valleys that have preserved plantations of Moorish origin, mountain pine and oak groves, meadows saturated with aromas of various fragrant plants. The surrounding salt lakes are an invaluable source of important minerals, as well as curative mud. Laguna Salada Ave - the largest salt Lake the region and the nearby nature reserve are a must see for any tourist.
Orihuela has very soft climatic conditions... Precipitation here is very light and irregular, mainly in the spring and autumn. The storms that cross the Iberian Peninsula from the Atlantic reach Orihuela with only minor storms, and in summer the Mediterranean breeze cools the coastline and makes the dry subtropical climate more pleasant. Due to the average annual temperature of about + 20 ° C, beach vacation available almost all year round.
Orihuela beaches
Orihuela Costa has 16 km of beautiful sandy coast with turquoise water, bays and piers. The width of the beaches here reaches 70 meters and there is practically no noise from the highways.
The lion's share of the beaches is decorated with the main award - the European Blue Flag for the crystal clear coastal waters and high-quality amenities. All recreation areas are equipped with sun umbrellas and sun loungers, changing rooms and showers are available, there are sports grounds for beach football and volleyball, equipment rental for aquatic species Sports: surfing, diving, wakeboarding, scooter, sailing.
Attractions and attractions in Orihuela
The main attraction of Orihuela is undoubtedly the Gothic cathedral, near which there is also the Baroque episcopal palace. A little to the north rises an important military structure - the ruins of the Orihuela castle. Almost half a kilometer northeast of the cathedral is the large monastery complex of St. Dominic with a Baroque church, cloisters and a prominent tower. It is worth mentioning the Church of Saints Justa and Rufina, the Cathedral of St. James, the Sanctuary of Our Lady in Montserrat with the image of the heavenly patroness of the city. Just a couple of hours away, Valencia hosts the famous Formula 1 races every summer.
January 23rd, 2014, 10:37 am
Once I already talked about the Spanish resort town of Orihuela Costa, on the Mediterranean coast. Palm trees, sea, sand, hotels, bars, restaurants, sunburned / burnt bodies of tourists. But there is another Orihuela in the province of Alicante - 30 kilometers from its beaches.
A city where there are not so many tourists. A city with shabby houses, poverty, old age, history and ordinary life in the Spanish province.
Orihuela small town- only 80 thousand inhabitants. But it is considered cultural capital province of Alicante. Despite the rather obvious impact of the crisis, the town is neat and tidy.
The Segura River divides Orihuela into two parts. Previously, Segura was one of the most polluted rivers in Europe. But in recent years, the situation has been significantly improved by the commissioning of water treatment systems.
Now fish feel quite comfortable in it ...
And the turtles:
It was a surprise to me to learn that the Spaniards do not eat river fish - they do not like its swampy smell.
The high embankment was made for a reason - Segura is famous for its unpredictable disposition, and once every 6-9 years there have been severe floods.
This is a more modern part of the city:
Business districts, banks, offices, parks.
However, after walking literally 300 meters, the picture changes.
Many houses have long been inhabited and are simply slowly crumbling under the influence of rains and winds. Most likely, they decided to keep the facade for history, but there is no money for restoration.
The door of one of the old houses:
The old quarter at the foot of the mountain:
It seems that time has forgotten this street 200 years ago.
The old Spaniard left the house to bask in the sun and listen to the silence of the forgotten street. We turned out to be rare visitors to these places.
Lanes:
Some houses on this street have already collapsed, freeing up useless land.
Orihuela dates back to 223 BC - the Carthaginians built a fortified settlement on the bend of the Segura River. After 100 years, the city becomes part of the Roman colony and receives the name Orcelis. Well, in the 5th century AD, Orihuela was seized by the Visigoths and became the capital of one of the eight provinces of their kingdom.
Later, the city becomes the capital of the Muslim State of Theodemir. The city flourished until the 18th century, after which it began to decline.
In 1829, a powerful earthquake caused numerous casualties and destruction, and the ruins of the castle were also damaged. 
A descendant of the famous Spanish gypsy Calais, with a stamp of hopelessness on his face, wearily wanders along a narrow alley.
The siesta lasts here all day.
The street leads to a more lively place - the square near the monastery of San Domingo and the house-museum of the famous Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez.
The entrance to the museum is completely free.
See how ordinary Spaniards lived 100 years ago:
In 1546, the Spanish religious leader, patriarch of Antioch, Fernando de Loases decided to establish in his hometown Orihuele is an educational institution led by the Dominicans. Construction work began in 1553. In 1569, the college received the status of a public university on a par with the universities of Valencia and Salamanca. The work was completed only by 1646. At the same time, Philip IV awarded the institution the status of a "royal public university".
In 1835 the university was closed. Then the monastery was closed. Later, the building passed to the Diocese of Orihuela, and until 1956 it housed a Jesuit college. Today it houses the Diocesan College of Orihuela, where you can get primary general education, secondary education and baccalaureate.
We got to the monastery after joining a small group of Spanish tourists.
However, they were almost immediately kicked out by the caretaker for photographing. Nobody warned in Russian :)
College students before a physical education lesson:
Nobody forbade photographing the architecture and interiors of the monastery.
Wondering what function this mesh does? Protects students from falling architectural details or falling from the gallery on the second floor?
We stand and listen to a fascinating story about the monastery in Spanish :) I understand only one word - "iglesia" (church), it sounds more often than others.
At this time, a guy comes up from behind and in Russian asks if we like the excursion? :) The guy turned out to be from Chelyabinsk, but in Spain he lives with his aunt and is studying Spanish. She rides with Spanish tourists, immerses herself in the language environment.
He has already translated the request of the caretaker not to use the camera behind these doors, addressed personally to me :)
Behind this door is a very beautiful Catholic church with an organ.
For a while we walked around the monastery, talked with our new acquaintance and went to see the city blocks.
One of the famous attractions of Orihuela is the palmeral, or palm forest. However, it is in no way comparable to the more famous palm groves of Elche, which I will talk about in one of the following parts.
The streets of Orihuela:
The Citroen Dyane is a supermini car produced from 1967 to 1983.
The centuries-old history of Spain is fully reflected in the architecture of ancient Orihuela, located at the foot of a hill whose top is crowned with the ruins of an ancient Arab fortress. And even higher, on the rocky mountain range of the Sierra de Orihuela, from a distance you can see a giant Catholic cross made of metal shining in the sun.
If you go up to it on a clear day, you can see the sea from above. The coast lies thirty kilometers south of the town itself, but a whole series of coastal resort urbanizations are administratively subordinate to Orihuela. Thousands of foreigners, deciding to buy property in Spain, have chosen these comfortable villages with magnificent beaches.
Conquered by the Romans from the Carthaginians Orihuela they called Orcelis, and later Aurariola. Locals are seriously convinced that Orihuela is the best place in Spain, and they can be understood a lot. If you rent a house in Orihuela or in its immediate vicinity - in Desamporados, Bigastro or Molins, then over time the city will reveal all its charms and secrets. And for the first acquaintance, it's easy to get here commuter train from, Elche or, or by bus from Torrevieja.
Orihuela Bus Station borders on a spacious, modern station, built with an optimistic future in mind. Right at the small station square, Teodomiro boulevard, lined with tall date palms, begins with cozy stone benches.
It leads to the so-called "Rosalede" - a rectangular square, around the perimeter of which grow ficuses and eucalyptus trees, other trees exotic for our compatriots, including oranges, planted along many streets of Orihuela.
This is a popular place among the townspeople, bars and restaurants around Rosaleda are no less than benches in the park, and many foreigners who have chosen Orihuela quickly learn the rules of the local, but almost Madrid "movida" - the "hangout" in local bars starts late and ends far past midnight.
However, for most residents, stopping by after work in a bar is a norm of life.
Orihuela in spring
Three minutes from the always lively Rosaleda, the Segura River flows, dividing the city into a historical part and new districts. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that it would be a mistake to buy real estate in Orihuela in the immediate vicinity of the river - water diluted with fertilizers from fields and gardens contains the entire periodic table and in summer months air, to put it mildly, does not ozonize. Although already fifty meters from the river, the smell is not felt, and on the outskirts of the city powerful sewage treatment plants are being built, to which local authorities pay great attention.
It is worth crossing the Puente Nuevo bridge, and you will find yourself in a completely different world, teeming with ancient churches and monasteries, among which there are many active. A flock of nuns in Catholic robes or a Benedictine monk in a brown cassock walking down the street is a common sight in this part of town. The capital of the episcopate and the spiritual center of the Vega Baja region, ancient Orihuela also amazes with the gargoyles of the Church of Santa Justa, whose square tower is scary to imagine, dating back to the 11th century, and the graceful Moorish arches of the Episcopal Palace, and the majestic Baroque façade of the cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of Spain, St. James. locally - Santiago.
The narrow streets of the Old Town do not fully appreciate the Gothic Cathedral XIII century, built of yellow stone on the foundations of a destroyed mosque.
But from the top of the hill, on which the castle-like Seminary building dominates the area, a beautiful pastoral panorama opens up, not disfigured by industry. All of Orihuela is clearly visible from here, and in the evening, drinking down with red wine the sweets bought in the convent, it is good to watch fireworks flying over the valley, which the Spaniards who adore the holidays are eager for.
sights
If we talk about the holidays, then the Holy Week held in Orihuela is considered one of the most spectacular events that can be seen in Spain. For several days, with the onset of darkness, columns of mystical figures in robes pass through the streets of the city and sculptures of saints decorated with natural flowers sweep along on a stretcher. The exceptional spectacle of "pasacalle" is also due to the fact that several Masonic lodges are registered in Orihuela, each of which passes through the streets with lighted torches, in costumes and attributes of its own order.
Another specialty of Orihuela is the annual Feria, a fancy-dress medieval fair, where you can see Maghreb magicians in turbans and boas hanging from their shoulders walking in a crowd of spectators, as well as minstrels playing old instruments and blacksmiths. in the presence of onlookers fanning fur horns. To match these characters, sellers are also dressed, offering tourists spicy herbs and incense, homemade parmesan cheese, hard as glass, or fragrant country flatbreads, and, of course, dozens of types of "jamon" and olives.
Has Orihuela and its own "palmeral" - a plantation of date palms. In size, it is inferior to the palmeral in Elche, but still its own. And real estate in Orihuela is good because it is easy to get from here to, and to Alicante or Murcia, and to the Mediterranean beaches. The weather in Orihuela is dry and hot in summer, not pampering with rain. And although the local climate is recognized by WHO experts as one of the best on the planet, the ability to go to the sea in an air-conditioned bus that runs every forty minutes to the beaches and Costa Orihuela is another advantage of living in this wonderful city.
Sol Street, which in Spanish means "sun", going beyond the outskirts of Orihuela, smoothly flows into the comfortable village of Desamparados. Here is one of the campuses of the University named after Miguel Hernandez - a well-known playwright and poet in Spain, who was born and most life lived in Orihuele... The abundance of students and youth leaves an imprint on the image of the city, here they are proud of the victories of the local football club, rugby is in favor, and in one of the nightclubs there is a bowling alley. Many apartments are rented to students, so it won't be difficult in Orihuela.
Makhachkala and Vladivostok became outsiders in the rating of management efficiency in urban districts, compiled by the APEC expert center close to the authorities. At the same time, Tyumen took the first position, displacing the former leader Kazan
View of the city of Vladivostok (Photo: Alexander Ryumin / TASS)
Who was the outsider
Makhachkala took last place in the next ranking of urban governance efficiency (April-December 2018), prepared by the Agency for Political and Economic Communications (APEC) under the leadership of Dmitry Orlov. Compared to the first rating presented by APEC in the spring, the capital of Dagestan has moved from 90th to 92nd place.
The key reason is the corruption scandal in the republic, which affected the leadership of the capital. On November 7, the former mayor of Makhachkala, Abusupyan Hasanov, was detained on suspicion of abuse of office and placed under House arrest... He was appointed acting head of the city in January 2018 after the arrest of his predecessor Musa Musaev, who was accused of abuse of office (sentenced to four years in prison in October).
“The actions that were aimed at solving administrative problems in the city were not completed, since the replacement of one mayor with another did not lead to the desired result,” explained one of the authors of the report, political scientist Rostislav Turovsky.
“It is obvious that accusations [of corruption] first of one mayor, and then of another testify to the neglect of the situation in the city related to corruption, and this has the most negative effect on the socio-economic situation,” says Turovsky, noting the collapse of the political governance system. in the town. According to the co-author of the report, Makhachkala has a very low level of expenses for housing and communal services and roads, as well as an acute shortage of places in kindergartens.
Vladivostok, which took the penultimate, 91st line, significantly worsened its position in comparison with the spring rating, having dropped from 83rd place.
In Vladivostok, there was virtually no and there is no city authority after the resignation of Igor Pushkarev, explains Turovsky. Pushkarev was arrested in 2016 for accepting a bribe, after which he was dismissed by a court decision.
Vitaly Verkeenko, who replaced him, did not stay as mayor for long - he resigned after the September elections for the head of Primorye, the results of which were annulled. “There are strengths to fight for the well-being of the city, but there is no longer any motivation”, - wrote he is then on his Facebook. According to the interlocutor of RBC, who was involved in the campaign of the ex-head of Primorye Andrei Tarasenko, Verkeenko left because of the failure of the incumbent governor in the elections. At the same time, Vladivostok turned out to be one of the leaders of the protest vote in Primorye.
“Now another acting head of the city has appeared. But during the period that we studied, there was practically no stable and effective government in the city, ”says Turovsky. In Vladivostok, there is a low level of municipal investment and extremely weak work to improve the living conditions of the population.
Due to the fall in Vladivostok's rating, the position of the administrative center of Karelia, Petrozavodsk, has slightly changed, which moved from 91st to 90. The five outsiders are complemented by Volgograd (89th place) and Ulan-Ude (88th place). The reason for the low rating of the Karelian capital is the failed investment policy and the fact that the city authorities pay little attention to improving the living conditions of citizens and the level of funding for housing and communal services, Turovsky told RBC. In Volgograd, there is a clear lack of investment, but “the work of the authorities to solve a chronic road problem can be noted,” says the co-author of the report.
In Ulan-Ude, according to him, there are also problems with resettlement from dilapidated housing and improvement of living conditions, the necessary repair work in the housing and communal services system is not being carried out there. “We can note the instability of the city government and the likelihood of further personnel changes in connection with the elections next year,” the expert noted.
In general, cities where, for one reason or another, the local government was unstable, were at the bottom of the rating, Turovsky summed up. Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev does not fully agree with this conclusion - he calls Vladivostok one of the most dynamically developing cities in the Far East.
Who got into the leaders
The most effective management, according to political scientists, is in Tyumen, which is ahead of the past leader Kazan, which has moved to second place. The third place is occupied by Salekhard, the top five also includes Rostov-on-Don and Khanty-Mansiysk. The leadership of Tyumen was actually recognized by the federal government, because it was the Tyumen mayor who was appointed acting governor of the Tyumen region in the middle of the year, said political analyst Alexander Pozhalov.
View of the city of Tyumen (Photo: Vasily Shitov / TASS)
Now there are few cities in the country showing consistently high results in all areas of work, Kalachev notes. “The quality of city management is lame, but the integral assessment of the efforts of the city authorities is elections. Conduct direct elections - and there will be no need for such ratings, the townspeople themselves will assess the results of the efforts of city administrations, ”he is sure. According to Kalachev, "some ratings in the ratings are often determined by the nature of the author's relationship with the evaluated, the history of relations with a particular territory." “The formulas for calculating the rating should, in theory, insure against the subjectivity of assessments, but this is not always the case,” he says.
Political consultant Dmitry Fetisov agrees that the position of cities in the ranking may be related to the opinion of experts assessing these cities. At the same time, the rating can be considered an objective assessment of the quality of management in the regional centers of the regions, although certain positions raise questions. “For example, it is difficult to explain the places in the group of leaders of Salekhard and Rostov-on-Don, to the activities of whose heads there are serious complaints about housing and communal services and cleaning the city,” he says (in Salekhard there were regular problems with power outages, and the Deputy Mayor of Rostov-on -Dona on housing and communal services was fired in the summer due to a loss of confidence). “In general, they are middle peasants, but not leaders at all,” Fetisov said. But there are few such moments in the rating, and the technique itself is explained in detail and does not raise questions, he concludes.
Are global conclusions possible
The presented rating of effectiveness differs from other and few ratings of the effectiveness of mayors in that analysis of socio-economic and budget statistics plays a significant role in its methodology, and not only expert assessments, which are subjective in nature, clarifies Pozhalov. However, this is the same problem - municipal statistics for all large and medium-sized cities are published with a delay, not always regularly, and in addition, statistical indicators in terms of budgetary provision can vary greatly, the expert stipulates.
The rating does not give an unambiguous answer to the long-standing question, which model of organizing local self-government in cities provides greater efficiency, said RBC Pozhalov. Several years ago, an experiment was carried out in Chelyabinsk, Samara and Makhachkala - a division into an urban district with intracity municipalities and a two-stage model for the formation of city government, he recalled. “Neither the“ two-headed ”system (the head of the city is the chairman of the council of deputies, separately the city manager), nor the“ one-headed ”system (the head of the administration is a full-fledged mayor) have no clear advantage - both are widely represented both among leaders and outsiders”, - concluded Pozhalov.
As believed
The APEC rating is divided into two blocks, according to its compilers, - political and managerial and socio-economic. The final overall rating is a generalization of the political and managerial and socio-economic blocks (the arithmetic mean of these two indicators). 152 experts took part in assessing the effectiveness of management in urban districts. The rating does not include federal cities.
The final grades in each of the two directions represent the arithmetic mean of the aggregate of statistical indicators and the average expert assessment. The authors of the rating believe that this approach minimizes the impact of the problem of incomplete and slightly outdated information.
As criteria for evaluating the political and administrative block, in particular, experts analyzed the result of a candidate from United Russia for the post of mayor or the result of the ruling party in the city in the elections to the regional legislature - in the case of elections on September 9, the amount of subsidies for the period from January to October 2018, as well as the dynamics of the volume of subsidies during this time per capita compared to the same period last year, the dynamics of expenditures on general government issues in the expenditures of the budget of the city district in comparison with similar indicators of the previous year, and other signs.
Among the criteria for assessing the socio-economic block - in particular, the share of children under six years of age receiving preschool educational services from the total number of children of this age, budget expenditures on preschool education per capita, budget expenditures on housing and communal services and culture.
