'Aranjuez' is a town in the southern part of the Autonomous Community of
Madrid in central
Spain and lies 48 km south of the city of
Madrid. It is located at the confluence of the
Tagus and
Jarama rivers. The municipality of Aranjuez has a population of 48,139 (February 2005), 23,545 are males and 24,594 are females. It is located 48 km from
Toledo.
Aranjuez is known for the
Palacio Real de Aranjuez, a royal residence, and its vast gardens. The
strawberries of Aranjuez are also famous throughout Spain; they are shipped by the carload to Madrid every day during their season. Internationally, Aranjuez has become known through the ''
Concierto de Aranjuez'' by
Joaquin Rodrigo. Upon his death he was buried in the town's cemetery.
Night view of the Royal Palace
Chinese Kiosks in the Prince's Garden
Apollo Fountain in the Prince's Garden
Façade of the Royal Convent of Saint Pascual
Wharf in Tagus River
Narcissus Fountain in the Prince's Garden
Santiago Rusiñol Statue, who died in Aranjuez in 1931
Back of the Royal Palace
Royal Palace
Population
★ 2002: 40,928
★ 2004: 46,891
★ 2005: 48,139
Map of the districts of Aranjuez
Government and administration
The city of Aranjuez is divided into the following districts: Centro, Vergel, Olivas, Las Aves, Nuevo Aranjuez, Foso, Moreras and La Montaña. Since 2003, Aranjuez has been governed by Mayor
Jesús Miguel Dionisio Ballesteros, of the
Socialist Party.
Economy
The main pillars of the local economy are
hotels and
tourism. Aranjuez has always been an attractive city for tourists thanks, among other reasons, to the
Royal Palace, the gardens, the
Tagus river and the landscapes. In 2001 this city was designated as World Heritage Cultural Landscape by
Unesco, and since then, tourism has kept on increasing. Much money was spent in order to beautify Aranjuez and many pubs and restaurants were opened (from 2001 to 2004 their number increased 22%). In 2005 a large
casino was opened in the city and in 2007 the 'Tagus Hospital' should be finished.
Agriculture
Aranjuez is located in the fertile plain of the
Tagus river, and the soil is suitable for growing
wheat and other
cereals. There are also horticulture plantations (
asparagus and
strawberries), both irrigated and dry products,
vines and
melons, which are also typical of the neighbouring region of
Castilla-La Mancha.
Industry
The proximity to
Madrid and the good communications by road and rail made Aranjuez a suitable location for industry: detergents, mechanical construction, computer and electrical material, photographic materials, pharmaceutical products, paints and varnishes, sugar refineries, oil mills.
In recent decades, the sugar refinery and the Agfa photographic factory have closed. Cortefiel (garment company) plans to build a factory in Aranjuez in the next few years.
The majority of the industries are located to the west of the railway station or in the "Gonzalo Chacón" industrial park, in the south. The main existing industries are:
★ Lever (detergents).
★ Indra (computer systems).
★ Carburos Metálicos (chemicals).
★ Fyse (pharmaceuticals).
★ Bosch (electrical components for automobiles).
★
Slaughterhouse.
Transportation
★ Important roads:
★
★ Dual carriageway
A4 (old N-IV) (
Madrid -
Cadiz).
★
★ Toll motorway
R4, (
Madrid-
Ocaña).
★
★
N400, (
Toledo-
Cuenca).
★ Railways (
Renfe):
★
★ Aranjuez is served by
commuter trains to
Atocha station in
Madrid.
★
★ Long Distance trains to the
East and
South of
Spain.
Local media
Print media
★ ''Heraldo de Aranjuez''.
★ ''Tablón de Anuncios''.
★
''Consumo Digital''.
★
''Cuatro Esquinas''.
★
''Divergente''.
★ ''El Espejo''.
Radio stations
★ Onda Aranjuez, 107.8
FM.
★ Cadena Ser Aranjuez, 89.3
FM.
★ Onda Cero Aranjuez, 90.7
FM.
★ Radio Fuga, 92.1
FM.
Sports facilities
★ The city has always been connected to the
Tagus river, with the result that there is a long tradition of water sports, such as
canoeing or
rowing. In the olympic candidature of
Madrid for the
2012 Olympics, which will be held finally in
London, Aranjuez was the selected site for these sports. Anyhow, there are plans to continue the construction of the necessary sport facilities, which should be finished by 2010.
★ Aranjuez has a
football team, ''Real Aranjuez C.F.'', which plays in the Local Stadium, called "El Deleite".
★ Nearby
Ocaña has a
skydiving and
gliding centre at the
Aerodrome, and most of the skydivers there base themselves in Aranjuez.
History
★ There are several theories about the origin of the name. The most accepted one states that it comes from
Basque language. It derived from '' (''
hawthorn'' in English), 'Aran' (meaning
valley or
plum in English). The old name of the city was 'Aranz'. During the
Middle Ages, the city was known as 'Aranzueque' or 'Arançuex' until it became 'Aranjuez'. Other theories say that it comes from
Latin 'Ara Jovis' or 'Ara Iovia', which means Jupiter's Altar, but currently the Pre-Roman name is preferred.
★
Middle Ages: incorporation into Saint James' Order.
★ Ferdinand and Isabella, the "
Catholic kings" converted Aranjuez into a
Royal Site. Since then it has been the spring residence of the
Kings of Spain since late
19th century.
★
Philip II of Spain: Construction of the
Royal Palace (
Juan Bautista de Toledo and
Juan de Herrera).
★ 1752: During the kingdom of
Ferdinand VI, the city of Aranjuez is born, as only the people related to the Monarch could live there until that moment.
★ 1808:
Mutiny of Aranjuez, by which
Charles IV of Spain was forced to abdicate in favour of his son
Ferdinand VII of Spain.
★ 1851: Opening of the
railway line between
Madrid and Aranjuez, the so-called
Strawberry Train. This was the second railway line in
Spain, after that of
Barcelona-
Mataró (
1848).
★ 1939:
Joaquín Rodrigo composes the
Concierto de Aranjuez, which would make Aranjuez famous all over the world.
★ 1983: Aranjuez is declared
Conjunto Histórico Artístico, literally Historic Artistic Junction.
★ 2001:
Unesco awards Aranjuez with Cultural Landscape as
World Heritage.
Notable people connected with Aranjuez
★
Francisco de Asís of Bourbon, husband of queen
Isabella II of Spain.
★
Francisco Agustín Silvela, Minister of Gobernación and Gracia y Justicia. Vice-President of the Congress of Deputies and Magistrate of the Supreme Court.
★
Santiago Rusiñol,
painter.
★
Joaquín Rodrigo,
musician.
★
Alicia Hermida, Spanish
actress.
★
Jose Luis Sampedro,
writer.
★
Juan Luis Mora Palacios,
football player.
★
Javier García Portillo,
football player.
★
Iván Sánchez-Rico Soto alias Riki,
football player.
★
Pato Clavet,
tennis player.
★
Ángel Parra (judo),
judoka.
★
Jesús Hernández,
hockey player.
Monuments and places of interest
★
Royal Palace.
★ Isle Garden.
★ Parterre Garden.
★ Prince's Garden.
★ Isabella II's Garden.
★ House of Trades and Knights.
★ House of Infantes and Atarfe.
★ Pleasure craft Museum.
★ Farmhand's House.
★ Saint Anthony Square and Royal Chapel.
★ House of Employees (currently Town Hall).
★ Alpajes Church.
★ Saint Pascual's Royal Convent.
★ Old Saint Charles' Hospital (to be restored).
★ Charles III's Royal Theatre (to be restored, currently in ruins).
★ Supply Market.
★ Plaza de Toros and Bullfighting Museum "Una Gran Fiesta".
★ Medinaceli Palace.
★ Governor's House (currently University of High Studies Centre Phillip II).
★ Mother Queen's old garage, today cultural centre "Isabel de Farnesio".
★ Typical corralas.
★ Godoy and Osuna's Palaces.
★ Silvela's Palace (also known as Bavaria's Palace).
★ Centre of Interpretation of the Natural Reserve "El Regajal-Mar de Ontígola".
★ Historical sotos.
★ Royal Country Estate of Saint Isidro.
Culture
Traditions
★ In
summer it is traditional to have dinner in the picnic areas next to the
Tagus river. These places are called 'gangos', which is a
Spanish word only used in Aranjuez.
Gastronomy
★ Products of the Garden:
strawberries and
asparagus.
★ It is also very typical to eat
pheasant.
Twinned cities
★
Écija (
Seville),
Spain.
★
Le Pecq-sur-Seine (
Yvelines),
France.
See also
★
List of municipalities in Madrid
External links
★ Spanish
★
★
Official homepage of Aranjuez
★
★ http://www.forosaranjuez.info
★
★ http://www.aranjuez.ws
★
★ http://www.aranjuez.com
★
★ http://www.aranjuez.tv
★
★ http://www.aranjuez.org
★
★ http://www.portalaranjuez.com
★
★
The "Strawberry train"
★
★
Pictures of Aranjuez
★
★ http://www.4esquinas.com
★
★ http://www.consumodigital.com
★
★ http://www.divergente.net
★
★ http://www.deportesenaranjuez.com
★ English
★
★
Photos of Aranjuez include pictures and images of its typical and pintoresque architecture, historical monuments of Aranjuez, parks and gardens of Royal Seat and Village of Aranjuez and their neighbourhood
★
★
Aranjuez @ AranNet
★
★
Aranjuez in Google Maps
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