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Castelln De La PlanaCastelln de la Plana (in Catalan/Valencian Castell de la Plana) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian autonomous community, Spain, in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, by the Mediterranean Sea. Population: approx. 160,000. History The town was founded in 1233, after the conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia by King James I of Aragon. During the Middle Ages, the city was protected by moats, walls and towers, and a church was built, later transformed into a cathedral. In the 17th century the town was one of the last strongholds in the revolt of the Germanies (local guilds). It also supported Archduke Charles of Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), but was later taken by the troops of Philip d'Anjou. In the 19th century, the city walls were torn down and it slowly began to expand, a process interrupted by the War of Independence against Napoleon (1804-14) and the Carlist Wars (1833-63). In 1833 Castelln became the capital of the newly constituted province. In the second half of the 19th century, the city again began to expand, marked by the arrival of the railway, the enlargement of the port and the construction of representative buildings (Provincial Hospital, Casino, Theater) and parks. In 1991 a University (Universitat Jaume I) was established, endowed with a modern Campus. Sights Most of the historical buildings are located in the small-sized old town, around the Plaza Mayor (Main Square). These include: - The Gothic Concatedral de Santa Maria (Procathedral of Saint Mary), built in the 13th century and reconstructed one century later after destruction by fire
- The Ajuntament (City Hall), erected at at the beginning of the 18th century. It features a pretty Tuscan-style faade rising up over a colonnade.
- The standing bell-tower of the procathedral, known as El Fadr (the single), built at the turn of the 17th century.
- The Llotja del Cnem (Hemp Exchange Market), built during the first half of the 17th century to be used by traders in hempen cloth and ropes, a very important activity in the area in the time. Today the building is used by the University for cultural acts and temporal exhibitions.
- On the northwest edge of the town, at the end of a broad avenue decorated with orange trees, stands the Basilica of Santa Mara de Lled, a basilica devoted to a image of the Virgin Mary found in 1366 by a farmer when he was ploughing his lands. The original 14th-century chapel was extended to its present Baroque form during the 16th century. The complex is surrounded by a landscaped garden.
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