Torrevieja

Until the 1800s, Torrevieja was nothing more than random cottages and desolate dwellings near an ancient guard tower, which gave the town its name; torre vieja is Spanish for 'old tower'. In 1803, Charles IV decided to relocate the salt-mine production and offices from La Mata to the town of Torrevieja itself, allowing for the construction of new buildings and homes there. However, in 1829, the town was totally leveled by an earthquake, but the salt basins were soon recovered and business resumed.

In the 19th century, the salt was mainly shipped from the town by Swedish and Dutch merchant and cargo ships. At the time, there was only limited salt exportation to other regions of Spain, mainly to Galicia and l, to a lesser extent, greater Valencia. Soon, with the turn of the 20th century, a quarter of all the salt sold in Spain was harvested directly from the Torrevieja lagoons, with the rest being exported to foreign markets. Today, it is still an important industry in Torrevieja and still a major employer. The city features a Museum of Sea and Salt.

In 1931, Alfonso XIII gave Torrevieja city status by special grant. During this period, there was also a growing market for locally-grown flax, hemp and cotton.

The municipality contains a water desalination plant, the largest of its kind in Europe. The company that build the plant, Acconia, maintains that the plant supplies water for customers across Northern Europe.

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Recent history

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Since the mid-20th century, and entering into the 21st century, the local economy has grown exponentially due to the Mediterranean tourism industry, attracting visitors from elsewhere in Spain as well as tourists from abroad. Additionally, there is a strong contingent of British, Irish, German and Scandinavian citizens who stay in Torrevieja year-round, as well as many extended-vacationers using companies like Air BnB, or property timeshares. There is also a growing number of Spaniards who own second homes in the city.

In 2004, Torrevieja had the largest number of British expats of all the Spanish municipalities (approx. 7,180[citation needed]). The high number of British residents from Yorkshire has led to Torrevieja being nicknamed 'Costa del Yorkshire' by some and paella can be had served in giant Yorkshire puddings in many of the city's restaurants.

In 2001, the city was (along with Random House's Spanish subsidiary, Plaza & Janés) recognised with Spain's second-most important annual literary award, the Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja, and its poetry correlative, Premio de Poesía Ciudad de Torrevieja.

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Source: en.wikipedia.org