Lorca sits in the south-west of the region of
Murcia and is a town of a variety of contrasts. The
town blends it's historical heritage with modern life.
Lorca is also an important commercial centre and to this
end has a well designed network of roads, rail and
communications. Lorca is probably the most important
tourist centre in the region. It has mountains to a
height of 1.500m in the north-west and an 8km coastline
in the coastal area. The surrounding area is covered
with vineyards.
Lorca has a wealth of historical buildings including
churches, Roman villas, palaces, monuments and works of
art. However, the city is dominated by the hilltop
castle. Lorca is a friendly and hospitable town that
offers recreation, shopping and a unique gastronomy.
Lorca also has a wealth of fiestas to be enjoyed by the
visitor and local alike.
Approaching Lorca is easy by means of the Mediterranean
highway that connects Valencia with Andalucia. Lorca has
it's own bus network with a coach station and a rail
network that connects with all the major cities. Lorca
is 120km from Alicante airport, 100km from San Javier
airport and 150km from Almeria airport.
Plaza Mayor This square got it's name in the 18th century and
was designed as the centre of power with the buildings
of the Town Council, Collegiate and the Mayor placed
around it, as well as the two granaries, the prison and
the market.
The Ex-Collegiate Church of San Patricio(left) This church, declared a conservation area in 1941,
was built upon the old church of San Jorge between 1536
and 1780. The name of the church is due to a victory by
the people of Lorca over the Moors of Granada in 1452.
Despite it's long construction period, the church has a
Renaissance style. The interior if the church is made up
of three naves, lateral chapels, a choir and a
retrochoir, a transept, an ambulatory with radial
chapels and a tower at the head which gives shelter to
the sacristy in it's inner part.
The
Town Hall
This building despite it's harmonious appearance was not
constructed all at once. The first part, constructed in
1678 was the former prison and a half a century later,
in 1739 the building was enlarged becoming an
outbuilding of the Town Council. The building is crowned
with two statues that symbolise charity and justice. The
interior of the building which was remodelled in 1992
offers a wide variety of contemporary paintings, mainly
by local painters and the ancient chapel of the Town
Council which contains six enormous canvas works
depicting the battles that local people have fought in.
The Granary This 16th century barn of the town consists of two
floors. The lower floor was used as a slaughterhouse and
the upper floor which is completely transparent to make
the most of the space was used to store wheat. Although
the frontage was restored in 1761 it preserves three
shields from 1553, the obverse and reverse of the town
council stamp and the shield of Carlos I. Today the
building is occupied by the Historical Archives of the
town, one of the best in Murcia.
The former Mayor's House Today this holds the court offices. There are only
four arches left of the old house, two of which make up
the edge with two worked images from 1750 are placed.
Inscriptions on here tell of the origins of the Romans
of Lorca.
Among Lorca'simportant churches are The
Church of San Francisco Built in 1561, very little
of the original building remains, having been rebuilt in
the 17th century. The interior is interesting because of
it's fine collection of Baroque altarpieces, located in
the gallery. The Convent of the Virgen de las Huertas
dedicated to the patron saint of the town dates from the
15th century, although the original building was
destroyed by floods and a new building constructed
before the 18th century. At this time it was the most
important religious centre in the town.
On almost every street corner you will find works of
original historic architecture. Almost every building
has a decoration of some kind, reminding you of the
civilisations that have lived here.
Lorca is also proud of it's squares and patios, all
neatly decorated with pots and exotic plants, statues
and water features.
As you wander the streets of Lorca, look out for the
Porch of San Antonio, one of the main doorways that
gave access to the town and the only one that has been
preserved. It is of Arabian origin and was reconstructed
in the 13th century. The Mile Column is situated
on the corner of the Ponce de Leon House in Corredera
Street. It is a Roman mile dating from the reign of
Emperor Augustus. It serves as a pedestal for the
sculpture of San Vincente. The Guevara Palace is
one of the most significant civil Baroque buildings in
the town and was built between 1689 and 1705. It is
owned by the Guervara family. The interior of the palace
retains the feel of the 18th century, especially in the
dance hall with it's Venecian chairs and carved framed
mirror. The palace is open to the public and one of the
main features worth seeing is the Sala Chemist,
located in one of the outbuildings. The display is a
complete chemist shop, intact as it was in 1896,
complete with carved oak furniture and fittings and
shelves lined with original medicines and ointments,
many made by the local chemist before the days of the
large laboratories.
Much of Lorca's history has been preserved in the many
museums, all of which are open to the public. Look for
the Archaeological Museum on Calle Juan Moreno.
The museum features everything that is or has been
important to Lorca since prehistoric times including a
good collection of coins and medals. The Regional
Craft Centre near the Guevara Palace has a permanant
exhibition of local craftwork in glass, wood, clay, reed
and pottery. Near the Church of san Francisco is the
Embroidery Museum where you will see fantastic
displays of local work as well as a pictoral history of
the building that houses the museum.
Lorca also has a wealth of galleries, libraries and
theatres including the important Teatro Guerra
located in Plaza de Calderon, tel 968 46 02 12.
When it comes to fiestas and traditions, Lorca has it's
fair share and some of the important dates in the
celebration calendar include 23rd November when San
Clemente is honoured. On the 8th September the Virgen de
las huertas, patron saint of Lorca is honoured in a
tradition that began in 1244. The Grand Feria of Lorca
takes place in September and lasts 10 days. Lorca also
celebrates
Semana Santa (Easter) in grand style.
Our visit to Lorca was part of out
tour of Murcia and was one of the highlights. We found
the tourist office very helpful, providing maps pointing
out all the important sights, most of which we managed
to find. Lorca has to be explored by foot to get the
most from your visit.
The surrounding area is a garden of
almond trees and a large quarrying area for marble. The
open countryside is quiet and very picturesque. There
are many small places on the way to visit, such as
Totana, Aledo and La Santa where you will find a
religious monument, high on the hill (right). Follow the
narrow winding road to the top to get a panoramic view
of the surrounding area. Take note of the unique statues
hidden in the bushes on the way up.
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