Huelva, a city of fishermen and sailors which can be seen in the names of the streets of the lower zone of the city, such as 'Calle Las Bocas', and 'Calle Berdigón'. And its tide mills, such as the 'Molino de la Vega', which now lends its name to a district of Huelva.
Children who grew up in Huelva, themselves from parents born and bred in the small villages in the province during the industrial boom, who ancestors came to the city in search of work, have recently returned to their villages to live their festivals and customs once more, with all that this entails. Huelva has a new sense of modernity, throwing out the old and in with the new!
Huelva is a provinical capital that has two distinguishing hallmarks: its rivers and its small hillocks. 'El Parque Alonso Sánchez', which is still unfinished, is erected on one such hillock, integrated well without destroying it and offering an exceptional viewpoint across the city. The Roman 'Onoba Aestuaria' forms a peninsula nestled between two rivers, the River Luxia and the River Urium. The Urium is now known as the River Tinto and the Luxia is now known as the River Odiel. These two rivers join at the 'Punta del Sebo', while in the north, the last tributary on the right bank of the River Tinto, 'La Ribera de la Nicoba' skirts around the capital, thus forming the peninsula.
The importance of this city lies in its sights, but also its story, linked to mining and with many settlements having made the city their howm over the course of its history. In the 'Cabezo de la Joya' you will find the tomb of King Argantonio, thought not only to be a king but also the leader of a dynasty, and reigned for 80 years and lived for more than 100, which was most strange in those days. In 'La Orden', another district of the city, you can find remains which have been dated to over 5000 years old. At the Museum of Huelva, there are 30 cylindrical idols, which leads us to assume that such an amount highlights Huelva as an extremely important city, which may or not the city of Tartessos. At a provincial level, there are over 300 dolmens which again underlines the historical importance of the city..
As for the province, you have more than 120 kilometres of uninterrupted coastline, some of them equipped with services for large numbers of demanding tourists while others offer exquisite virgin beaches perfect for those in search of complete privacy! Isla Canela, Punta del Moral, Isla Cristina, La Antilla, El Rompido, El Portil, Punta Umbria, Mazagon and up to Matalascañas where the Doñana National Park begins, all offer beaches that year after year have managed to fly the blue flag as a result of their superb infrastructures, excellent facilities and of course...their crystal clear waters!
Before industrialisation in the 60s in Huelva, the entire population enjoyed the waters of the river to cool off on the hottest days of summer, in the Punta del Sebo, under the imposing view of the memorial monument 'La Fe Descubridora', popularly known among the locals as the Columbus Monument. Today, a dip in the river is not highly recommended, but after the construction of the Juan Carlos I dam, popularly known as 'El Espigon', Huelva has been granted another beach!
The city is also famous for hosting the massive yearly pilgrimage of the Virgen del Rocío. 'El Rocio' is a village belonging to the municipality of Almonte, located at the gates of the Doñana National Park. The pilgrims, as the inhabitants are called during the dates of the pilgrimage, feel most fortunate to be surrounded by the marshes of the Rocio. The town has unpaved streets of sand and the 'Ermita de la Blanca Paloma' church allows you to view true colonial style architecture.
The 'Sierra de Aracena' and 'Picos de Aroche', offer rugged terrain, and the people who occupy these areas ease of communication that other cities have been able to enjoy in better suited terrains. This means that their culture has been deeply rooted in tradition until just a few decades ago, when new roads and public transport emerged.
The average temperature in Huelva is 20 degrees maximum in autumn and spring and 30 degrees in summer, 12 degrees in winter. Thanks to this, the city is suitable for sports related to nature, such as golf especially close to the beaches, hiking along Avenida Francisco Montenegro up to the monument 'La Fe Descubridora' or from the entrance of the Odiel Marshes to the beaches. There are also many biking trails , with two such trails along the routes mentioned above... canoeing in the campsites among many more activities.
Huelva is one of the eight provinces of Andalusia, located at the western end. The province borders Seville to the east, at the mouth of the River Guadalquivir, opposite the province of Cadiz, outlining part of the Doñana National Park. To the west, the river Guadiana separates Huelva from Portugal. In the north, the province looks over towards the vast plains of 'Tierra de Barros' in Badajoz and to the South we have the Atlantic IOcean in all its splendor.
Due to its proximity, any break in Huelva means you can quickly visit Portugal or if you have more time, even the Canary Islands thanks to the direct connections by ferry.
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