Abderraman II founded the
city of Murcia in 825. In the 19th century
it was an emerging place and Capital City,
with an important court of artists and scientists.
The remains of buildings, the city’s
defensive wall and the irrigation system
in the Huerta have all been conserved form
Moorish times. Murcia was the capital of
the kingdom and the current structure of
the city and the layout of the streets are
the result of her Moorish heritage. In 1266,
Murcia joined the Castillian crown.
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From the second half of the 13th century the
city enjoyed a time of great splendour. The King
Alfonso X the Wise, who spent long periods of
time in Murcia, established the socio- economic
bases of the municipally. The city was given a
number of privileges by the monarch to encourage
commerce and harmony amongst the different cultures
and religions living together.
Through the 15th century the famous Acts of the
Huerta were passed, considered to be the forts
and possibly the only rural Spanish code. Through
this century, Murcia enjoyed a period of prosperity.
The irrigation system in the Huerta was almost
complete and the trades, which today give their
name to the streets of the historic quarter, were
flourishing.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the periods
of political stability were favourable for cultural
and economic development. Silk commerce continued
to be extraordinarily important.
It was in the 18th century that the city became
truly splendid and it is known as the Murcian
Golden Age. During this time, great urban and
administrative changes took place encouraged by
great Murcian close to the court and holding responsible
positions, for example, Cardenal Belluga or the
Count of Floridabalnca.
During the 19th century, Murcia suffered directly
the instability caused by the War of Independence
and the radically changing politics during the
wars between the “Carlistas” and “Isabelinos”
or by the establishment of the First Republic
until the reestablishment of the House of Bourbon.
However, in this century, the free university
was created as a forerunner of the official university,
which would be created in 1915. Gas lighting was
installed in the city and in 1893 the first electric
light exchange was established. Improvements continued
to be made to the city.
With the creation of the law faculty in 1915,
an age of renovation and vitality began. The Murcian
Juan de la Cierva invented the precursor of the
helicopter. The University was an important influence
in literature, art and sciences as well as research.
In the last decades of the 20th century, the city,
with its solid political and socio- economic base,
saw a spectacular growth and renovation of its
streets.
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