Richard Dawkins Honored in Valencia (Spain) (part 2)

Going way back in time it seems that the first ever known building to be constructed in this Castellón de la Plana area was in fact the famous Moorish castle of Fadrell situated near the Alquerías de La Plana.

Some time later the real town was officially founded in the year of 1251 and this was after the historical conquest of the Moorish Kingdom of Valencia that was done by King James I of Aragon at an earlier date in 1233.

King James I in fact then granted a royal permission to actually move the new town down from the mountain and on to the plain on the date of September 8 in 1251 Historically it now seems that tradition claims that this move was in fact completed by those that undertook this enormous task on the third Sunday of Lent in 1252.

Right throughout the Middle Ages this Castellón de la Plana city was well protected by moats around defensive walls and towers and later a new church was built which later become the city’s cathedral.

Later on in the 17th century the town became one of the very last great strongholds in the Revolta de les Germanies or “revolt of the local guilds”. And the town also was supportive of the Archduke Charles of Austria in the historical War of the Spanish Succession which ran from1701 to 1714. The city however was then taken by the troops and supporters of Philip d'Anjou.

More recently in the 19th century all of the city’s walls were taken down as it slowly began to expand beyond them and this a process which was interrupted only by the War of Independence against Napoleon which occurred from 1804 until 1814 and then again later by the Carlist Wars from 1833 up to 1863.

At the start of these wars in 1833 was the year that Castellón de la Plana became the new capital of the newly constituted province area.

Even more recently in the second half of the 19th century the city of Castellón de la Plana began to expand again even more. And this time it was marked by the arrival of a railway into the city and also included the enlargement of the city’s port area as well as the construction of some important representative buildings such as the Provincial Hospital and a Casino and the city’s Theater. Many parks were also developed at this time.

Very recently just a few years ago in 1991 a new university in Castellón de la Plana, named Jaume I University, was created and built on a new modern campus location. Today the local economy of the area is mainly based on industry and craft work.