La Coruña is an ancient city, a fact
borne out by its location on a ría (estuary) which ancient geographers
termed Magnus Portus Artabrorum, the many castros (Iron Age settlements)
in the area, and the Torre de Hércules, a Roman lighthouse still guiding
seamen today and the centrepiece of the city’s coat of arms.
It formed part of the
Bishopric of Santiago de Compostela until the early thirteenth century
when Alfonso IX awarded it a municipal charter and privileges. The
streets and small squares of the old town and the churches of Santa
María, Santiago, San Francisco and Santo Domingo are fine examples of
the work carried out in following centuries although they were the
subject of subsequent additions.
In the sixteenth century,
sea trade flourished and the development of the city was consolidated
when Navy Department Headquarters and a High Court were established
there. However, the most significant event was the departure of the
Armada, which was the cause of subsequent reprisals and attacks by the
English. It was during one of these attacks that the heroine María Pita
came to the fore in defending the city.
In the eighteenth
century, La Coruña embarked on a period of splendour with the
construction of several large houses and churches such as San Jorge and
San Nicolás. In the nineteenth century, the city expanded and
strengthened its position through extensive economic and administrative
activity. The battle of Elviña, which had as its hero the English
general, Sir John Moore, was one of the most glorious and decisive
events of the War of Independence. As proof of the city’s liberal
character of the time there were many uprisings and declarations.
Since the end of the nineteenth
century, La Coruña has become an important trading, administrative and
industrial centre. As Martínez-Barbeito wrote, La Coruña is ‘a developed,
rich and attractive city, founded on the experience and the prestige of
the past and which looks confidently to the future’.
The Archaeology Museum
and Fine Art Gallery - housing outstanding collections of Iron Age
jewellery and painting, respectively - deserve special mention, as do
the eye-catching Science Museum, the Domus or "Museum of Mankind" and
the Finisterrae Aquarium, the largest interactive aquarium in Europe,
with 9 million litres of water and more than 300 species of fish.
