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Cadiz
stands on a peninsula jutting out into a bay, and is almost entirely surrounded
by water. Named Gadir by the Phoencians, who founded their trading post in
1100 BC, it was later controlled by the Carthaginians, until it became a thriving
Roman port. It sank into oblivion under the Visigoths and Moors. For information
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in or near Cadiz please contact us.
It is regarded to be the most ancient city still standing in western Europe. Traditionally, its establishment has been dated to about 1100 BCE, although, as of 2004, no archaeological finds have been found that date back further than the 9th century BC. One resolution to this discrepancy has been to assume that it was, in the initial phase, merely a small trading post.
Later, the Greeks would know the city as Gadira or Gadeira. According to Greek legend, Gadir was founded by Heracles after killing Geryon. Indeed, one of the city's notable features during this era was the temple dedicated to the Phoenician god Melqart. Some historians think that the columns of this temple gave origin to the myth of the Columns of Hercules (Melqart was associated by the Greeks with Heracles, or Hercules).
In about 500 BCE, the city fell under the sway of Carthage. Cadiz became a base of operations for Hannibal's conquest of southern Iberia. However, in 206 BC, the city fell to Roman forces under Scipio Africanus. The people of Cadiz welcomed the victors. Under the Romans, it was renamed Gades. The city flourished under Roman rule as a naval base. By the time of Augustus, Cadiz was home to more than 500 equites, rivaled only by Rome and Padua, and its citizens ranked next to those of Rome itself. However, with the decline of the Roman Empire, Gades's commercial importance began to fade.
The 5th century overthrow of Roman power in Spain
by the Visigoths saw the destruction of the original city, of which there
remain few remnants today. Under Moorish rule between 711 and 1262, the city
was called Qadis, from where the modern Spanish name Cadiz was derived. The
Moors were finally ousted by Alphonso X of Castile.
During the Age of Exploration, the city experienced a renaissance. Christopher
Columbus sailed from Cadiz on his second and fourth voyages, and the city
later became the home port of the Spanish treasure fleet. Consequently, the
city became a major target of the enemies of Spain. The 16th century saw a
series of failed raids by Barbary corsairs.
Sir Francis Drake destroyed a Spanish fleet in the harbor of Cadiz in April
1587, followed by the sacking of Cadiz in 1596 by the earl of Essex and Lord
Charles Howard. In the Anglo-Spanish War Admiral Robert Blake blockaded Cádiz
from 1655 and 1657, during which one of his captains, Richard Stayner, destroyed
most of the Spanish treasure fleet. A galleon of treasure was captured, and
the overall loss to Spain was estimated at £2,000,000. In 1702, the
British attacked again under Sir George Rooke and James, Duke of Ormonde,
but was repelled.
In the 18th century, the sand bars of the river Guadalquivir forced the Spanish
government to transfer the port monopolizing trade with Spanish America from
Seville to Cadiz. During this time, the city experienced
a golden age in which 75% of Spanish trade was with the Americas. It became
one of Spain's greatest and most cosmopolitan cities, home to trading communities
from many countries, amongst whom the richest was the Irish community; many
of today's historic buildings in the Old City date from this time.
By the end of the century, however, the city suffered another series of attacks.
The British fleet blockaded Cadiz between February 1797 to April 1798, and
the city was bombarded by Nelson in 1800. During Napoleon's conquest of Europe,
Cadiz served as one of the few locations that could resist the French invasion.
Cadiz was the seat of the liberal Cortes fighting Joseph I of Spain in the
Peninsula war, and where the Spanish Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed.
The citizens against revolted in 1820 to secure a renewal of this consititution;
the revolution spread across Spain, leading to the imprisonment of King Ferdinand
VII of Spain in the city. French forces secured the relase of Ferdinand in
1823, and suppressed liberalism. In 1868, Cádiz was once again the
seat of a revolution, affecting the eventual dethronment of Queen Isabella.
In recent years, the city has undergone much reconstruction. Many monuments,
cathedrals, and landmarks have been cleaned and restored to add to the charm
of this old city.
Some of the city's 18th century walls still stand, such as the Landward Gate.
The old, central quarter of Cadiz is famous for its picturesque charm, and
many of the buildings reflect the city's overseas links. Worth a visit are
the city's Cathedral and churches of Santa Cruz and San Felipe Neri, which
is famous throughout Spain as the place where, in defiance of Napoleon's siege,
the provisional government was set up with its own liberal Constitution. Other
points of interest are La Santa Cueva, home to several paintings by Goya,
and stately mansions such as the Casa del Almirante and Casa de las Cadenas.
The old city looks quite Moorish in appearance and is intriguing with narrow
cobbled streets opening onto small squares. The golden cupola of the cathedral
looms high above long white houses and the whole place has a slightly dilapidated
air. It just takes an hour to walk around the headlands where you can visit
the entire old town and pass through some lovely parks with sweeping views
of the bay.
Unlike most other ports of its size it seems immediately relaxed and easy
going, not at all threatening, even at night. Perhaps this is due to its reassuring
shape and size, the presence of the sea making it impossible to get lost for
more than a few blocks. It also owes much to the town's tradition of liberalism
and tolerance which was maintained all through the years of Franco's dictatorship,
despite this being one of the first cities to fall to his forces and was the
port through which the Republican armies launched their invasion.
Property in Cadiz
Cadiz
Cadiz
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