History

Those art and history lovers will find in Cartagena - nine kilometres from the Mar Menor - one of the oldest cities in Spain.

It is formed by several civilizations, ranging from the Romans to the Arabs, the Carthaginians and Byzantines, which intermingle in a city that is now 2 millenniums old.

The city of Cartagena, natural Port of the Region of Murcia, is a cultural and historical reference. The centre of the area is called “Campo de Cartagena”, a vast fertile plane that is used for cultivation thanks to the water brought from the Tajo-Segura water transfer project.

Its port, almost unshakeable, is facing southwards and has been a key to all historic events. The Phoenicians were there and it was the capital of the Carthaginian occupation in the Iberian Peninsula until it was taken by the Romans, when it became the great Roman city of Carthago Nova. The Byzantines set here their seat of government.

Once it was destructed by the hands of the Visigoths and the first Muslims started to appear, it was added to the kingdom of Castilla in the 13th century.

In the 16th century, King Philip II created a new defensive system in the city and set the towers on the coast. In the 18th century, during the reign of Charles III, several important military constructions were made. The boom in mining after the Cantonal War of 1874 led to a general economic boost that was reflected on the flourishing of new and expensive modern buildings placed in the historical centre of Cartagena and its surroundings.

Find out more information in: http://www.ayto-cartagena.es