Here is some background information about Ciudad Real. The city is in Castile–La Mancha, and with a population of aroud 75,000, is the capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It has a stop on the AVE high-speed rail line and has begun to grow as a long-distance commuter suburb of Madrid, which is located 115 miles to the north.
Ciudad Real was founded by King Alfonso X, The Wise in 1255 to fight the Moorish threat with the Military Order of Calatrava. During the Middle Ages, four kilometres of walls and one hundred and thirty towers protected a population made up of Christians, Muslims and Jews.
After the unification of the Iberian kingdoms under the Catholic Monarchs, Ciudad Real became the capital of the province of La Mancha in 1691. This was followed by a period of prosperity. In 1755, however, an earthquake centred on Lisbon destroyed many of the important buildings. In 1809, during the Peninsular War, French troops defeated their Spanish counterparts and occupied the city, using the local hospital as their headquarters and barracks.
Nowadays, the Plaza Mayor still sits in the centre of Ciudad Real. However, only two parts of the wall that surrounded the city in medieval times remain standing.
Here are some views of the train journey I referred to in my previous blog post, as well as a map.
And here is the local beer, Calatrava. It is a refreshing pilsner type and just what we need after a long day!
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