Vinaròs


Vinaròs is a village located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat. It's in the province of Castellón, within the Valencian Community. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination.

History

The first historical record of Vinaròs is in 1233, when the Moorish hamlet of Binarlaros-Ibn Arus in eastern al-Andaluz was captured by King James I of Aragon. It was under rule of the Knights templar order between 1294 and 1311, and of the order of Montesa during the 14th century.
The town grew during the 16th and 17th centuries, when fortifications and navy yards were built, and attained great prosperity during the following two centuries, due to its involvement in ship building and Valencian wine trade. The town suffered a strong decline in the early 20th century as a consequence of the spread of phylloxera in the regions vineyards, which devastated wine production.
Today, the prosperity of Vinaròs is bound to tourism and fishing, it is renowned for its tasty prawns. Vinaròs is part of the Taula del Sénia free association of municipalities.

Main sights

Sights in Vinaròs is the fortress-like Església Arxiprestal de l'Assumpció, built in the prevailing Renaissance architectural style during 1583-1596, with a 'new' Baroque portal added during 1698–1702.

Culture

Carnival

The Carnival of Vinaròs usually take place during January, February or March. It has 33 troupes composed of many people. Each troupe is represented by a queen who creates a spectacular costume.

Calendar

1st day : in the Town Hall, Carnival starts by a performance decorated with the Carnival's topic and the "Carnestoltes" presentation. Then, the Mayor and the queens open the Carnival's huts enclosure.
2nd day : The Queen's Presentation, where they show their fantastic costumes to all the people. It's located on the old football pitch.
3rd day : Flour's battle and Disguised pets Competition in the Carnival's huts enclosure, placed in the Fóra Forat Walk both.
4th day : dinner for the elderly.
5th day : some troupes compete in the Karaoke Song Contest.
6th day : people dress up with thematic costumes reflecting the Carnival's theme and they enjoy the night at the Carnival's hutts enclosure.
7th day : everyone wears pyjamas and enjoys the night at the Carnival's huts enclosure.
8th day : people wear costumes and enjoy the night at the Carnival's huts enclosure.
9th day and 10th day : on Saturday and Sunday, troupes parade in a circuit through the major streets of Calle Pilar, Calle Pablo Ruiz Picasso, Calle San Francisco, Avenida País Valencià, Calle Arcipreste Bono, Plaza 1º de Mayo, Calle Costa y Borrás, Avenida País Valencià, Calle Arcipreste Bono, Calle Socorro, Plaza Jovellar and Calle Pilar.
11th day : Carnival ends at the Town Hall and then the "Carnestoltes" is burned on the beach or in a waste ground.
Moreover, in August there's the Summer Carnival with The Queen's Presentation to show the tourists how Carnival is like in Vinaròs.

Politics

In the 2007 Spanish local elections, the People's Party obtained ten city councillors, the PSPV-PSOE, seven, the Partit de Vinaròs Independent, three, and the Valencian Nationalist Bloc, one.
In the 2011 Spanish local elections, the People's Party obtained an absolute majority with 11 councillors elected. The PSPV-PSOE obtained 6 city councillors, the Valencian Nationalist Bloc 2. The PVI lost two seats, obtaining just one councillor while Republican Left of the Valencian Country obtained 1 city councillor.
In the 2015 Spanish local elections, the People's Party lost three city councillors, obtaining 8 seats. The PSPV-PSOE lost two city councillors, receiving 4. The electors association Each and every one are Vinaròs got 5 city councillors and the other political parties obtained the same number of councillors. The PSPV-PSOE, Commitment Coalition and Each and every one are Vinaròs signed the "Stables Covenant" in order to form a government with absolute majority, that is with 11 city councillors. In this document, they agreed that the leader of the most-voted list would be the mayor, Mr. Enric Pla Vall, and the other leaders would be the first and second deputy mayors depending on the elected city councillors they had. So the first deputy mayor was Mr. Guillem Alsina Gilabert from the PSPV-PSOE and the second one was Mr. Domènec Fontanet from Compromís.
Political partyVotes%City councillors
People's Party
3.851
30.66
8
Each and every one are Vinaròs
2.589
20.61
5
Socialist Party of the Valencian Country
2.328
18.53
4
Compromís
1.153
9.18
2
Civic Agreement
791
6.30
1
Independent Party of Vinaròs
772
6.15
1

People