Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife)
Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) or Santa Cruz – The capital of the island of Tenerife and the province of Spain, one of the two capitals of the Canary Islands (place of work of the autonomous parliament). Population – 221,956 people (2008).
Tourists come to Santa Cruz de Tenerife mostly for shopping. Despite numerous commercial centers in the southern resorts of Tenerife, the city is of great interest in many of its stores.
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife many museums and exhibition halls. Here is the main concert hall of Tenerife, where one of the best symphony orchestras in Europe is constantly performing, and gave concerts while touring the star of the first magnitude.
In March and February, a carnival is held in Santa Cruz – the most important holiday in Tenerife. By scale and colorful, he is the second in the world after the Brazilian carnival.
Economic life Santa Cruz de Tenerife is determined by a deep-water port that can take luxurious liners, tankers arriving from Venezuela and the Middle East and container carriers that are loaded here by bananas and tomatoes intended for export.
The province received its name from the Silver Holy Cross of Conquistadors, who Alonso Fernandez de Lugo waters up after disembarking on the Anazo coast in 1494 (now this cross is stored in the National Museum of Tenerife – Iglesia de Nourastra Señora de la Conception).
During the XVI century, this former fishing village has become an important port in the closed harbor of La Laguna.
Since 1723, the city becomes the administrative center of Tenerife, and in 1822-1927. – Capital of all archipelago. Earlier the capital of the island was nearby lagoon.
In Tenerife, the British were repeatedly attacked, but unsuccessfully. In 1797, admiral Nelson himself tried to seize the port, but was defeated.
After coming to the island of the Spaniards, the development of the city (like the whole archipelago) went on a new channel. Many countries would not mind keeping trading paths passing through the islands. Because they (especially in this matter succeeded england) did a lot of attempts to take possession of Tenerife.
Spaniards had to build a lot of fortresses on the coast to protect their possessions; But nothing stopped pirates inspired by the English and French authorities, they often attacked Tenerife.
Unlike La Lagoon, there are almost no historical monuments in Santa Cruz.
Square Spain (Plaza de Espana) – Round Square, located in the city center along the harbor. Monumento de Los Caidos, a giant monument standing in the middle of the square represents several bronze figures. This is a work by Enrique Cesar Sadivar, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Civil War 1936-1939. The massive building on the south side of the Kabildo Square Insular was created under the project Jose Enrique Marrero and is an example of the architecture of the era of the fascism of the 1930s. Now he is held by the municipality of Tenerife, in addition it is located in it the main tourist office of the city.
Kandelaria Square (Plaza de Candelaria) – Popular meeting place and walks. It was laid in 1701 and in the West borders with Spain’s Square. Its official name Plaza de la Constitucion. Monument, standing in the center – El Trionfo de la Candelaria – is dedicated to the saint patron of the island. It was carved from the White Carrara marble by the Italian sculptor Antonio Canova and solemnly opened in 1787. Another landmark of Square – Palacio de Card (1742). Previously, it was a prefecture, and now a branch of the Spanish Credit Bank. This is an excellent pattern of traditional Canary patio.
Ilelesia de Nourera Señora de la Conception – Although this church was built in 1498, its current appearance of the reconstruction result conducted in the second half of the XVIII century. She is interested in its interior, in particular, the main altar created by Jose Lucan Peres. The church serves as the storage of the history of the island. Here are the Silver Cross (Santa Cruz) of conquistadors and British flags captured during the attack of General Nelson to the city in 1797.
Museum of nature and man – Located in the building of the classic style, where there used to be a military hospital. The exposition is dedicated to geology, archeology, as well as Flora and the fauna of the Canary Islands. In addition to famous mummies of Guangchi, a small collection of artifacts is exhibited here: ceramics, African carvings, the art of the Precombus era, as well as fossils from around the world.
