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4th International Conference On Enterprise Information Systems 
Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha - Ciudad Real - Spain - 3-6 April, 2002

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Co-organized by:


Universidad de 
Castilla-La Mancha

and
Escola Superior de Tecnologia Logo
Departamento de Sistemas 
e Informática
da
EST-Setúbal/IPS 
Escola Superior de 
Tecnologia de Setúbal 

 Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal

 

ICEIS 2002 Sites www.est.ips.pt/iceis www.iceis.org

CIUDAD REAL                             

How to get there

Ciudad Real is in Castilla - La Mancha, the Don Quixote's land. It is not easy to categorize Castilla - La Mancha, for it  is a region of great variety and complexity. On the one ahnd, ther is the ruddy red earth, the windmills, and simple whitewashed villages of the province of Ciudad Real (which encompasses most jof the area commonly called La Mancha).

But there also the strangely sculped cliffs of Cuenca and Albacete, the hilly woodlands of Guadalajara and the dark mystery and ancient cultures of Toledo. Ciudad Real is one hour by car from Toledo, fifty minutes by train from Madrid, seventy minutes by train from Córdoba and two hours by train from Sevilla.

HISTORY. PROVINCE OF CIUDAD REAL

Abundant traces of remote prehistoric times have survived in this province, amongst which the schematic paintings of the neolithic in the area of the Sierra Morena are of great interest, those at Fuencaliente being particularly outstanding; the hillock of Azuer (Daimiel), from the Bronze Age; the village of Bienvenida (in the Valley of Alcudia) or the recently discovered Cerro de las Cabezas, in Valdepeñas, which was already occupied in the 6th B.C. 

An ancient city, founded in 1255, which still preserves vestiges of its past. A frontier zone between Christianity and the Arab civilisation. The great priory of San Juan, the Order de Calatrava and the Knights of Saint James (Caballeros Santiaguistas) gradually acquired sufficient strength to threaten the authority of royal power. Alfonso X the Wise (El Sabio), in order to counteract the growing power of the Orders, had Villa Real built and surrounded it with walls with 120 towers. The expulsion of the Jews in 15C and the incorporation of the territories of the military orders by the Crown triggered off the decline of its Villas and the rise of the Royal ones. In 1691, the province of La Mancha was created, along with the remaining 21 provinces of Castilla, and Ciudad Real was its capital. From 1833 onwards, after the division of the peninsula into 49 provinces, Ciudad Real became definitively the capital of the province which bears its name.

NOT TO BE MISSED

Art

Among the main architectural constructions which the city offers to the visitor, the following are particularly worthy of note: The Puerta de Toledo, which is Mudéjar style. The arch at the entrance to the Alcazar Real, built in what was the last part of the jewish quarter. The church of San Pedro is the oldest church in Ciudad Real, it is Romanesque in form. The Iglesia de Santiago is a beautiful 14 and 15C Gothic building. The Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Prado has just one very large nave, outstanding is its marvellous Renaissance-style reredos. The Jewish Quarter (Judería) was one of the biggest in Spain, at the present time the only remains are in the Ciudad Real Provincial Museum (Museo Provincial), which contains among its most important remains, the door of a Jewish synagogue. Also worthy of note are remains from the Paleolithic, late Bronze and Iron Ages. In the fine arts section, several valuable works by Gregorio Prieto, Ubeda and Antonio López García are outstanding. There is also a section devoted to new plastic styles.

                                                                

                                                                             Puerta de Toledo
                                                                           

Campos de Calatrava y Valdepeñas
Via the local road which crosses the Jabalón, you reach Aldea del Rey and there you take the C410. In Calzada de Calatrava must is to make the trip to the important ruins of Calatrava la Nueva, opposite which is the historic castle of Salvatierra. You return to the C410 and continue as far as Viso del Marqués, where you will find the National Archives of the Spanish Navy (Archivo Nacional de la Marina Española). You go on to Santa Cruz de Mudela, passing through the Santuario de las Virtudes. where its magnificent reredos and ceiling can be seen, as well as its pretty non-detached, squareshaped bullring. If you continue through the wine-producing lands of Valdepeñas you will finally reach Almagro, head of the Order and Campo de Calatrava, where you can admire its beautiful balconied square and theatre, where every year the International Classical Theatre Festival takes place. The traveller will no doubt be astonished by the delicate lace bobbin work. Almagro has been declared an Area of Historical and Artistic interest. La Solana is a town near Almagro which has a beautiful Manchegan square and the 15C Parish church of San Sebastián.

Los Ojos del Guadiana
Travelling along these plains brings to mind the evocation of Cervantes' world of Don Quixote and Sancho. But first let us begin with the surprise of the lagoons called the eyes (ojos) of Guadiana. The Tablas de Daimiel, whence the birds emigrate after their migration. It is a national park of undoubted ecological value. From Daimiel you go towards Villarrubia de los Ojos, and from there to Puerto Lápice with its beautiful Manchegan fortifications, its inns and windmills. From this small town you will go to Campo de Criptana, which for many, is the most beautiful village in La Mancha. It is a village which spreads its white dwellings on the slope of a hill topped by windmills. From Campo de Criptana to Alcázar de San Juan, another landscape highlighted by its windmills. It also has an archaeological museum with important Roman mosaics and the tower of Don Juan de Austria. In Pedro Muñoz we can see lagoons of great ecological interest. Tomelloso, one of the wine centres of La Mancha, has a surrounding countryside in which there is an abundance of the typical buildings of this region called "bombos". You can see the Cart (Carro) Museums and that of the artist Antonio López and the inn (Posada) de los Portales, which is in the main square (Plaza Mayor). San Carlos del Valle has a typical 18C square.

                                                                        

                                                                                 Tablas de Daimiel

Sierra Morena
This route has the aim of making, direct contact with nature. For this purpose, you take the N420 to Almodóvar del Campo, a town which has a beautiful parish church, with a splendid Mudéjar ceiling. You continue towards the Niefla pass, from where you have panoramic views of the Campo de Calatrava and the Valle de Alcudia. It may be of interest to pay a visit to Fuencaliente, with its spa and the caves of Peña Escrita and la Batanera which have prehistoric diagram paintings.

Campo de Montiel
This is a region which historically was part of the Order of Santiago. You begin the itinerary from Valdepeñas and make a leisurely stop in the splendid town of Villanueva de los Infantes, a majestic town in the Montiel countryside which originated in the Augustan antiquarian colony; there Francisco de Quevedo died. It has an outstanding main square, surrounded by neo Classical pillars. Afterwards you head for the lagoons (lagunas) de Ruidera. This is surprising and beautiful scenery, stretching for thirty kilometres, with a succession of lagoons linked by waterfalls, and a Mediterranean tree-lined scenery. It is more than an oasis in La Mancha, there you can practise all kinds of aquatic sporting activities such as sailing, windsurfing and fishing.

                                                                       

                                                                              Lagunas de Ruidera


Montes de Toledo
Leaving Ciudad Real by the N401, you come to Fernancaballero, the gateway to the Gasset reservoir. This trip offers us three options for venturing further into the Montes de Toledo, the first will take you to Navas de Estena, after going round the Torre de Abraham lake. The second option leads you as far as Horcajo de los Montes, with a view of mountain ranges and plains making up an outstanding natural landscape with its own flora and fauna. You can also see the Cabañeros National Park. The third possibility takes you to Puebla de Don Rodrigo, on the outskirts of which the Guadiana, at this point full of water, can be seen.

                                                                  

                                                                               Montes de Toledo

 

Links with information about Spain

TURESPAÑA: http://www.tourspain.es

University of Castilla - La Mancha: http://www.uclm.es/

Train information: http://www.renfe.es/ingles/index.html 

Ciudad Real region location in Spain: http://tuspain.com/travel/regbc.htm

The Land of Dom Quijote: http://www.elquijote.org/

 

 

 
Page Updated on 19-10-2006

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