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The Alicante province is dotted with many pretty and interesting towns with long and
fascinating histories. One of the largest and most bustling of these is the ancient town of Elda, home to much of Spain´s shoe industry.
The town, originally called Idella by the Iberians,
was occupied by the Moors as early as the 8th century - the ruins of the castle they built to defend the town still remain.
The Moors stayed for many centuries before eventually being defeated by the Aragonese King Jaime II (known as James II in English) in the 13th Century. King Jaime II was one of the most successful of the Christian Kings in driving the Moors from Spain, and he is creditted with the recapture of the city of Valencia (1238) and the conquest of the Baleiric Islands (1228-32) among his many adventures.
Nowadays Elda is most known for the manufacture of footwear, in particular lady´s shoes.
This industry first took hold in the 18th century and flourished between 1850 and 1885 establishing Elda as the centre for Spanish shoes. This history is celebrated in the Museo del Calzado (Footwear museum) which was opened by the Infanta Elena in 1999 (the daughter of Spanish King Juan Carlos). The museum is open six days a week (closed on Mondays and Sunday afternoons) and costs a paltry 2.40 Euros per person (concessions apply for children and pensioners).
The other main museum in town is the Archaelogical Museum, not surprising considering the busy history of the place.
Celebrating 30 years, the museum can be visited any day except Sunday. Also of interest in Elda is the Torre del Homenaje del Castillo (a 12th century tower) and the Count of Coloma Palace.
Elda is not just history - it is a modern and lively town with lots of shops, bars and restaurants - and like most towns in the Valencia region, each June it celebrates in style with its Moros y
Cristianos (Moors and Christians) festival.
The town was until the 18th century part of the Murcia region, but is now an integral part of Alicante´s vibrant economy - with a population of over
55,000 (over 85,000 if you include Petrer), Elda is one of the most important towns in the region.
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