LORCA

Lorca is a large town by Spanish standards, It has approximately 80,000 inhabitants, excellent public transport and road networks, medical facilities including a hospital and yet is only 20 minutes from the beach. The surrounding landscape is that of mountains reaching to a height of 1.500m, vineyards, pine forests and the beautiful Sierra Espuña Natural Park.

To socialise in Lorca, there is a multiplex cinema, theatre, sports complex, shops of every kind and as for the bars and restaurants, well there are hundreds.

Inspite of all the modern facilities Lorca has to offer, it is quite exceptional how it manages to retain its traditional feel and customs. It has been described as `the baroque city' due to its strong heritage in the historical centre. It has many historical churches, palaces, monuments and works of art.

The Guevara Palace is one of the most important baroque buildings in the town, being owned by the Guervara family. The inside of the palace has kept its 18th century feel especially the Venetian chairs and carved gilt mirror found in the dance hall.

Amongst the outbuildings you will find the Sala Chemist in its original state dating from 1896, complete with carved oak furniture and shelves full of original medicines and ointments all made by the local chemist.

The history of Lorca has been preserved in many of the town's museums, all of which are open to the public, visit the Archaeological Museum, Regional Crafts Centre or the Embroidery Museum.

One building you can’t miss when you visit Lorca, is the Castle. It dominates and overlooks the whole town and surrounding areas. This Moorish fort was built between the 13th and 15th Century and has two towers that are still conserved today. It is now a huge tourist attraction with videos showing the history and battles that were fought and people in period costume to re-enact times gone by.

All in all, Lorca has something for every one, whether visiting, passing through or making a more permanent commitment to the area.