A Coruña History
Placed opposite to the Atlantic Ocean, La Coruña it is a city whose history guards a narrow link with its former fishing and mercantile port. The peninsula where the old city stands, along with the Hercules' Tower, one of the symbols of the city, and an interesting Romanesque set of streets, squares and medieval churches. The Aquarium Finisterrae, the Domus and the Museum of the Sciences are some of the spaces that show the most modern and playful face of the capital, which offers one of its more beautiful prints in the wide beaches of Riazor and Orzán. All this is completed by a gastronomy recognized in the whole country, marked by the excellence of the seafood and meats proceeding from the interior of the province.
Even if the origins of the history was celtic, the history of the city started to be interesting in Roman times, the colonisers made most of the strategic position and soon La Coruña became quite important in sea trade. An example of this period is La Torre de Hercules, which has become one of the symbol of the city.(built on the 2nd century by Trajan).The last time this monument was restored was in 1791 by the architect Giannini. The influence of the Romans was very significant and affected all areas of life –culture, language , religion , …given the fact that the settlement lasted for so long.
After the roman occupation there is no information about this city , it would seem that it was invaded from the north as the rest of Spain in the 5th century AD, suffering the same destruction as other cities.
For la Coruña the Arab invasion in the 8th century didn’t last because of the local resistance.
The medieval town: One of the best examples of Romanesque architecture preserved today is the church of Santiago, that was builst in the 12th century , it is the oldest in the city which has had additions from the 14th and 15th centuries.A polychrome sculpture of the Apostle Santiago from the 13th century is in its nave of pointed arches. Due to the significance of its architectural interest, it was declared a Historic-Artistic monument.
The church Santa María del Campo in the high part of the town centre is another significant building dated from the 12th and 13th centuries. It is important to visit its Museum of religious art with really old works dated between the 12th and 15th centuries.
La Coruña guide