Portal de Murcia
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The waters of the river are witness to the first tourist cruise 'Murcia River', a journey that crosses the heart of the city and that traces the history of Murcia, the origin of its bridges, the architecture of its monuments, as well as the rich landscape and environmental of your garden.
The boat, which offers this tour in Spanish and English, crosses the Segura from the Molinos del Río to La Fica, where it goes round to the starting point, crossing the main axis of political, cultural and economic life in Murcia.
The waters of the Segura River have witnessed this morning the first tourist cruise 'Murcia River', a journey that crosses the heart of the city and that runs through the history of Murcia, the origin of its bridges and hydraulic infrastructures, the architecture of its monuments and buildings, as well as the landscape and environmental wealth of the Segura Valley, with its Huerta as an emblem.
The mayor of Murcia, José Ballesta, has been present in this first pass for the press of the boat ride 'Murcia River' which, starting tomorrow, will begin to offer tourist cruises in Spanish and English to visitors and Murcia, becoming one of the main tourist attractions of the upcoming Spring Festival.
It is a private initiative that comes hand in hand with the company El Tío de la Barca.
Driven by solar energy, the ship, which previously toured the waters of the Madrid Retreat, has a capacity for 40 people and will offer these tourist routes from 11.00 until sunset.
The trip, which has a price of 2.5 euros per person, lasts 45 minutes and includes the bilingual audioguide service.
The bridges of Murcia
The boat departs from the dock in front of the Molinos del Río (monument to the Sardine), and crosses the Segura to La Fica, where it turns around to go upstream to the starting point.
Along the way, he goes around and tells the story and legends of the Bridge of Dangers (the oldest in Murcia that celebrated its 300th anniversary last year), the Miguel Caballero footbridge, the Puente de Hierro, the Calatrava bridge in front of the Reina Sofia hospital and the Jorge Manrique footbridge.
Architecture and monuments
The avenue next to the river gathers the most important buildings of the city, becoming the main axis of the political, cultural and economic life of Murcia.
Thus, the cruise allows contemplating many historical buildings that were erected next to the Segura as the Molinos del Río, installed between 1785 and 1808, under the patronage of the Count of Floridablanca, illustrious Murcian and prime minister during the reign of Carlos III.
Also the Town Hall, the Episcopal Palace, which was the main headquarters of the Autonomous Community (current Ministry of Economy and Finance) and the institute Licenciado Francisco Cascales, the third center of secondary education founded throughout Spain.
Likewise, mention is made of the Delegation of Government and Convalescence (a sumptuous building that was born as a hospital for 'convalescents', and which is now the seat of the Rector's Office of the University of Murcia), as well as buildings of the Palace of Justice, the Reina Sofía hospital or the Auditorium and Congress Center.
The silhouette of Murcia: the tower of the Cathedral
During the cruise, the tower-bell tower of the Cathedral of Murcia is contemplated.
Built between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, this tower is the most representative point of the silhouette of the city of Murcia.
Visible from a good part of the urban layout thanks to its 93 meters of height, the tower is the second highest in Spain, second only to the Giralda de Sevilla.
The tower also has an intimate relationship with the Segura River, since its bells announced to Murcia the arrival of the feared floods of Segura.
The Iron Bridge and the Eiffel Tower
Among the data and curiosities discovered by this boat trip on the Segura, draws attention to the 'New Bridge', which is, paradoxically, the second oldest in the city of Murcia (was projected in 1894 by the engineer José María Ortiz).
Witness of its time, the New Bridge is, with its parabolic beams and its metal arch, an example of modernist infrastructure design.
Its style is reminiscent of the great projects of the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose famous Parisian tower was completed only five years before this bridge.
The New Bridge surprises by its similarity with the bridge of Trang Tien, in Hue (Vietnam), built by Eiffel at the same time that this New Bridge was built in Murcia.
End of the journey next to the Sardine
The cruise comes to an end next to the Monument to the Sardine, emblem of one of the most representative festivals of the city of Murcia: 'The Burial of the Sardine'.
It is said that it began in Murcia as a popular festival of pagan origin, but today the Entombment is much more than a carnival parade that parodies a funeral procession.
It is a multitudinous celebration, with the distinctive of International Tourist Interest that, together with the Bando de la Huerta, is part of the Murcia Spring Festival, which celebrates its 120th anniversary.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia
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