Tarragona’s Historical Past
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Tarragona is the Spanish city, the capital of the Tarragona province and Tarragona district. The city was probably founded by the Scipio during the Second Punic War and became the administrative centre of the Hispania Tarraconensis ancient Roman province. Thanks to its location, it soon became a huge Roman city where one could find a circus, an amphitheatre and aqueducts. In Middle Ages, it became the most important city of the Aragon kingdom. The main evidence for this is the Central Cathedral.
Tarragona is an excellent location for tourists who are fond of calm sites and beautiful views. In the north, surrounded by Roman walls, there is an old district situated. La Rambla is a modern and a lively trade centre whereas La Rambla Nova is the place for meetings and walks as lots of cafes and bars are found here. Some streets were founded as early as in the 19th centuriy and are intended for pedestrians only. Farther you will find a port district with narrow streets and on the north, there is the fishermen’s district located.
Tarragona boasts a large amount of ancient remains, including bases of large Cyclopean walls that were probably founded here prior to the Romans. However, similar to many other ancient towns, Tarraco (as it was previously called) was demolished by its own citizens who continued inhabiting the place and needed more and more building materials. As a result, we have no reminiscence of some ancient erections now, including the amphitheatre that was located by the sea as it was used as a quarry. Now this place is occupied by a 1500-feet-long circus. Moreover, there were lots of desecrations perpetrated all around. But, luckily, there are at least two important monuments that avoided this fate – those are the wonderful aqueduct about a mile from the gates and a Roman sepulcher in the northwest of the city which is usually called the "Tower of the Scipios".
One of the city’s major attractions is the Tarragona Cathedral located in the old town. The cathedral was built in the 12th – 15th centuries and is a truly unique erection. For instance, the images in the back of the altar were created by Pere Joan and tell us the story of Saint Thekla and her life. There are also the marble sepulchre of Don Juan de Aragón and the magnificent gothic St. Mary’s chapel found here.
Modern Tarragona is a developed town with a large port, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili as well as large amount of chemic premises and the surrounding areas. Tourists are attracted here not only thanks to its ancient monuments but also because there are the holiday resort of Salou and the Universal Studios theme park Port Aventure situated here.
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by Tatyana Kogut
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