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Initially, in the current location of the city, there was a small town called Pozo (or Pozuelo) Seco de Don Gil. In 1255, King Alfonso X the Wise renamed the municipality, founding Villa Real.



In its municipal area and a few kilometers away is the Cerro de Alarcos, an ancient Iberian town of important archaeological value, also for its medieval hermitage and castle; its surroundings were the scene of the battle of the same name, where the Castilian troops were defeated by the Almohads (1195).



A historical curiosity is that Villa Real, together with Madrid (which was a Court in exile) and Andújar, ceased to belong to the Crown of Castile, becoming a lordship of León V of Armenia between 1382 and 1391. [5] Juan I of Castile paid the ransom for Leon V of Armenia, when he was captured by the Egyptians, in what was the fall of the last Christian kingdom of the East. In gratitude for the rescue, León V went to Castilla to visit his liberator, Juan I, and the latter granted him the lordship of Madrid, and Vilareal e Andújar [2] until his death, without the possibility of inheriting it. But Enrique III recovered the administration of the dominions in 1391, after the continuous complaints of the subjects.



To find the moment when Villa-Real receives the Title of City, we must go back to the year 1420, in which the King of Castile Juan II granted Villa Real the Title of City, as a reward for its support in the civil war Dynastic against the Military Orders, by saving him with his Militia from a kidnapping in a castle, granting him a shield with the legend “Very Noble, Very Loyal”. In 1475 the privileges of the Old Brotherhood of Ciudad Real were confirmed by the Catholic Monarchs. In 1508 there was a terrible flood. In 1691 it was named capital of the Province of La Mancha at the time it was created.



Between March 26 and 27, 1809, the Battle of Ciudad Real takes place, between Napoleon's imperial troops and the Spanish army and the Ciudad Real Militia on the Guadiana bridges, in which more than 5,000 men of both sides, being later Ciudad Real taken by Napoleonic troops and occupied by a military Garrison of Cavalry until 1813.



It was in 1833 when the Province of Ciudad Real was created.



In 1843, thanks to the General Regent Baldomero Espartero, Ciudad Real inaugurated its first Provincial Institute of Education, following the request of the mayor Mr. Maldonado and the confiscation of the Convent of the Mercedarios Descalzos; also Hospital, since the one that Cardinal Lorenzana had planned for Ciudad Real had been a barracks since 1809.



In 1863 the railroad arrived in Ciudad Real and thanks to it the Terreras lagoons dried up, which - it was said - were a source of infections and deaths, especially children in the nearby Perchel neighborhood. Three years later, in 1866, Isabel II visits Ciudad Real. Parts of the wall are rebuilt. The new City Hall of Sebastián Rebollar is inaugurated. The Queen is staying in the old monastery of La Merced.



In 1875 Ciudad Real became the Bishopric of the Priory of Military Orders and the church of Santa María became the Diocese Headquarters in 1877, in 1887 Ciudad Real was equipped with a Casino. In 1905 on the III Centenary of Don Quixote, Alfonso XIII visited Ciudad Real.



During the Civil War the city remained in territory loyal to the Republican Government and its historical name was officially changed to "Free City" and to Free City of La Mancha. [6]



Its economy comes largely from services, hunting and some industry such as those derived from livestock and wine farms.



Among its typical gastronomy we can find dishes such as migas, pisto manchego, caldereta, tiznao, asadillo, almortas flour porridge, flowers, sponge cake, syrup and its pure sheep's milk cheeses.



Their festivities begin the year with Carnival, of which we must highlight the ´´Piñata Sunday´´. A very popular festival is celebrated before the summer on the occasion of the Pilgrimage of Alarcos (Monday after Pentecost); On August 15, the great day of the Virgen del Prado, Patroness of the city, is celebrated, and on August 22, the Octava de la Virgen (local festival). Of less importance, although it manages to gather more than 50,000 people during its celebration, on July 31, the Pandorga. Its Holy Week has been declared of National Tourist Interest since February 14, 2006.



In recent years, and in terms of international economic events, the National Wine Fair (FENAVIN), which has been held since 2001 in the month of May of odd-numbered years, has become very important; and the fair for products with designation of origin and other quality indicators, España Original. It is a fair that, although its first edition took place in September 2006, currently takes place in May of even-numbered years.



The city preserves only some historical vestiges, such as several fragments of the wall and La Puerta de Toledo (13th century), the house of Hernán Pérez del Pulgar (15th century), the royal house of Caridad (18th century), the church of La Merced (18th century), the church of San Pedro apóstol (15th century) or the church of Santiago apóstol (14th century). Headquarters of the provincial council; The old convent of San Francisco, one of the oldest of its order in Spain, has not been preserved. It is the shared headquarters of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), with the rector's office and a university campus located in this La Mancha city.



Since 2008 it has an airport.



Ciudad Real is a municipality and a Spanish city, capital of the homonymous province and its judicial district. It is located in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha.



The Ciudad Real census is 72,208 inhabitants (INE 2008) and the Municipal Register of inhabitants gives us the data of 74,213 inhabitants as of January 1, 2009. [1]



It is located at an altitude of 628 meters above sea level. Its municipal term has an area of ​​289.98 km². It comprises four population centers: Ciudad Real, Las Casas, Valverde and La Poblachuela. It is located about 200 km south of Madrid.



Due to the large mass of students at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and the large number of non-registered residents, the de facto population of the city of Ciudad Real shoots up to approximately 90,000 people. This has motivated various campaigns by the Ciudad Real City Council to increase the number of registrations in the city. [2]



Ciudad Real is urbanistically separated by a few meters from the neighboring town of Miguelturra with which it forms a demographic continuum or conurbation of approximately 100,000 inhabitants.



Geography



The municipality of Ciudad Real is located in the natural region of Campo de Calatrava, a territory that presents the particularity of relief and volcanic phenomena. Thus, you can see buildings that are usually called ´´morro´´ or ´´cabezo´´ and explosion craters or ´´maars´´ that harbor or harbored lagoons that, on occasions, were drained and destroyed in the second the middle of the 19th century as a consequence of myismatic ideas and policies. Other phenomena are sour waters, hot springs and thermal baths. The relief of the municipal term is flat with slight undulations and with small volcanic hills as well as small quartzite mountains. The Guadiana River crosses this territory although it is in a very negative state of conservation.



Carnivals Declared of Regional Tourist Interest the Piñata Sunday parade where dozens of clubs and carnival floats from all over Spain (province of Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Madrid, etc.) participate.

Holy Week. Declared of National Tourist Interest. Twenty-four brotherhoods and thirty-four steps (mostly carried through the costal system) pass through the streets of the city, being the cathedral, the Plaza Mayor and the Pasaje de la Merced the places of greatest plasticity and beauty in the passage of the brotherhoods.

Corpus Christi. With the participation of the knights of the Spanish Military Orders of Calatrava, Alcántara, Montesa and Santiago, presiding over the Bishop of Ciudad Real, bishop-prior of the Military Orders.



Pilgrimage of the Virgin of Alarcos. It takes place on the Monday after Pentecost on the Cerro de Alarcos, 8 kilometers from the city center, congregating thousands of faithful every year.

Pandorga. Declared of Regional Tourist Interest. It is celebrated on the last three days of July with concerts, contests and street dances, being originally an offering of fruits of the earth to the Virgen del Prado, patron saint of the city that took place on July 31. On the 30th the massive ´´zurra´´ is celebrated, (lemonade made up of wine and lemon juice and fruits) that brings together thousands of people in the city's Fairgrounds. It has become one of the largest festivals in Spain, attracting more than 50,000 people and gaining international fame.

Fairs in honor of the Virgen del Prado. From August 14 to 22. Many concerts, competitions and various activities mark the life of the city these days. August 15 is the ´´big day´´ where the procession of the Virgen del Prado is celebrated with thousands of faithful who for hours walk the streets of the city. On August 22 (´´dia de la octava´´) the festivities end with the burning of fireworks after the procession of the octave of the Virgen del Prado.

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