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In the year 991, king Vermudo II began the construction of defensive military positions on the coast. At Faro, in the ruins of the Tower of Hercules, a fortress was built, which had a permanent military garrison. To pay for it, he gave power over the city to the bishop of Santiago. The bishop of Santiago became the most important political post in Galicia, and remained so until the 15th century.

In 1208,

A Coruña was the site of the

Spanish resistance during the Peninsular War was led by Sinforiano López, and A Coruña was the only Galician city that achieved success against the French troops. French troops left Galicia at the end of May 1809.

During the 19th century, the city was the centre of anti-monarchist sentiment. On August 19, 1815,

At the beginning of the 20th century, A Coruña had about 45,000 inhabitants. After the decade of 1960, it recovered the business initiative that had been lost, with Barrié de la Maza (Banco Pastor, Fenosa, Aluminio de Galicia, Genosa, Emesa, etc.).

Elections of 1931

In the

During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco

After the

• Unterseeboot 514 Sunk 8 July 1943 north-east of Cape Finisterre, Spain. 54 dead (all hands lost).

A group of Franco supporters, lead by Pedro Barrié, bought the estate known as the Pazo de Meirás and gave it to Franco. In the year 1970, ETA almost managed to assassinate Franco in A Coruña, but failed at the last moment.

Democracy returns

From 1983 to 2006, the mayor of the city was

The population of the

A Coruña and its metropolitan area have more than 419,800 inhabitants. Including the city of Ferrol and the municipalities of Bergantiños and Betanzos, the population of the conurbation is 634,000, making it the most populous area in Galicia, and the second most populous in the northwest region of Spain, after Asturias.

Tourism

Tourism in A Coruña has increased in recent years to the point of reaching received 62 cruise ships a year. One of the drivers of this tourism is the promenade that skirts the entire city, the longest in Europe. It measures 10 kilometers. There is also a tram and a bike path that runs through most of the journey. Also, there is a cultural tour, passing several museums such as The House of Man and La Casa de los Peces (Aquarium Finisterrae) and it also visits the Castle of San Antón, which contains the archaeological museum, or the Tower of Hercules.

The two main beaches of A Coruña (Orzán and Riazor) are located in the heart of the city and are bordered by the promenade above. This location makes them a great attraction for tourists, being also a meeting point for surfers much of the year. Moreover, the city has other beaches like Bens Creek, Las Lapas, Adormideras, San Amaro beach or Oza.

An important holiday is on the night of San Juan, celebrated with a massive fireworks celebration, parade, burning fails and the ancient fires on all city beaches well into dawn.

In 2006 and for the first time ever, the number of tourists has doubled the population of the city, virtually to 500,000 the number of people who chose the city as a tourist destination.

The city has an extensive network of hotels, international chains and local businesses offer between them a hotel offer over 3,500 beds, which puts the city at the forefront of Galicia. La Coruna has a five-star hotel, Hotel Finisterra, (Hesperia chain). Four-star hotels, Alfonso Molina, María Pita Trip, the Trip Cuatro Caminos, Hesperia John Florez or the Eurostars Ciudad de La Coruña.

Main sights

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)

.

• The city is the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, which is a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation for nearly 2,000 years. It has been declared by the UNESCO as Human Heritage.

• The city is also well-known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galerías. Originally, this type of structure came about as a naval architecture solution for the challenging weather, particularly designed for rainy days. This fashion started in
  Basque region
  were adding these glazed window balconies to their city-port houses.

• In the summertime, the Orzan and Riazor beaches are immensely popular destinations, located directly opposite of the port in the central part of the city.

• The city also has a robust social scene at night, especially in the summer. Most bars and clubs are on Calle Orzan, which runs directly parallel to Paseo Maritimo on the beach side. Like other parts of Spain, most clubs on Orzan do not open until 11 pm at the earliest and do not close until maybe three or four in the morning. Another popular destination, for mostly a more youthful crowd, is Los Jardines (The Gardens), a park near the beginning of Calle Real and El Puerto mall.

Economy

A Coruña is nowadays the richest region of Galicia and its economic engine. There have been various changes in the city's structure over the last few decades—it now shares some administrative functions with the nearby city of Ferrol. Companies have grown, especially in sectors such as finance, communication, planning, sales, manufacturing and technical services, making A Coruña the wealthiest metropolitan area of Galicia. The port itself unloads large amounts of fresh fish, and with the increase in other port activities like crude oil and solid bulk, which make up 75% of Galician port traffic.

In 1975, the clothing company

Inditex, the main textile manufacturer of the world, has its headquarters in the nearby town of

Francisco Vázquez Vázquez had been mayor of the city from 1983; however, after becoming the Spanish ambassador to the Vatican, he was replaced by Javier Losada on February 10, 2006.

Notable people

• José Andrés Cornide Saavedra (1734–1803), writer
• Ramón de la Sagra Peris (1798–1871), botany teacher, philosopher and social economist.
• Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921), novelist, journalist, essayist and critic.
• Eduardo Dato Iradier
  (1856–1921), lawyer and politician.
• Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968), writer.
• Spanish Foreign Legion
  .
• Santiago Casares Quiroga (1884–1950), lawyer and politician.
• Wenceslao Fernández Flórez (1885–1964), narrator, journalist and humorist.
• Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo
  (1896–1978), writer and poet.
• Fernando Casado D'Arambillet (1917–1994), better known as Fernando Rey, actor.
• Amando de Ossorio (1918–2001), film director.
• María Casares (1922–1996), actress.
• Luis Suárez Miramontes
  (born 1935), football player and manager.
• Amancio Amaro Varela
  (born 1939), football player.
• Emilio Pérez Touriño (born 1948), former president of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia.
• Manuel Rivas Barros
  (born 1957), writer, poet, essayist and journalist.
• Andrés Díaz Díaz, (born 1969), athlete.
• María Pujalte, (born 1966), actress
• Fernando Romay, (born 1959), Basketball player

Sister cities

• Cádiz, Spain

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to A Coruña.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)