LYCOS RETRIEVER
Cartagena: Cities
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Cartagena was one of the first cities founded by the Spaniards in South America. Begun in 1533, the strategic location called for a fortress, and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas was started in 1639, but not completed for 150 years. The fortress walls surrounded what is now known as the Ciudad Murallada, or the walled old town, where churches, homes, business and plazas share their colonial heritage.
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Cartagena is a city in the Region of Murcia, in Spain. In the south of the region, at the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the city is 205,000 and it is an industrial centre. Cartagena was founded by the Carthaginese as "Qart Hadasht" and the name means New City.
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Cartagena sits on the Costa Calida within Murcia. Despite the scruffy views as you enter the city, you will find within, a wealth of history and beautiful architecture. If you explore the port area you will find a mixture of old and new. The large naval base occupies a large area and throughout the city, the importance of the port will become evident with numerous buildings belonging to the navy, as well as a good naval museum. You must see the Naval Headquarters, Artillery Headquarters, Dockyard Gate and the Midshipman School.
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Cartagena's newer areas, Bocagrande and El Laguito, on the peninsula facing the Caribbean, have become the fashionable location of upscale hotels, restaurants and shops. You may be disappointed in the beaches, but dancing until dawn in one of the city's hotspots might make up for it.
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From January 6 to 13, the historic city of Cartagena will be filled with music during the first Cartagena, Festival Internacional de Music. Under the artistic direction of Charles Wadsworth, renowned pianist and creator of chamber music events worldwide, festival concerts will take place in historic venues throughout the city, including the Teatro Heredia and the beautiful chapels of the Hotels Santa Clara, Santa Teresa, Iglesia Santo Toribio and the Plaza San Pedro Claver.
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The Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments of Cartagena were selected in 1984 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for being located in a bay by the Caribbean Sea, having the most extensive fortifications in South America. A system of zones that divides the city into three neighborhoods: San Pedro, with the cathedral and many Andalusian-style palaces; San Diego, where merchants and the middle class lived; and Getsemani, the 'popular quarters'.[7]
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