A Coruña

About A Coruña

Understand Tower of Hercules "A Coruña" may mean crown or colony. The oldest known human settlement was from 3rd century BC at Castro de Elviña a few km south, but perhaps there was something similar on the site of the old town that has been obliterated. This Cidade Vella was at the south end of a tombola island that became welded to the mainland by build-up of material along an isthmus. The town spread north along the island / peninsula towards the lighthouse and west along the isthmus, with a port on its sheltered side, but this was checked for several centuries by the collapse of the Roman Empire and raids by the Arabs and Vikings. It only resumed its growth in early modern times, trading in textiles and with shipping to the Caribbean and Americas. As a port on a rugged coastline, A Coruña was involved in the conflicts with other European powers. After the Spanish Armada of 1588 was routed, the English sought to capitalise on Spanish weakness and launched a counter-Armada. This…

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0.