Day of Murcia – June 9, 2024

History of Day of Murcia

The city of Murcia is located in the southeast of Spain. Murcia is the most populous city and also the capital city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia. An autonomous community in Spain is a first-level administrative and political division created to assure limited independence of the regions and nationalities that make up Spain. On Day of Murcia, the flag of the autonomous community of Murcia is seen. On a red background, it depicts a shield and a crown. Murcia’s coat of arms consists of a shield and a crown. On the shield, there are eight images of lions and castles, seven images of crowns, and one image of a heart. Because of its long agricultural tradition, as well as its vegetable, flower, and fruit production and exports, the city is known as “Europe’s orchard.”

The city of Murcia was founded by the Emir of Cordoba named Abd ar-Rahman II in 825. Most people believe that Murcia’s name came from one of two sources, it was either derived from the Latin word ‘myrtea,’ which means land of the ‘myrtle.’ The myrtle is a plant that grows well in the area. The name could have also been derived from the word ‘Murtia,’ which meant Murtius Village. In the 12th century, a writer and traveler who went by the name of Muhammed al-Idrisi spoke of the city of Murcia as being a very secure, well-populated city. In 1031 after the fall of the Caliphate of Cordoba, Murcia eventually became the capital of its own kingdom after passing under the successive rule of different powers. Murcia became a very wealthy city, famous for its ceramics which were exported to Italy as well as for its paper and silk, which were the first in Europe.

The Statute of the Autonomy of the Region of Murcia was approved through organic law by the Cortes Generales. The statute has been amended four times, the first amendment which took place in March 1991 established that elections should take place on the fourth Sunday in May every four years. The second amendment was on February 28, 1992, which established autonomous agreements that increased the powers of different autonomies. The third amendment took place on June 15, 1998, and this increased number of deputies could be determined by the electoral law. The fourth amendment was in 2013 and it was done by amending article 30.