*** Welcome to piglix ***

Villareal

Vila-real
Vila-real (Valencian)
Villarreal (Spanish)
Municipality
Vila-real (official)
400px
Villarreal, Vila Square and Sant Jaume Street
Flag of Vila-real
Flag
Coat of arms of Vila-real
Coat of arms
Vila-real is located in Spain
Vila-real
Vila-real
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 39°56′16″N 0°6′5″W / 39.93778°N 0.10139°W / 39.93778; -0.10139Coordinates: 39°56′16″N 0°6′5″W / 39.93778°N 0.10139°W / 39.93778; -0.10139
Country Spain
Autonomous community Valencian Community
Province Castellón
Comarca Plana Baixa
Judicial district Vila-real
Founded 20 February 1274
Government
 • Type Mayor-council government
 • Body Ajuntament de Vila-real
 • Mayor José Benlloch (PSPV)
Area
 • Total 55.1 km2 (21.3 sq mi)
Elevation 42 m (138 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Total 51,367
 • Density 930/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Demonym(s) vila-realencs (va)
villarrealenses (es)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 12540
Dialing code +34
Official language(s) Valencian and Spanish
Website Official website

Villarreal (Spanish: [ˈbiʎareˈal]), officially Vila-real (Valencian: [ˈvila reˈaɫ]), is a city in the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain.

The city is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital (Castellón de la Plana), which it is separate from by the Mijares (or Millars) River. it has 51,367 inhabitants (2010 data), most of them living in the urban area that covers about 10.72% of its comarca's 55.4 km2 surface. Ranked by population, it is the second-largest city in the province (after the capital), and fifteenth in the Valencian Community.

The city was founded with royal status by King James I of Aragon in 1274 during his campaign to regain Muslim territory in present-day Valencia during the Reconquista. It later became an agricultural centre for orange cultivation, and more recently a centre for the ceramics industry.

The city is the birthplace of Francisco de Asís Tárrega y Eixea (21 November 1852 – 15 December 1909) who was a Spanish composer and classical guitarist of the Romantic period. He is also the composer of Gran Vals, an excerpt of which was used in the iconic Nokia ringtone. In modern times Villarreal is well-known for its football club that bears the city's name, a club that in spite of the city's small size has played a semi final in the Champions League and finished among the top teams in Spain on several occasions.


...
Wikipedia

...