Local History

The Sea and the salt are the two main elements which have marked the past and present evolution of Torrevieja. The development of the city is due to two salt lagoons which surround the town, and the name Torrevieja is derived from an old watch tower.

The salt lagoons of Torrevieja were given in 1321 to the town of Orihuela. In the year 1389 authorisation was given to convert one of the lagoons so that it was possible to fish, and in 1482 a water way was built which links the lagoon with the sea: the "Acequión". The lagoon was not converted because of the high degree of salt in the water made it impossible to support aquatic life.

The first written reference about the existence of Torrevieja as an urban area is found in a geographic study about the "Reino of Valencia" done by Mr. Antonio Cavanilles in 1767.

Step by step the town was growing and in 1803 the first plan for the new town was designed and the administration was moved to the area of La Mata. This helped the fast development of the town and by this time there were abot 1.500 people living there.

Having a harbour for commercial use of the products from the "Vega Baja" fields helped the development of the area and in 1820 Torrevieja gained independence from Orihuela.

After that a further commercial harbour was built and the first customs house opened. In March of 1829 however there were two severe earthquakes in the area which completely destroyed the city. King Fernando VII ordered the rebuilding of the city using the plans designed by the architect Mr Larramendi, and in 1931 due to its importance as a commercial and productive area it received the title of city. After that the municipal areas of Almoradí, Orihuela, Guardamar del Segura and Rojales were defined. However until 1997 the town of Torrevieja was not the owner of "Eras de la Sal".

Torrevieja past and present

Torrevieja has been changing, developing and improving for many years. Today the lagoons have been declared natural and protected areas and they are very interesting due to the numerous kinds of birds and plants which live or pass by there, and are a perfect example of the areas faun and flora. The lagoons of Torrevieja are property of the Spanish government and are 1.400 and 700 hectares each and occupy a 55% of the area of Torrevieja.

The shape of Torrevieja is dictated by the coastline and orientation of the land. The dry and hot weather of the area, with little rain and high level of salt means that occasionally the lagoons dry completely and are covered with a crust of salt. The "Salinas" produce around un million tons of salt per year. Most of the salt is exported which makes Torrevieja the most important producer of salt in Europe.

The arrival of tourism has helped Torrevieja to grow with about 50.000 permanent residents. The town is surrounded by urbanisations and residential areas having all the services required. New walks, paths, gardens and leisure areas are being constructed making Torrevieja together with its weather and landscape an ideal area to live in.